Sunglasses in the rain

Have you ever had to put on your sunglasses when it's raining, because the sun is NOT behind the cloud that is raining on you?

The weather is intense today. Strong wind and a deep, rich blue sky. Clouds that look like someone bunched up cotton balls and dragged them across a tray of different colors of artist's chalk. Bright sunshine in spots, with no haze whatsoever. Oh, and the rain...it was a heavy rain at lunchtime, but it's just sprinkling now. Random.

For some reason, I like wearing sunglasses in the rain. I guess I like the mix, the unpredictable nature of it all.

I went out at lunchtime. There were "High Wind Warnings" but I said Eff it, and met a friend for a little while, and had a bagel. It's worth it to get away. Good for your spirits. Especially if you work with someone who doesn't understand that if one project budget runs out, you can't just bill to another project. Not that I work with anyone like that. It's nice to let the little aggravations of life go and just laugh, and have that little bit of sunshine, even if it rains the rest of the day.

I have a love/hate thing with my job. Love the pay, love the part time hours, LOVE all of the vacation time I get, and the benefits. Not so much loving the dry "paperwork" project tracking and reporting aspect that is the majority of my work. Hey, somebody's got to do it.

For "rewarding" I look to the time I spend at the NICU, helping parents scrapbook, or the projects I do on my own. Scrapbooking may look like a waste of time to some people (cough cough my Mom cough cough) but it's fun for me. Pretty paper, and stickers! It's a great stress reliever.

I feel the same way about beads. I have a bunch of beads, and people that I've promised to make necklaces for, and I don't get a great deal of time to do it, but I'm almost always happy with how my projects come out. It's very calming, to count out beads in a pattern, shift them around until it feels right, and then string them one by one.

Another reward I give myself, for surviving life as a working Mom (constantly juggling everything and being pulled in 1000 directions), is music. I couldn't live without music. Fortunately my friends and Sue keep me supplied with a steady stream of new music to listen to. (You wouldn't BELIEVE what Johnny V has lurking on his IPOD....but anyway... )

I also sing. Tonight, I start choir practice again at church, for the fall season. So, around 8:30 tonight, if you listen very hard, you just might hear me singing a Christmas song. Now, this is another thing people don't understand. Two hour rehearsals? EVERY week? Singing Latin hymns? Yeah. It works for me. Some of the music is so difficult it's impossible for me to dwell on the little collection of problems and issues running through my mind. It's great.

I have a beautiful umbrella (looks like a Monet painting) but really, I'd just rather have my sunglasses on.