Blessings Abound!

Is it just me or has the world gone crazy?  Okay, admittedly, since I became a quasi-prepper quite a few years ago, I’ve thought for several years it’s nutso.  Long enough that our food designed to last twenty-five years might be approaching expiration.  Hopefully, the zombies will attack prior to that so I don’t have to buy more.

You know it’s bad when people start posting on Facebook about Armageddon being in sight.  I’m not overly worried about that, because I’m pretty sure there won’t be any survival products needed during that time.  Hopefully whoever is left behind finds my stash, so they won’t starve.

As an eternal optimist, I’m having a somewhat hard time finding things to be thankful for.  I could probably stave off most of those feelings by leaving the TV channel on the Game Show Network, Cartoon Network, or Disney.  Or, better yet just bringing up my list of recorded movies and picking one.  I’ll either get to see Stallone with his shirt off, Statham kicking butt, Neesom solving a problem with his special skills, or one of four gazillion animated movies.

I mean, after all, who doesn’t want to see a house lifted by balloons or a panda with his own special skills?  Definitely not me, and therein lies the problem.  I am easily distracted.  Some might say I have the attention span of a two-year old, although some might get slapped if they do.  Everyone knows I’m an “and up” because all the really good toys read “For ages three and up.”  So three, not two, thank you very much.  How can I possibly think about the next step in a plot if Manny is trying to rescue Ellie, Ferdinand is facing off with the matador, or Will Smith has turned into a pigeon?  (Spies in Disguise is such a cute movie!)  Even though I can quote lines from all my favorite movies, I’ll still stop what I’m doing to watch.

Some authors say they need peace and quiet to get their creative juices flowing.  That’s not me.  First of all, flowing creative juices sound like a mess to clean up, so no thank you.  Hard pass. Secondly, I need background noise to concentrate. Preferably something that won’t hold my attention.  Since I am rather childlike, that only leaves the news.  Or maybe the weather channel, but they have some rather exciting programs.  Back to the news.  And depression.

The biggest question a lot of us face is…  How do we continue having faith when the world is going to Hell in a handbasket so fast it’s making our heads spin?  I think I’ve come up with the solution, which involves the insomnia I usually have.  Perhaps a quick explanation is due.  I can be exhausted and as soon as my head hits the pillow, my eyes fly wide open.  It’s magic!

I am definitely not one to take a pill to solve that problem.  I could probably solve a bunch of it by keeping cats out of our bedroom, but they’d just be scratching on the door all night to be let in.  And meowing.  Or caterwauling, because they can be rather verbal when they’re angry.  I’d much rather have one sleeping on the top of my pillow purring than listening to that noise all night.  The one chewing on my foot when it’s out from under the covers?  Not so much.

Since I’m anti-drug and pro-cat, my solution to the problem is that I play a game.  Many years ago, I started out by counting sheep, but would get distracted thinking of all the sheep poop I’d have to clean up in the morning. I know what you’re thinking.  Put the sheep in diapers and…voila!  Problem solved.  And who is going to change said diapers?  Me?  I think not.  Oh!  You weren’t actually thinking that?  My bad.  Sorry.

So, I went to counting up from one.  Didn’t work.  Oddly enough, counting down from a hundred sorta did, but it wasn’t distracting or boring enough.  Probably because I kept forgetting what number I’d last thought and had to start over.  Counting down by threes or fives sounded like a good idea, but no.  Barbie was right.  Math is hard.

My final solution was a letter game, which actually works.  For me, anyway.  I first think of a category.  Like TV shows.  A—All My Children.  B—Big Bang Theory.  Etc.  If you decide to play the game yourself, Q, X, and Z are hard, but I’m old so I have great words for that.  Movies, things you can buy at Wal-Mart, something found in the Bible, songs, etc.  There are a gazillion things, and most of them get pretty boring after a while, so sleep it is!

Which brings me to the point of this post.  My latest category is Blessings.  It serves two purposes.  One—to help me sleep.  Two—to counteract gloom with God.  It’s extremely difficult to feel hopeless when you’re “forced” into remembering all you have to be thankful for.  Like E—electric blankets, B—blackberry preserves, or F—family and friends.  Twenty-six letters in the alphabet, twenty-six daily reminders of how lucky I am.  Or twenty-six plus reminders if I have to start the list over again because Shadow is harassing Ed or Charlie is staring at me hoping I’ll get up and play with him.  Sometimes it takes a while for the sandman to do his job.

Bottom line—no matter how crappy we think things are right now, we can always find a reason to be thankful.  Like the fact that zombies haven’t attacked yet.  So count your blessings, or rather letter your blessings, and don’t forget to send up a thank you or several hundred during the day.  God’s in Heaven and all’s right with the world.  Even if we might not think so.