When it's time for an Intermission: 12 ways to break from drama calls....

 It’s Friday, and time for another Friday Night Thought Tale Hour at the Henderson’s.  It’s been an interesting week for me, filled with multiple opportunities for what I can call ‘drama calls’.  Those times when you are met with an internal or external explosion of emotions that you either answer or ignore.  There have been times in my life that I felt I could not ever turn off the ringer on the drama phone, because something terrible would happen (never sure exactly what, but something…).  And then those lessons or events came along that taught me how incredibly insignificant I could be when something dramatic was going to go down, whether I like it or not (that feeling that starts with helplessness and ends with acceptance).  That’s one of the saving graces of being middle-aged.  You’re old enough to see these insights, while being still young enough to improve upon it.  I’d like to think I’m not addicted to drama, and I've learned how to control it or at least hover above it....

Sometimes you just can't ignore it...

But a week like this tells me I still let plenty of drama get past my filters. I’m a passionate and very opinionated person, and my tongue is scarred from the bite marks I've had to inflict upon it. Electronic media only advances the opportunity I have to insert myself in dramas that have absolutely nothing at all to do with me. Add to this the fact that I can now know far too much about what is happening around the world at any given moment, and tweet, post or share about it, and you've got the makings of a potential drama mini-series! 

These lines in the mirror...

 All the while, the crease between my eyes grows deeper, and finally, I stop.  I stop and remember that in all this large capacity life I’m living, I risk the chance of living my last moments missing the small beauties around me.  It’s time to get back to the basics, and find my joyous perspective.  That view that lets me look at the ugliest and still see the hope.

And like any other addiction or habit, stepping out of the stressful drama and back into joyous peace requires some purposeful action.  

Climbing out.

When Niko laughs, you can't help but join.

This week, as I resolved to let go of things that were beyond my control and care, I started thinking about the little beauties in my life that never fail to bring me a moment of peace and joy.  Below are 12 points of action I wrote down as I experienced them. They are sort of small, seemingly insignificant but filled with potential for beauty.  Perhaps one or two of them can help you as much as they do me to come back to that place of joyous perspective:

1.    Lying in bed for a few minutes in the morning before hopping into your day. Snuggle a little bit. Think only of how good this moment feels.

2.    Focusing only on the smell of your coffee or tea as it brews. Absorb the energy.

3.    Eating breakfast slowly, at a table, instead of grabbing something on the go.  This is made even better if sharing a conversation with a loved one.

4.    Hugging someone you know long enough to make it meaningful

5.    Appreciating something common you take for granted, like your feet for taking you where you need to go or windows for giving you a peek while protecting you.

Special reminders

6.    Making a short video of a child you adore, and watching it in the middle of the day when the world seems to be moving too fast

7.    Telling someone you love them, not because you want to hear it back, but because you feel it too deeply not to express it.

8.    Locking eyes with an animal that loves you for at least 3 minutes of uninterrupted adoration.

9.    Telling someone why knowing them makes you feel lucky.

10. Turning off all your electronics to read something uplifting without distractions. Yes, all.

11. Letting someone have their opinion; knowing you can honor it without changing or compromising yours, and walking away with a smile.

Here's an unravel moment

12. Wrapping up in a blanket or going out into the warm sun and letting the heat melt all your stresses away.

Every day we are reminded that our lifetime is not an infinite gift we can count on for tomorrow. While sometimes the "drama calls" will find us and wrap us up for a moment, we can resolve not to become so entwined that we can’t find our way out, even if only for a brief intermission. So tonight, Chris and I will be toasting with our own version of a seasonal delight, the Caramel Apple.  We will light a fire, talk about our weekend plans and mostly, just enjoy the intermission. CHEERS FRIENDS!

Liquid Caramel Apples

2 oz of Apple Cider

1 oz of Van Gogh Dark Caramel Vodka

1 oz of Apple Pie Liquor

Pour each into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick.