Helluva week!

Happy Friday! We made it! Honestly, my days are off. I felt like it was Friday 3 days ago. :-) What a week this has been. Good, fun, crazy, and hot to say the least.

 “It isn’t the big pleasures that count the most; it’s making a great deal out of the little ones.”—Jean Webster

Yesterday, I had one of "those" days. Have you ever felt like satan (or whatever you call that thing that is trying to runaway with your joy) is really trying to demolish you??? lol Well that is how I felt yesterday. First, I've been suffering with a cold since last Tuesday. I thought by last Saturday I'd be all well again. Nope. The good thing is, the chills went away by Wednesday, but not the cough and the nightly agony. I don't wish this itchy, uncomfortable cough on anyone. It's the kind of cough that forces itself on you. You get that tickle/itch in your throat and the ONLY way to achieve some type of relief is to cough like your are losing it. I've coughed so much that my ribs, back and abs are actually sore right now. I've tried everything. The two things that I think are giving me some relief are pure honey--a swallow of it a couple times a day. And Vicks. Now, this sounds simple, except that I absolutely detest honey. It makes me wanna gag. As a child, my mom disguised Castor oil by putting honey in it, so now I associate the smell of honey with that. Dear Lord, help me. LOL. However, I gotta take some more spoonfuls today. Second, I went in the subway at 53rd and Lex at 6:45ish yesterday and felt like my lungs were closing. It was an oven down there. I waited about 7 minutes then had to leave and get air. I walked to 42 St. to catch the train there. I can see how someone might die in this heat, especially underground. Whoa! :-/... And there's more, but enough with the blah stuff. The beat goes on for sure! :-)

Ok, despite all of that...There have been bucketloads of goodness in the last week. I figure with all the coughing, I've been getting an ab workout. (lol) I have lost my appetite. I've eaten, but not nearly as much as usual, so I've lost a couple pounds. Today, I'm having a wheatgrass shot for sure! Must get some nutrients in my system.
I've traveled to Savannah, spent the day with my mom and one of my nephews, and walked the sandy beaches of Tybee Island and St. Simon Island in Georgia with my number one sugarplum. I enjoyed every second of it.

Savannah is a quaint, pretty city. Lots of weeping willow trees. At least, I think they are weeping willows. Georgia, itself, is SUCH a green state. Green meaning trees everywhere. I spent a lot of time on the road driving (I mean being driven)  from Atlanta to Augusta to Savannah and passing hundreds of trees, trees, and more trees. :-) And watermelons.

It was really pleasant to be away from the big city. In a place where people take their time and enjoy the scenery. I adored the cottage we stayed in at the Savannah B&B. Perfect!

I will always find serenity in the ocean. Just looking at the waves flow to the shore is peace. It is one of the great joys of life. Seeing the sunlight dance on the sea--WOW. Makes my heart smile.

 I took this photo on St. Simon Island. :-)

Despite having a day of wanting to punch something~literally. I was still able to maintain my joy. I've learned that no one and nothing can take my joy. I may get flustered and bothered for a minute or even a couple of hours. However, I've learned to let it before the next day. Life is too short to hold on to anything that brings me down. It's just too much to be grateful for and too much to smile about.
So instead of writing ten things that make me wanna scream. I thought why not write ten things to do WHEN you wanna scream :-) Here goes:
* SCREAM. it helps. It's good to just let out a big yell sometimes. Release, relate, relax (remember Whitley from A different world saying this with her southern drawl, did I say it in the right order...Hmmm)--screaming achieves that goal. 

*VENT. yes, talk it out. Express your frustration to someone. Holding it in is not healthy. Vent. Let it out. Then let it go.

*Call a friend. That's goes hand in hand with venting. A friend listens. You need that in times like this. :-)

*Sip black tea. University College London  scientists found that black-tea drinkers had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after a stressful event than those who consumed other hot beverages. (per Oprah magazine, Sept. 2010 issue).

*Get some distance. When you're slammed with something really stressful, don't panic. Instead, pretend you've been asked to advise a friend or family member in need, and think through the problem systematically. (reference from Oprah magazine, Sept. 2010 issue.)

*Say what you mean. Don't beat around the bush, just saying without being offensive...if possible. :-)

*Stop and smell the roses...I mean lavender. It really calms.

*Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Conscious deep breathing is a healing tool for sure. Go for 10.

*Laugh. Find something to laugh about. Laughing always makes things better.

*Think of 3 things to be grateful about right now. Right in the midst of the "crapola." Being grateful helps put things into perspective.

Mom and my nephew, Simeon.

Me and BBP @ restaurant on River St. in Savannah.

What about you? How do you knockout joymonsters? Hablame. :-)

It's FRIDAY! Have a supercalfrajahlistexpea-al-la-dough-jus kind of weekend! Sending empowerment your way. Tag, you're it!