~SLEEPLESS IN SPRINGVILLE~

Somewhere between the hot flashes, night sweats and the leg cramps that I have been struggling with for the past two years I sometimes do find time to actually sleep. Tonight however, was not one of those nights. I think that I jumped up four times with cramps in my legs and threw the covers off at least three times before I finally gave up and sat down at the computer. Is it time for drugs yet? The legal kind of coarse. However, if they mess with my headaches I could possibly consider the others :) ( That is SO not true). I have been thinking about a lot of stuff lately that seems to cause me to stop and consider where I am in my life and what my choices are. I received in the mail my ( now don't laugh) social security statement...Apparently you start to receive those after you reach a certain age. Anyway, it said that if I continue to work, at age 70 I would qualify for "APPROXIMATELY" enough money to live below poverty level until I die. Now I realize that by the time I am actually 70 my debts will have been long paid off and I should be able to survive tucked away comfortably in my cardboard box on what the government tells me I can however, I had pictured a completely different type of retirement and, working until I am 70 was NEVER part of the deal. In my mind retirement included a tropical paradise a couple times a year, lots of travel and certainly a ski vacation in the winter that would help keep me physically fit so as to be able to actually enjoy my "golden" years...Come on 401K's we all need you to recover!

Next, I was thinking that I sort of needed a change right now. A little "pick me up". Perhaps just a small change but, something that would be different and fun...For the record, menopausal women should NEVER decided to change things up without considering for a day or maybe "seven" ( yes, that equals one week) what that small change might entail. I went in to have my hair trimmed and styled and I talked my daughter-in-law into a little bit more than a trim...I had her CUT my hair...Off. Now, this is not a huge deal if you have a stylist that LIVES with you and can do it for you every morning so that it looks as fabulous as it did when you stepped out of the salon. It has been a little frustrating but, not terribly because there just isn't that much there to be frustrated over =) I have been very lazy for the last 10 years and have thrown the hair back into a ponytail when I haven't been able to do anything with it. That will be impossible for a very LONG time! I like the new "do" a lot when Lisa/my daughter-in-law/stylist does it but, when I try well...It was kind of a rush to see all those red curls all over the floor when we were done though.

In R.S. Sunday morning the lesson was on prayer. A good one for me this week. Not that prayer can change anything like the length of your hair but, it can make the changes in your life "feel" better. ( I'm not talking hair here) I am so grateful for what I have and I sometimes forget to remember ( don't you love that..."forget to remember") that I have been very blessed in my life. Like everyone else at times, I tend to compare myself to others and usually feel that I don't quite measure up. Here's the deal... There are so many things that I can do that I'm not...So many things that I could say that I don't...So many things I need to change that...I think I will!