Ok, NOW It Is September

September has traditionally been one of my favorite months of the year; it heralds the transition from summer to fall and carries with it the promise of new beginnings. I feel like, this year, I’ve experienced enough transition to last me a lifetime, and, I lack confidence that any new beginning will bring me joy, contentment, or peace (three things that I am currently lacking), which, is extremely unfortunate. I hate that I harbor this level of pessimism and want, desperately, to find within myself the capacity for optimism, joy, contentment, peace, and hope again.

The power lies within me; tapping it is the challenge.

Anyhoodle, since it IS finally September, and since I know I need to kick myself into some semblance of normal (“normal”, like in The Before Times), I am going to start writing posts that meet very specific criteria:

        A.      They make me happy.  

        B.    They contain, at minimum, 50% less whining.

        C.     The overall tone of the post is positive, or, at the very least, not completely depressing.

        D.     They are honest without being maudlin (this mostly pertains to posts about perimenopause because I think younger women have a right to know what to expect once   they reach this glorious season of their lives. This is also why I am allowing myself to   whine up to 50% of the time.

I’m going to start meeting these standards with this very post by telling you all how happy I am that Hugh surprised me with a new shed for my garden. It’s not exactly as nice as Sheryl’s She Shed before it burned down (thank you State Farms commercials), but, it will allow me to store my gardening supplies and excess porch décor items without fear of them being ruined by the elements. The shed also partially blocks the view of the shack in the neighbor’s yard, and that right there is reason enough to celebrate.

I didn’t plant a garden this year, but, with a brand new shed in the space and Hugh’s offer to build a set of raised beds for me; I am already planning the plot for next year (Optimism! I CAN do it!).