Recovery mode

Saturday morning I decided I needed a reset.  The city and everything in it was starting to grate on my nerves.  My family and friends that don't live in the city had lots of their own suggestions about what I should do to when I was feeling overwhelmed.  I decided to do my own recovery.

Step 1:  Go for a run
Fortunately, I had signed up for an obstacle course race.  The Men's Health Urbanathlon  up in Queens was a great way to start my "reset."  Four miles of running with 12 obstacles exhausted my body so my mind could think.

Step 2: Connect with friends
A college friend invited me to a holiday party.  David and I put on our festive attire and spent a few hours in a cozy apartment (it would be tiny in any other city) talking with strangers and catching up with my college buddy.

Step 3: Hang out with your love

David knew I needed some time with just him.  We left the party and were home by 11:00.  We talked wedding plans, life stories, holiday traditions and laughed a lot.  Sunday, we spent time making breakfast together and talking some more.

Step 4: Do something familiar
I woke up before David this morning and put up my NYC apartment-sized, four-foot Christmas tree with lots of fun ornaments.  Most of my Christmas ornaments are in boxes in my Rochester house attic.  It's been five years since I've put up a 9 foot tall real Christmas tree with all the lights and things and spent three days decorating for my big holiday party.  Still, having an hour to myself with some Christmas music putting up the ornaments I've purchased or been given since then was nice.  This is my first Christmas without my gram.  I even put an angel from her tree on mine.

Step 5: Focus on Faith
David and I ended our morning together watching a live broadcast of church.  It was grounding.  I prefer the real thing, but a repair guy arrived unannounced this morning to finally fix the mold and gash in my closet ceiling.

Step 6: Cook and Bake
David and I ran some errands and I dropped him at his place to get ready for the week.  I came home and made two big dinners for the week and baked some chocolate chip banana muffins.  I packed  up half of it in little containers for David so he has meals for the week and drove it to his place.  I didn't even realize I didn't have my keys with me until I got to his place, but luckily he has a spare set that I was able to borrow to get home.

AND...I feel reset.  I can face the crazy crowds, noisy streets and stores, rude people, honking horns, barrage of smells, and all that is Brooklyn for a while longer.