yes, i feel the change of the seasons....early darkness...a crisp in the air...fragrant jasmine-y flowers replaced by woodsmoke...the drone of lawnmowers replaced by the crunching of leaves underfoot. this is my favorite time of year...as the earth prepares for a few months of rest, tucked in under it's snow blanket. it's also the time of year when i gear up in earnest for my least favorite moments...dark moodiness...doldrums...outright depression that makes me want to tuck in under my own blanket and just stay put for a day, or a few days, or a week. i've learned my body's rythym, and know when to be extra good to myself, and when to say no to invitations and stay quietly at home, rather than paste on a happy face and scream inwardly with a tantrum that i just. want. to. go. home. and as you well know, home has not been my respite fortress in a while, but some inward fear takes hold and a bone deep tiredness overcomes any good intentions. some great good news came yesterday, and even more today, and this has me dancing on pointe...the new building my department has been moved to (which is actually the old building the company began in) is so remote and so scary, that i refused to stay until 7pm...being that i would be the lone person in the entire building and in the entire office park. i simply stated that it was a safety risk i was not prepared to gamble with. i would be leaving at 5pm with everyone else that day, and for any remaining days they felt they would keep me on. my manager and supervisor agreed...this building was new to them, as well, and no one had any idea of how little thought anyone had put into our safety. so we all leave at 5pm now. i go in at 8am, which means an alarm blaring at 5am. a trade off, i suppose, until that lottery ticket pays off! then today, my job duties were changed, and i although the number of "things" i do in a day has been slashed, it is perfect. my new supervisor took stock of who does what and who's talents lie where, and decided that i was best on the phones and followup with those issues. in order to do that properly, everything else was redistributed. everything. so my day is filled with what i am happiest doing, and i leave at a normal hour...what's not to love? i get home with time to walk diva dog and eat dinner and work on some artwork and post a blog entry! and i may actually have time to find my pictures that HandsomePierre put on my new computer for me! so i'm going to take advantage of some actual ME time now. i challenge each of you to reach out to someone in your life - whether a friend, aquaintaince, co-worker, or someone you just pass everyday on your way here or there...i challenge you to perform a random and anonymous act of kindness for them at least once a month through these dreary next months. you just will never know how meaningful it is...how warm and incredibly love-filled and life-saving it feels to receive something from someone...just because. and the feeling you get for the giving is amazing, too. be warm. be well. be fabulous. xoxLinda