It's gotta be the shoes

I have been somewhat down in the dumps lately. There have just been a lot of things not go my way, leading to a series of disappointments. Apparently, although I have tried very hard to get the word out that IT'S ALL ABOUT ME, there are some people who still are unaware. So I took a few days to mope around and feel sorry for myself and pout. OK. Maybe more than a few days. But I am feeling better and getting over myself a little bit. I attibute this upswing to a few things:



1) A kind and understanding husband. After all these years he knows when to back off and let me go through whatever I'm going through. And when I dump all my angst on him, he is kind enough to just let me vent and not try to fix it or tell me what I should do. I know what I should do, but sometimes I just want to unload.




2) A sunshiny day. Yes, we started the day with snow on the ground, but it warmed up so nicely and I took a 30 minute walk in the sun while Taylor was at piano. I walked almost down to the Walmart in Cedar Hills from the piano teachers house. It is about 1.5 miles round trip. The beauty of walking in Cedar Hills, or Pleasant Grove for that matter, is that no where is level. You have to exert some effort at least one way. It's tough to wallow in self-pity when hoofing it up a hill. And there is great sense of accomplishment when you reach the top of the hill and look back at how far you came. Walking alone outside is also very good for clearing my mind, and probably the best medicine for being stuck in a funk.



3) Red toenails. I had a friend once tell me to always keep my toenails painted "hooker red" (her term) because it will always cheer you up. You know what? She's right. It is indeed a very happy thing to look down and see that "screaming red" (my term). I can't help but smile.



4) Really great shoes. I don't know what it is that makes shoe shopping so therapeutic. After walking outside today, I decided to top off my happy feeling with new shoes. I went out to Kohls knowing exactly what I wanted. Bright red pumps. (I love all things red.) There was a pair of such red pumps at Kohls, and for only $18. Size 9. I can occassionally pull of an 8.5, if I'm lucky, but not a 9. I tried them on hoping they were a small 9, but alas, they were far to big. So the only logical thing to do when I couldn't have the shoes I loved was to get 2 pairs of shoes I liked. 2 pairs of espedrilles, and Lari is a happy gal again.



5) An evening of playing with kids. Sure, it was Mario Kart, but it was fun and we all laughed and had a good time. I even won a race or two. Okay, one. But it was by a good margin.