Out of the Blues and into the Pink

Yesterday I woke up in the foulest of moods. Maybe it was because my hip was stiff and a little achy. Maybe it was because I was reliving events of a year ago that left me profoundly sad for a while. Whatever the cause, those around me wisely kept their distance.

As I came out of the allergist’s K Street office, I watched a black man in a wheel chair being loaded into a van for transport. He was smiling and chatting with the van operator. I felt guilty for my funk over my hip, realizing I can walk unassisted and even drive myself around.

After lunch I did my PT exercises in earnest, stretching to my limits. Then I trudged downstairs and got on the elliptical machine, something I should be doing regularly but had not happened lately. As I clocked up the minutes, I began to sweat profusely and realized how out of shape I was.

After exercising I made myself some green tea and added a spoonful of honey before pouring it over ice. As I sipped my tea, I realized my heart had stopped racing and my hip had stopped hurting.

We decided to go to services at TM last night, as the beautiful new rabbi Esther was officiating (and we hadn’t been in weeks). I traded in my sneakers for my new black Mary Janes that make me feel dressed up. As I sang those familiar songs and listened to her profound thoughts on this week’s Torah portion, I realized I was suddenly at peace with the world, with those around me, and with myself.

I came hope to make a rather late, but delicious, dinner of garlicky chicken wings, fennel and fresh figs with Balsamic vinegar, and my husband’s superb mashed baby potatoes.

Then we capped off the evening with a family viewing of The Dreamer, a sappy movie about a horse that comes back from a serious injury to race and win again, thereby saving a family as well.

I went to bed in a totally different frame of mind than the one I had had upon awakening. Happiness is such a delicious feeling after a bout with more negative feelings. I wondered if it was the exercise, the honey, the Shabbat service, the tastes of good food, the movie with a happy ending, or some combination of those that had dismissed my blues and left me in the pink of life once again.