Virginia Is For Families

Winter can be bleak and those who are susceptible to depression can find themselves going over the edge this time of year.  Factors that are often mentioned are the lack of light and holiday expectations.  People are confronted with childhood memories as they gather with their families.  They have a chance to reflect on their lives.  And there is a lot of flu and other sickness going around this time of year.

All of these things can contribute to an attack of depression.  The warning sign I notice is the feeling that it is too difficult to do the most basic kinds of things.   Going to the store is a major task.  Boxing up a return item from Christmas is beyond my capacity.  Fortunately I am aware of these things and know how to take measures to combat this illness.   It’s really not very difficult to avert a major attack when life is going along in a fairly normal fashion.

There is medication but there are also other avenues to take that will help when there is less light outside and a dark shadow trying to creep into the soul.

I cannot say enough about the joy of taking photos with a camera that is capable of capturing the essence of a subject or scene. If there is not much light and color available in the back yard we can at least find it in the photos we have taken in the past year.

There are also photos that will bring back wonderful memories. There are photos that have brought notice and wonderful comments. And there are photos that simply remind us that this world can be a beautiful place in its finer moments.

Getting up early in the morning when all is still quiet and looking for something new in the photo gallery is an excellent way to start the day. I often will find something that has been overlooked and post it to Flickr. Then if someone finds it interesting I will post it here and add some words and/or music. In this way I often have a better idea if a WP post is going to be successful before it is published. ( Listening to inspirational music of one sort or another and finding a connection with a photo has been a recent exercise that adds to this experience).

Photography is one way (out of many no doubt) to combat sadness and depression.  And  there are other things to do that are helpful.  Drinking alcohol is not a healthy thing and many of us need to stay far away from it.  Taking walks and breathing in some cold, fresh air can be very helpful.  And learning to express our frustrations  instead of allowing them to just sit inside and grow mold can bring about a very positive change.

Of course this needs to be done in a constructive way.  And some sources of frustration are not going to go away anytime soon.   But voicing them and having someone who will  listen and appreciate our struggles while offering encouragement is better than all the Christmas presents in the world.

Beth does this for me and I love her for it.  We have just spent our tenth Christmas together and while it wasn’t much fun being sick it was a joy to be around someone who is a powerful source of health and well being.

We do this for each other and I hope that you have someone who does it for you.   In a world that seems so concerned about physical fulfillment of one sort or another not much is said about the emotional support that couples can offer each other.    But it really is more important and young couples often need it desperately as they try to build lives together.

All of this comes to mind as  I close the door on a challenging illness and start looking  forward to a fresh start and a new year.  Set goals for yourself and expect some defeats as well as some victories  along the way.  If you are lonely and/or  depressed discover and deal with the sources of both.

You can do it.   There is an infinite well of healing power within you.  Allow yourself to be open to it.   Drown your sorrows in it and drink from it every day.  Fight back.

Never surrender to the darkness.

George Harrison

Play Wah Wah

03-wah-wah

Wah-wah
Youve given me a wah-wah
And Im thinking of you
And all the things that we used to do
Wah-wah, wah-wah

Wah-wah
You made me such a big star
Being there at the right time
Cheaper than a dime
Wah-wah, youve given me your wah-wah, wah-wah

Oh, you dont see me crying
Oh, you dont hear me sighing

Wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free from the wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah

Oh, you dont see me crying
Hey baby, you dont hear me sighing
Oh, no no-no no

Wah-wah
Now I dont need no wah-wahs
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free – of wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah

It’s 34 F outside and raining.  So much for snowflakes and icy glitter as Christmas approaches.  Once again the skies are gray and full of nondescript clouds.  The trees have given up making wild gestures  of despair.

Now they are all drooping in sodden slumber.  Wake us up when the temperature goes below freezing.   Splash us with a dressing of ice as portrayed in the photo I put up a few days ago.   That was last year.  Nothing so interesting has happened this winter.  Noah is probably happy in his celestial yacht.  Somewhere.

My cough returned for a encore run and I have a headache this morning.  Will it never end?  I decided to go for the cure and went out for Hardee’s cinnamon  and raisin biscuits.   Four of these guys plus some Mountain Dew or (even better) Vault will solve just about any pounding pain in the CD ( chrome domium).    And in fact it’s working.

But the photo taking has been postponed (again!)  until the rain and the coughing stop.

Any day now.   On a more positive note I discovered that liquid Vitamin B12 and B6  are sometimes beneficial for RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome).   I was giving a can of Red Bull a chance to wake me up while having an attack of RLS a few weeks ago.  And the shaky legs went away!   No more bees doing laps from my knees to my ankles.

So I looked at the ingredients and discovered the Vitamin B content.  Now I take a teaspoon per day and it helps once in awhile.  Yesterday I even took a nap!   Oh what joy.   A nap during the day for someone with RLS is better than you know what!  Imagine never being able to rest unless you have taken some medication that is used mainly by Parkinson patients!  Believe me you do not want to take that stuff during the day unless you plan to live in bed.

So here is the good news for the five or ten percent of the population out there who deals with this scourge.  Try B12 and B6 in liquid form.

AND  look for silver linings  in the clouds.  I managed to find some yesterday as I grabbed a few moments of exquisite slumber during the day.   Then dreamed I was kissing a beautiful girl in a field of sparkling grass on a sunny afternoon.

Later, upon awakening, I told Beth about this dream.  And a  few hours later she told me that company would be here tomorrow (now today) and we would not be alone again until   the new year arrives.

We have been wrapping so many presents lately.  Perhaps we should take a moment and unwrap a couple.

Just for fun.

Kellie Pickler

Play Santa Baby

05-santa-baby1

Kathryn must have read my blog about Santa being an alien because she seems a little upset here. Or maybe she’s just thinking about the Dow Jones average. I don’t know. But Charlie seems to be taking it all in stride.
Sarah sent me this photo today and it is such a wonderful reminder that Christmas activities are happening. Somewhere.
I am much better today and looking forward to taking some photos of Christmas lights downtown this weekend.  The dark storms have passed and there is bright light outside again as well as lots of fluffy clouds.

What a difference a day can make.