Any day but Monday

I am not a morning person, and I’m REALLY not a Monday person. So, considering that it’s early Monday morning and it’s raining, I’m in a funk I can’t seem to shake. I don’t want to sit in front of my computer all day writing about the pharmacokinetics of green tea and kava. I don’t want to answer e-mails or listen to voice mails. Instead, I want to curl up under a warm blanket on the couch, wrap my hands around a hot mug of chai tea, and watch movies all day.

In an effort to transform my grumpy mood into a more positive one, I’m going to write about some of the things that make me happy – big and small.

#1. My first cup of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. It might sound insignificant, but it’s one of those things you take for granted until it’s suddenly missing from your morning routine. Believe me, after a day or two with no caffeine, a cup of coffee tastes like heaven.

#2. Getting together with old friends or relatives and reminiscing about happy memories. Last weekend I went out with my parents and we talked about our old house in Warren and how sometimes we miss little things, like picking ripe peaches from our trees in the backyard and making homemade peach cobbler or ice skating on our pond. We also talked about our black lab Kelsey – the cutest, most lovable, and probably dumbest dog I’ve ever known.

#3. Voice mails from my sister. They are always several minutes long and absolutely hilarious. Instead of asking me to call her back, she records long, silly stories from start to finish. By the end, I’m usually laughing so hard that my cheeks are sore and my stomach hurts.

#4. Apple pancakes. The smell of apple cinnamon and the hot sizzle of the griddle is the closest thing I’ve experienced to time traveling. It instantly takes me back to grade school when I used to spend most of my summers at my grandma’s. Every morning my sister and I craved her pancakes – golden brown with sweet apple centers and warm maple syrup. Four or five pancakes later, we’d both be stuffed to the max and ready for mid-morning naps.

#5. Sunrise. I know I said I’m not a morning person, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the beauty and calm of dawn. I purposely leave one curtain open at night so that the sun can slowly creep into my bedroom and kiss my face in the morning. The orange-red warmth that fills my room gently nudges me to get out of bed. It's definitely more pleasant than waking up to the startling sound of a high-pitched alarm clock.

After reading this entry over again (and listening to a couple of saved messages from my sister), my day is starting to feel a little brighter.