Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

 Herself speaks.

Whoops, it's been a bit.

The other morning I was standing in the kitchen, trying to do the usual 500 things for various people, and I realized I hadn't taken my morning meds yet (thyroid, antihistamine, antidepressant). It took a moment to pause, but I purposefully prioritized myself for the 60 seconds it took to fetch my pills.  And as I did so, I was reminded of the admonition by flight attendants as they recite the safety rules on every aircraft: if the oxygen masks descend from the ceiling, put on your own mask first before helping others.

I can't do for others, if I don't do for myself first.

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It's been QUITE A LOT the past couple of weeks. First, there was Beloved Husband's 40th high school reunion, which was a series of events necessitating Getting Dressed Up And Being Social With Strangers over several days in a row (for which I valiantly put on my best Appropriate Outfits and Game Face). They are on the whole very lovely people, so it was just fine, though it was a whole lot of activities in a short period of time (I generally prefer to spread out my socializing). 

Next, was The Deluge: a little-used bathroom on the second floor of the house sprang a leak. There was Water. Lots of it. Nothing of tremendous value was lost, thank goodness, but the house is now partially gutted, both on the second floor and the first floor and in the garage, too. And I am gutted too, because I feel sad for my house, and there is work to be done, and repairs, and rearranging, and my poor house is in disarray and nothing is where it belongs and that is all somewhat terrible. 

Carpet gone, wall gone. Alas.

Insurance will pay for much of the repairs, thank goodness. But still. It is all a bit awful.

Then, I had to make a Duty Travel Trip. Not much to be said about that, except it took me away from home when I would have preferred to be at home with my injured house, and the trip itself was a bit stressful and lonely, and I would have loved nothing more than to have someone with me who could have firmly hugged the tension right out of me at the end of each day -- but alas, it was a solo journey, as so many of my journeys are, and so I soldiered on by myself, as usual. 

At least on the trip, I got to see some very lovely fall colors and shuffle through some leaves. Nice. 

And after my return, one of my much-loved and aloof rabbits has decided to look slightly... peaked. I am keeping a tight eye on him, lest he need to see the vet. I do not enjoy when my pets are ill. I do not have time to worry or to spend an entire day at the vet's office, fretting and calming a hysterical furball. Alas. 

Now we come today: election day here in the United States. I don't have much to say about that right now. I feel nauseated. When I voted early last week, I stood there in the voting booth with my ballot for a while just wanting to cry. Hope is hard to find. 

So that's what is transpiring, and why I have been missing in action here. I am putting one foot in front of the other, needing more than anything for someone to put their arms around me and tell me it will all be OK. 

One day at a time.