Rainy Monday

I woke up this morning to hear rain pouring down.  That’s unusual, since I don’t hear rain this high up.  It’s also been extremely windy (hence the rain hitting my windows) and it’s been a mix of humid and cool, also odd.  Jerry spent several hours on my lap today, until I finally got tired and pushed him off.  Then he moved to Don’s lap until I went to the kitchen, when I gained a small shadow.  I have a few minutes now as they’re both curled up on the sofa and “watching” TV.  Don was complaining that he felt unsteady walking today, plus had some stomach cramps, so he’s resting.  

I’m still trying to find something to eat that has some flavour.  I made a scrambled egg, added cheese and my cooking spice blend, and it still tasted like I was chewing paper.  It’s so frustrating!  I can only detect really strong tastes in small quantities, and they make me feel nauseated.  I know it’s temporary, but I don’t know how long “temporary” will be.  

I’ve been reading a book that was recommended to me by someone over a year ago; I may have mentioned it before, but I promised to provide a summary when I was done, or almost done, to give my impressions.  It’s called, Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown, who’s known for her talks on vulnerability and dealing with emotions.  This one looks at a range of emotions and the situations that we get into as humans.  It’s broken into sections and each section touches on a series of emotions.  They’re divided into traits and conditions, the difference being that a trait is something inherent and conditions are transitory.  Some emotions fall into both categories — I won’t go into too much detail, because I found it interesting enough that I’d recommend that others read it as well (I know that my library has copies, including ebooks, and I’m sure that there are options for loaners.)  I no longer loan out books, after having lost quite a few irreplaceable ones, that have now probably ended up in (hopefully) happy homes or else in recycling bins somewhere.

I found this book to be informative in terms of differentiating feelings — we often use “feel” and “think” interchangeably, while they’re not — and helps with better identifying nuances.  As one example, we use envy and jealousy opposite to how their definitions actually intend.  We say, “I’m so jealous,” often meaning that we envy someone thinking that envy is the worse but according to dictionary definitions, jealousy causes more harm.  In addition to these discussions, she also talks about how we react in different situations, from shutting down, to deflecting; doing things like assuming what other people think and feel.  We often ascribe motives to our partners and friends, and we’re more often wrong than otherwise — it’s actually worse with those who are close to us, because we assume that they know what we want and how we feel instead of telling them.  

I’ve still got a few chapters to go, so I’ll update if I have any great insights, but I find it interesting and I’ve had a few moments to consider my own feelings and reactions.  Meanwhile, it’s puppy massage time, so I’d better get to work!  Good night.