Did you fall off the face of the Earth?

I realize I’ve been rather quiet lately. There’s been a lot going on in my private life, some of which I will tell you all about, and some of which will remain private.

First of all, my nephews’ mother passed away earlier this month. She was thirty seven. It was very sudden and unexpected, and we’re all doing everything we can for the boys. They didn’t live with their mother – my brother had full custody – and she wasn’t in their lives as much as many of us would have liked, but I can’t imagine it would ever be easy to lose one’s mother. If you known me for more than just a couple of years, then I’m sure you’ve heard a few stories about her. However, right now is not the time to go into details about all of it.

Second, I finally went to the doctor for a check-up and blood work and all that happy crap. It’s been at least five years since I’ve been to one, probably longer. I’ve gained a considerable amount of weight since then and I’ve been having a lot of trouble with a few other things that I thought were because of a wonky thyroid. Well, my blood tests all came back within acceptable parameters, and all the working parts are in good order, so the doctor put me back on my happy pills. That means I’m on antidepressants again. I’m not a big fan of better living through chemicals, but wouldn’t you know it, a month later and things are getting better. Granted, the last year and a half I’ve seen a HUGE number of changes in my life and overall there’s been great improvement in the quality of my life, but once again I am faced with the fact that there’s a problem with my chemical make-up. Don’t know why, but I do much better with the whole “massive depression” thing whenever I take the damn meds.

Third, my youngest is about to graduate from high school. Holy moley, we are busy! There’s prom, jazz band competitions and Spring concerts, parties, the graduation itself, and then his birthday, all within the month.

All that coupled with Beltane this weekend, and it’s all I can do to keep my sanity!

So this weekend, I will be out in the woods, dancing ‘round the May pole and leaping balefires with my friends. I definitely need the get-away to recenter myself for next few months – it’s gonna be crazy busy! If you are able, I hope you can join us soon for one of our get-togethers.

There’s more to come!