neither argument, nor echo chamber

Good Morning, you Beautiful People!

I stayed up past my bedtime last night (probably because we had dinner with friends—more on that in a moment), then fell asleep in my comfy chair! Roe-bit (our robot vacuum) woke me up at 1:00 a.m. when it announced it was starting to clean. I still feel a bit jangly and "outside of real-time," but hey—who is to stay what real-time is anyway, with a clock change coming up this weekend, right?

Yesterday was a highly productive day. Tax documents were signed and submitted. We will wait a week to pay federal via IRS Direct Pay and then wait some more, as VA isn't always timely with sending our refund. I also sorted through all the donations and started staging them in the garage; I finally scheduled the pick-up for next Wednesday. My son will help me with the heavier boxes. I went ahead and paid off my Amazon credit card early (the payoff was already accounted for in the budget that I blew elsewhere) instead of waiting until the end of the month. I want to cut ties with that company; doing business with them doesn't sit well with me. I had an appointment with my Psych-NP and updated some medical account information and online security measures. I stayed up to date on my daily chores, and as mentioned above, my husband and I went out to dinner with friends.

It was lovely. Was it a meal exactly as the Mayo Clinic prescribes? Nope, but it was still delicious, satisfying, and overall pretty healthy: pico de gallo salad, spinach enchiladas, black beans, and rice. The enchiladas were more spinach than cheese and were scrumptious! The guys shared a pitcher of beer, and I didn't feel compelled in the slightest to sneak a sip -- I was content with my club soda. The talk ran from catching up with each other through the state of the union, and just about everything in between. There are things we see eye to eye on and things where our opinions differ, but the conversation never turned to debate or argument, and everyone at the table agreed that what is happening now is not "business as usual."

It was refreshing. So often, when talking about the government (particularly online), the conversation turns argumentative or becomes an echo chamber. This was neither. I frequently disagree with my bestie's spouse, but we can always find common ground and hold each other in high regard. I like our conversations, particularly since they are conversations, not arguments.

Today's focus is going to be literal "cleaning house." I've kept up with day-to-day cleaning, but many "wait until laters" and nooks and crannies need my attention. After that, I will spend some time with my Handbook and maybe play with my poetry journals.

My sobriety is strong, I'm comfortable with my current eating pattern, and reckless spending isn't looming as large as it once was--doing the CBA on that issue was enlightening, so I think that one is largely going to shift to careful spending by setting guidelines, and a little assistance from husband for accountability.

I hope you find something beautiful in your life today, and as always, thank you for being here.

dancing with socks

title courtesy of this place

folly

I tell her story for a year and a day
but her truth won’t allow its reveal

It is a tale of a child.

She climbed trees with the young prince,
or was cradled by a giant,
or she was cloistered in the woods.  

His father was moonstruck,
or his young brother was petty,
or only the trees could see souls.

It was a time of innocence,
and has yet proved to transpire.

Life unfolds, within the confines of folly.

She has not seen him for years,
or she is deeply in love,
or she meets him for the very first time.

She has the calloused hands of a maid,
or she runs wild with the wind,
or she has knowledge beyond her station.

She is called Sunshine,
or she is called Beauty,
or she is a cipher unseen.

And he never was.  

Not the son of the mad king,
nor the ogre of kind-heart
nor the fae of gentle might.  

It was naught but a dream
or a gossamer fancy
or fairy lore with no name.

2025.03.06