One year later...

                “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”    Sylvia Plath

                I wrote this a year ago.  This morning on what would have been my 21^st anniversary, I woke to a simple text on my phone, “Love you.” from Kristi.  I decided to re-read this.  I remember when I wrote this last year I was trying to be Erma Bombeckish, not too heavy, not too light.  I like it.  What I love most is seeing how very far I’ve come in a year.  Thank you, God, Family and, Friends.

Tuesday night as I got home, there was a text on my phone from one of my Bosses, “Have you arrived home safely, did the fire affect you?”  It dawned on me that on leaving the office there had been a lot of police and firefighter activity in the Back Bay, and when leaving the city I noticed that the Bay Village neighborhood was dark.  While reading the Boston Globe the next morning, I saw that there had indeed been a huge fire in an NStar building, knocking out power to much of the Back Bay.  I was headed into work early that day to see a favorite patient as a favor.  Turned on the TV to see if I could get info and it wasn’t working.  Texted same Boss to find out if he had any info…we had no power in the office..This was not a day I wanted to be idle.  It should have been my 20^th wedding anniversary.

                Back to the TV first to figure it out…determined to do these things myself now..although as a favor, my ?, what to call Him now, well, still technically my Husband, had returned and exchanged cable boxes and clickers.  In a bid to lower some bills, I had just recently dropped the land-line phone (isn’t everybody?!), and changed what I had on my cable- internet services (never watched HBO anyway, and didn’t need the superfast internet highway connection..).  Called Comcast, whereupon it was discovered that my clicker needed to be replaced..

                Okay, so what to do?  I finished the paper lazily with coffee and breakfast.  Decided I needed new “accessories” for the bathroom.  It was a dreary rainy March day, but I headed out, anything to keep busy.  Five stores (Ann & Hope in Randolph, Burlington Coat Factory as Comcast was right next store and exchanged clickers.., Marshall’s, Home Goods, and Bed Bath and Beyond in Braintree) and four hours later, I arrived home and “happily” replaced new bathroom cup, toothbrush holder, shower curtain hooks.  The new, clean, stain-less steel shower curtain rod brought me to my knees, or rather the fetal position on my bed.  I could not budge it to extend it.  Fought with it for awhile, and walked away, content with the other new things to brighten up my bathroom and day.

                Next thing to do on a yucky, nightmare day?  Watch trash tv, hopefully mindless, not romantic, movies.  Sat down with my new clicker…and you have to program the gd thing all over..I tried, really, I did.  You simply should not have to have an MIT degree, or be a man who loves this s…, to watch TV!  I caved, and called my Brother, sobbing…OMG, I hated doing it, and bless his soul, He came right over, and programmed it for me!

                Truly, I don’t remember much more of that day, thank you God….I got through it;  the first in the “year of firsts” in the death of anything, always brutal.  As far as the shower curtain rod, I left it for a couple of days.  Tried again on Friday, was headed back to the store to return it, and tried one last thing…I caved again to a man..asked my neighbor to try.  Thankfully, he really fought hard, but did manage to get it open.  Saved me a trip to the store at least…

OMG, it’s the little things in life that make your day, or break you…