Don't Worry, You're Among Friends

Being marginally less pestilent, I have 37 things to do before the Victoria Day long weekend hits (in approximately 4 hours) and have therefore come up with an idea that gets me out of writing something thoughtful and interesting.

Today, we're going to pretend even more than usual that we are hanging out with a pitcher of margaritas, cosmopolitans, beer or other beverage of your choice and once we're well lubricated come upon the idea to share entertaining/slightly embarrassing stories about ourselves. With specific emphasis on stress coping mechanisms and although that doesn't sound entertaining yet, bear with me for a minute and it'll all make sense.

Everyone has different ways of dealing with stress. I don't mean the everyday kind of stress that gets alleviated by a chocolate bar, rant with a friend, banging your head against the wall (what? Doesn't everybody do that?), slamming a door or sitting quietly by your desk, seething into your afternoon coffee. No, I mean the kind of stress that walks in and leaves your life turned upside down, in shambles, where you keep going with gritted teeth well past and 80 insurance and in the end must do something to regain if not actual control over your life, then a feeling of control.

I alphabetize my CD and DVD collection. Within categories, naturally. I find it incredibly soothing and it may be the reason why there’s a theory going around that I have the soul of a librarian. Come to think of that, alphabetizing anything (within categories) makes me happy, as does general organizing, but when the big stress hits, when my life has been out of control for some time and I started dreaming of tornadoes (which I do whenever my life is out of control), I seek out the CDs and DVDs and spend a few hours alphabetizing. I know someone who polishes the silver in similar situations, another who scrubs the baseboards with a toothbrush and someone else who talks, usually at great length, about taxes (whether it's tax season or not).

So have a gulp of your martini and spill. And have a fabulous weekend - see you on Tuesday!

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