Two hours for sanity

You know what I did today?
I skipped ballet.
Because some days, your body doesn't feel well, and your head doesn't feel well, and it seems that the world doesn't feel well either.
It's days like these when you need some time away from the mirrors and away from the barre and away from the 6 degree weather.

So you send your teacher a nice email, brave the freezing air, and take the long trip home

And you whip up something fragrant and banana-based and pop it in the oven

and you take a hot shower, where you wash off your makeup

(and use an uncalled-for amount of conditioner).

And you think and you pray

a lot.

And then you breathe.

And put on some tall socks

and let the rosy water drip out of your hair

as the smell of something lovely in the oven fills the room

and Etta James' voice hums on in the background like the slow drizzle of amber honey.

And now you're pretty sure your head is securely on your shoulders again and the world seems kinder. And after two hours, you feel you've been restored to sanity.
And you're ready to get back to work.
And the prospect of facing the coming weeks becomes a bright and sun-shiny thought.

Where to begin?

Let's be honest, the first blog post is always awkward. I can't even count the number of times I've started a blog and then couldn't continue, due to first-blog-associated shame.
It's just like starting a new journal. You put your pen to the first sheet of fresh paper and wonder where on earth you're supposed to start. I've filled a lot of journals, so I've had a lot of experience with this.
I love to write in my journal.
I do it every day.
I have filled more notebooks, diaries, and composition books than anyone should.
Sometimes I throw them away, and sometimes I keep them around. Other times I throw parts of them away and keep other parts around. Some of my journals are organized, and some are backwards, upside-down, and inside-out. When I run out of pages, I write all around the margins. And when my journal isn't around or I run out of paper, I write on school notes, planners, sticky-notes, church programs, calendars, and Googledocs until I can get my hands on another 58cent composition book from Walmart.
Which brings us back to this blog! (What an unfortunate word... let's avoid using that.)
This is another outlet for me to spill my soul to the world as I imagine I do in my journal. And I've decided to adopt my starting-a-new-journal approach: Don't start, just write.