OK

I'm in that place again.  Three weeks of being tired and physically out of sorts has proven time and again to be the limit of my psychological tolerance.  I'm more or less alright, well enough to be back at work, reluctantly, but am I grouchy.  I blame it on the fatigue and social isolation; it's no good to have to cancel all your social plans because you need to conserve all your energy for work.

I am being an optimist and making a few plans with friends for the near future.   I need to get out of my pj's and back to life!

Today I attended an event at my grandmother's assisted living facility.  My grandmother and her neighbours acted as "elders" to a group of 12-year-olds in the context of a history project.  Together, each team consisting of an elder and a student created a painting that represented the elder's path through life and/or life lessons that they'd like to pass along to younger generations.  It was very sweet.

Neither my grandmother nor her co-artist, Sam, feel confident in the area of visual arts.  Their final product was a sort of time-line cartoon strip of stick figures against a colourfully painted abstract background.  They both seemed fairly bashful about it, but I thought it was good stuff.

Before the art presentation ceremony, I met my relatives for lunch. My uncle had suggested that we meet at a Thai restaurant close to my grandmother's residence.  I checked online and found that it wasn't open for lunch on Sundays.  I patted myself on the back for saving the day, and redirected us all to meet at a sushi restaurant I'd found online instead.  I offered to arrive early to save us a table.  I even took a taxi to make sure I wouldn't be late.

I got there quite early and found that there were no tables.  Not "no free tables".  Just no tables at all.  It was a take-out-only restaurant.  Nice.

Cell phone technology saved the day.  My cousin picked me up on his way past, and we all met at a local deli for enormous pastrami sandwiches.

Not only did I get out of my shell and socialize with friendly humans today, I ate.  All day.  Comfort food, or at least my version thereof.  A big bowl of hot oatmeal for breakfast at 9 am.  Second breakfast at 11:30 am, consisting of last night's homemade dinner leftovers: roasted chicken, brown rice, and sauteed sweet peppers.  1:00 pm: one giant pastrami sandwich on rye with mustard.  2:30 pm:  Sweet buffet at the art presentation - chocolate rolls and dried fruit.  3:30 pm: Grandmother's homemade poppyseed cookies served from a plastic 2L tub that used to hold frozen yogourt.  At the moment it's 6:45 pm.  I'm roasting a big hunk of pork with red potatoes, and there are organic carrots in the fridge waiting for their turn under the knife.

With enough sleep, comfort food, friendly conversation, and hugs, I think I might just be able to find my cheerful self again.