This morning, as we sipped our coffee, Tevye noticed my black mood from across the room.
As I was leaving to go care for my parents, he stopped me. “Here’s your assignment for today,” he said, and I groaned. “I want you to think of one thing to be happy about, once every hour, today.”
Shit. Busted for being gloomy. Again.
“I want a list!” Tevye called out cheerfully as I headed out the door.
I made the list. And it did help lighten my mood. Here are some highlights:
7 o’clock hour: I’m happy to have a spouse who cares enough to notice when I’m in a shitty mood and tries to help me pull my head out of my ass.
8 o’clock hour: Both my parents are still alive.
9 o’clock hour: I just filed my news column at one of the magazines I write for, and now I don’t have to write anything until next week.
Noon hour: I am happy to know that there exists in the world a real live person whose name is Vincent Yellow Old Woman.
2 o’clock hour: Emails from my cousin Eileen keep me from throwing myself off the roof.
4 o’clock hour: Bacon.
6 o’clock hour: I am happy that my husband is so funny. I texted him to say, “I’m tired of being happy once per hour, can I stop now?” And he texted back, “Go fuck yourself.”
Tevye came home during the 7 o’clock hour, and I stopped writing down what makes me happy and started just being happy.
Thing I Hate Today: People who replace the cap on their bottled water after each sip. (There isn’t a genie in there, and the water won’t try to escape if you leave the lid off.)
lovely.
Support and love…always.
I’m very clumsy, so if I think there’s a good chance I’ll knock the bottle over, I put the cap on. But you can hate me for days if it cheers you up at all. Or even if it doesn’t; I’m good.