A Dozen Pink Balloons

Yesterday morning, right before I woke up, I dreamt of my high school guidance counselor. We met again for the first time in many, many years, and her face lit up when she saw me. She hugged me so tight that it felt like she was saying goodbye, not like she was saying hello. Charlie, our little alarm clock, woke me up while I was in the midst of that dream, so for most of the morning, I felt lethargic and heavy.

When it came time for Charlie's nap, I put him in his crib. It was our second day of sleep training for naps, and things had not gone well the first day. Things didn't go so well for this nap, either, and each time I went into his room to soothe him, his poor little red face just sent knives into my heart. I ended up in the kitchen slamming things around. I am not a person who normally deals with anger or frustration in this way, but when it came to Charlie's crying, I just wanted to break every dish in the house. We called off the sleep training for naps right then and there. It's one thing to let him cry and have it actually alleviate the situation. It's quite another when the crying doesn't lead to sleep.

By the time I got to my chiropractor appointment, I felt absolutely drained. My chiropractor and I had a discussion about several big, huge, emotional things going on in my life, and I ended up blubbering all over her while she hugged me, just like my guidance counselor had in my dream that morning.

After that, I was seriously ready to buy a container of chocolate ice cream and crawl under the covers and stay there for the rest of the day. But every day deserves a second chance.

I headed out to Claremont for my photo session. I picked up a dozen pink balloons on the way, and they almost instantly brightened my day.



I carried the balloons around with me as I walked around downtown, scouting some good places for photos. Many, many people smiled at and talked to me - all because of the balloons.

I had been really, really worried about this photo shoot. I was doubting my ability to pull it off, but the creative juices were flowin' and I ended up rockin' it. It helps that my friend and her husband had worked with me before; they were very accommodating to my requests.

(My friend is 32 weeks pregant with fraternal twin girls - hence the pink balloons. She looks gorgeous, and I am so, so happy for her.)

We had a great time exploring the downtown area. Then we went into a children's clothing store and it was all over. I ended up buying a lot of stuff, including some furniture for our house. The store is closing down, so they're selling everything.

I'm glad I gave the day a second chance. It ended up being a good one, and I'm pretty sure those pink balloons had a whole lot to do with it.