Winter Blues

I used to think the concept of the "winter blues" was bull. I stand corrected. I have had a descent week. With the Super Bowl in town, I have been able to participate in a tons of fun stuff! The weather is spring like, even though it is February in Indiana. However, somehow I still feel down. Everyone in my house has a stuffy nose. I have no desire to do anything. I'm sitting on the couch, blogging, watching reruns of "How I Met Your Mother" (still obsessing), and eating pepperoni. I did take a shower, but I didn't do my hair (can anyone say bun?). I didn't even put my contacts in, I'm sporting the studious look with my glasses.

Every Sunday for the past couple weeks, I keep telling myself, "Starting tomorrow morning, I'm going to feel normal." Monday comes, Monday goes, and I still feel the same. I have been blaming it on crazy schedules and not getting enough sleep. I've even felt it at work. I'm usually the most driven ambitious person there is, but lately there is no fire in me.

But I am also not the type to sit around and be conquered! Some at home solutions from www.emedicinehealth.com are:

1. Spend 30 minutes outside everyday.
2. Set a timer to turn a light on in your bedroom early in the morning.
3. Use a dawn simulator for a more natural artificial dawn.
4. Increase indoor lighting.

I will start doing these now! The website also says that if you do these things and do not feel better, you should seek help from the doctor. BUT the most important thing is to acknowledge that you aren't feeling well and try to feel better. And don't feel guilty if you feel down or overwhelmed. Life is crazy and sometimes beats us up a little, and not sound cliche, but the important thing is to keep going!

The Murtaugh List

How I Met Your Mother - The Murtaugh List

I recently rediscovered a television show I really like, "How I Met Your Mother", centered around five New Yorkers (2 married and 3 single) who are in their early 30s. In one episode, they center their antics around the concept of a Murtaugh list. This comes from Detective Murtaugh from the Lethal Weapon series, who frequently says "I'm too old for this s$#&!". They were keeping a list of things, that at their age, they had become too old to do.

We all get to points in our life where we have to realize there are things we are too old to do. Either because of how it makes us look or how it makes us feel, we are simply too old to be engaging in certain activities. Some of us (myself included) try to push through and do them anyway because we want to hold on to our youth and relive past experiences or try to revive a life we once had. But we have to keep remembering that life has seasons, and there are new joys/challenges/sadness with each of them.

Somethings for MY Murtaugh list (I do believe this is a highly personalized list.):
1. staying out until last call
2. borrowing money from our parents
3. blaming our parents for "who we are" (at some point we have to grow up and realize we make our own choices)
4. (to be continued)

What would you put on your "Murtaugh List"?