Hello Friends,
I hope you are well. I really, really do.
How am I? Oh..thanks for asking…
I’ll be honest; I have cried a couple of times recently. What a funny thing to confess, right? I mean, we are all capable of tears, but a few choose to either hold it in, pretend that they NEVER cry, or…they are sociopaths. I am sure you know someone who fits into one or all of these categories.
I love a good cry like I love a good cup of tea. It is a release of bad energy or worry, sort of like a good old-fashioned exorcism! Release the demons!! Or when you are on the highway and realize that you have to pee…but your husband (obviously talking about me here) just stopped 45 minutes ago. You know he will give you the big eye roll, so you hold it until you are about to explode, and then you grab the steering wheel and take the next exit to freedom.
Here is my handy dandy list of reasons why my tears fell like rain since last we spoke;
Her Majesty the Queen passed away.
King Charles the III referred to his now gone parents as mama and papa in a speech
Someone posted this picture below, and ruined me for hours.
I am well aware that she was 96 years old, so it isn’t mind-blowing that she should pass, and I know there is so much more to it all, but to me, the way I feel is that something that was always constant is now gone. In Canada, she appears on our money, our postage, and I am sure many other places I can’t even conjure up because I didn’t even notice because it was always there and a part of my life.
Now I am stuck wondering if I didn’t appreciate it more.
I had my birthday two days after this sad event. As reported in the last issue, I am now 47 years old. It was a lovely day spent with family. I have aged, and the beat goes on. It is a bit boring as you get older. The BIG birthdays are not as exciting as they used to be. Now they are more traumatic. Once upon a time, it was a big celebration because you were getting bigger and brighter. Oh my goodness, what a big day, you turned one! Thirteen! Sixteen! Eighteen! Nineteen! And it keeps going, on and on, until you are ninety and you’re tired, and you just want a damn nap and a cookie!
I find other people’s birthdays way more enjoyable at this point in my life. So I like to make a thing of it. Purchase a gift that I know they will love, and get the perfect card that will either make them laugh or cry. I guess there is some truth in the belief that you get greater joy from doing things for others…that is where the meaning in life is found.
What do you find your meaning in?
I truly feel that writing gives me meaning. It just makes sense to me. It fits perfectly into my soul and completes me in a way. I am confident that everyone has a piece of their puzzle that fits in and makes them feel whole.
There is nothing to report as far as my book progress is concerned. It has been a busy few days of festivities, tears, and family gatherings.
I want to end with this picture I found of a young Elizabeth. First, I saw it and thought of how pretty she was sitting with her book…
Then, I wondered if she was reading it and was interrupted for a photo because someone else felt the same thing. “There she is, over there, how pretty. Shall I take a photo?” Or was this posed purposely? I like to think that she was enthralled in some beautiful work of fiction, and she was escaping from the world and exploring somewhere beyond the castle walls…or whichever walls held her in for so long.
Talk Soon
Xo
Michelle Lee Stuart