therapy

i read this sign in a shop - the kind so cute that you wish you could buy everything, but leave with nothing because it's all too expensive. (or you're too cheap and too broke. either or.) i had never thought about it like that, but that statement is SO TRUE. good conversation, with a good drink on top of that, leaves me feeling incredibly refreshed. 

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my experiences with traditional therapy are brief. i had to go after my parents got divorced - or maybe it was before, my timeline is sketchy. (my family would probably pipe in that my timeline isn't the only thing sketchy about me or my memory, but that's neither here nor there.) and again one time right before my mom and stepdad got married. i don't even know if it was technically called therapy, or just "counseling." is there a difference?

the first time, i remember my brother and i being in a room with pretty good toys, and the movie "all dogs go to heaven" was playing on a small TV. my brother was not interested in playing, and told me there were people watching us. this baffled me. WHAT? WHY? i don't think that was true, but as usual i listened to him and stopped trying to talk to him, and just watched the movie. i don't remember anything from the part where we were actually in a room talking to an adult. 

fast forward to fifth grade, and again it's my brother and i in a small room, sitting on a couch. this time to talk about blended families. i did not want to be there. the counselor (bless) was too peppy - or i was too sassy - and i was NOT about to talk to this joker. 

i fiddled with my watch and he commented on that, which perturbed me. he talked about his kids - whose parents were not divorced or remarried so i failed to see the connection. none of his attempts at conversation led to anything that left any positive impression on me. after that we had to go back in with my four stepsiblings for more banter. we all devoured mcdonalds immediately afterward. all of us. probably the first and last time we all had fast food together, because my stepdad and mom are amazing cooks and all of us are foodies because of it.

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life is crazy and so are people, and therapy is crazy expensive and not necessarily always the way to go ... so i think that requires knowing yourself well enough to incorporate whatever is therapeutic for you into your daily life.

for me, it's definitely good conversation with friends. whether over a cup of chai, or on a walk, or at a dinner party. exercise. running outside. shopping. a great song, movie, or book. exploring or going on little (or big) adventures. being outside. being alone. being with people. cafes and bookstores. beauty in flowers, gardens, and nature. yoga. massages. worship music and singing. writing.

yard saling has been my latest therapy ... love language ... cheap thrill, if you will. i tried in columbus, but the yard saling scene there just was not what it is in lancaster. this place is an oasis of second-hand goodness and frugality! i am tickled whenever i find something great, and i love the challenge of making a house a home on a dime. it probably would be fun to decorate with a limitless budget, but it's easy to convince myself that it really wouldn't be as much fun as it is to have to search for treasures and improvise and be creative. creativity is definitely a joy-giver for me.

this morning i had to scrape frost off my windshield and was reminded that winter is coming, and i'm not excited for that. bye bye sunshine and yard sale therapy, hello ... hmm ... hopefully getting addicted to exercise again. 

so what gets you through winter? and life?