For the first time ever, a book about feng shui entered my house, but then it left. What a relief.

The organizing woman came today, she's coming back tomorrow. I hope we're going into this with the right attitude, but I'm not positive that we are. Jill is this sort of hyperactive little freak who uses a holistic vet and kept asking if I'd tried acupuncture and various herbal remedies. (I smiled, and didn't start on my rant about herbal remedies and trying to self-medicate, which is a bad idea all around.) She came armed with organic kitty treats and I think she called Lola "Sweetums." Shudder. By the time she left, both Mom and I were sick of her. Mom's already calling her the Feng Shui Nazi, and I agree. (Jill came armed with a book on feng shui. I was proud of myself for not rolling my eyes.)

That said, Jill knows her stuff. She called the place "toxic," and said that the work that really needs to be done is not the fun kind of work, which we already knew. I guess the goal is to make it somewhat less toxic. She suggested that Mom needs to sell this place sooner rather than later, and that what I really want isn't this place at all, it's a shell I can build to spec. (I knew that already.) We're starting in the basement at 10 a.m., and I'm sure I'll have much to report.

I don't know why, but now that I've stayed up past midnight, I feel like I should celebrate. I just feel great today. I'm going to bed soon, and my body doesn't hurt; even though I know my body would hurt without the pain killers, that doesn't matter so much. I just took one today, which is less than yesterday. I spent a little bit of time stretching earlier, and I'm making an effort to do deep breathing exercises, plus I went for a walk.

I know that I can't just sit by and wait to get better, because that's not going to happen. I'm responsible for making sure that I feel good. Knowing that is half the battle.

It works for me.

before - after