let there be flowers

A friend on Facebook recently posted an article about the summer blues, and it was reassuring to know I’m not the only one who feels guilty about staying in when the sun is out. I’m an introvert and I need to turn inward when I’m getting ready to write, but staying inside that bubble too long can have unintended consequences. My health hasn’t been great lately, though I’ve only had one migraine so far this summer. I know what I need to do—fix my diet, keep running in the park, make sure I leave the house *every* day. I’m thinking about going off gluten and spent some time at Whole Foods this afternoon after packing books at my office. Last week I brought home a bag of office items that included a vase; I put it away but thought to myself, “Now you can start buying flowers again.” And today I did—a lovely purple bouquet was waiting for me at the store but when I got it home, it wouldn’t fit in the vase! So I used a regular glass instead. The moral? I could have been buying myself flowers all this time—it was never about having a vase. I’m too set in my ways. Routine creates a sense of security but sometimes it’s better to do things differently even if the outcome is disastrous. Yesterday I went to Pandora and set up an Emeli Sande channel—I don’t listen to music on the radio (I listen to the news, which is another reason I’ve been blue lately; time to tune OUT—or scale back my consumption, at least) and I don’t have an iPod. I’m still mourning the fact that my laptop no longer has a CD drive and can’t bring myself to trash the teetering stack of CDs in the corner of my apartment. But as I listened to Emeli and Adele and Lauryn and Beyonce yesterday, I realized how much I’ve missed R&B! I’d forgotten how good it feels to just sit and sing along to your favorite songs (“Halo” is on a loop right now) without having to deal with a corny rap interlude or raunchy lyrics. My friend helped me install a new air conditioner in the bedroom yesterday; I painted last month, I’ve got a lovely bouquet to wake up to, and this week I’ll bring home the portable stereo that sits on my desk at work—then I’ll be able to play my CDs! There has been a LOT of bad news lately and I need to balance my consumption with some cute cat and/or goat videos, some good music, and some interesting art. The summer feels like it’s slipping away; I’ve got 4 or 5 projects on the go right now, but haven’t managed to write as much as I’d like. My illustrator is producing beautiful artwork for The Girl Who Swallowed the Sun and we’re finalizing edits on The Magic Mirror. Next step will be developing a catalog to send out to schools and librarians. The To Do list never ends but I’m keeping an eye on the future. I’d like to spend my birthday in London and the IBBY UK conference on belonging just happens to be around that time; sent off my abstract yesterday and will see if I can connect with some folks across the pond. I think October is Black History Month in the UK so maybe I can arrange a few school visits while I’m over there. All I need is a good playlist to keep me going…