Battling the Blues

I've been pondering the age old question of how to get back up when you're down. Here are some of my favorite ways to combat the shadows that oft make their unwelcome appearance:

1. Hug the one you're with. Mr. G. is that one person in my life who knows me better than anyone when darkness falls.

2. Tune in. Put Patsy Cline in the CD player and sing "Crazy" at the top of my lungs. This works well in the car, where I'm not risking anyone's eardrums but my own.

3. Hit the water. I fill up the bathtub, scent it with my favorite bubble bath, light a candle, and soak. Some New Age tinkly music in the background is a plus.

4. Pressed for Time. I know, this one is going to raise a lot of eyebrows, but there is something cathartic about smoothing out the wrinkles in a cotton blend. Maybe it's the steam, or the smell of the fabric.

5. We all scream. I walk up to the Baskin Robbins at the corner of my street. I know, I know, they say you shouldn't drown your sorrows in food, but honestly, how can you stay low when that chocolately cool taste hits your tongue?

6. Red Roses for a Blue Lady. I go to the supermarket and buy a dozen of anything that appeals, then put them someplace where I will see them throughout the day. If they have a scent, I stick my nose in there and get myself a snootful. Ahhh.

7. Back to my Roots. I hug a tree. Stare at the sky. Try to decide if that cloud looks like Charlie Brown's head or an Easter egg. Mother Nature is a great healer.

8. Turn to the stars. I watch an old Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracey movie. Or maybe Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as they sway and tappety tap their way hither and yon to the music of Cole Porter.

9. Daydream the blues away. At work, Rose occasionally asks, "Where are we today, Barb?" I might answer, "In an outdoor bistro in Paris, nibbling a croissant and sipping a cafe au lait." Or "On the beach, with a local who's fanning me and feeding me grapes." Painting a place in my mind never fails to make me smile.

10. Take cover. A friend of mine has this saying etched on a rock: "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." This is my justification for reading formulaic fiction and mysteries. It is great escapist fare.

11. Walk it off. A good stretch of the legs gets the muscles moving and releases tension. And I can say I exercised that day, an extra bonus because I always feel bad about not exercising enough.

12. Write it off. I was working on some of this in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep. Now I'm about worn out. Think I'll head back to rack to tack on some more zzzz's.