Grief: Valentine's Day Turn Around and as always etc... etc...

I went into the dreaded drugstore again - filled with Valentine's gifts.  I stopped for a moment and said (to myself) "Wait a minute."  I decided instead of running away to look at all the cute stuffed animals with big hearts and instead of thinking how sad I was Artie is dead, I remembered all the presents he had given me over the years.  I thought about what he would pick out this year and how he would worry about it so as not to disappoint me.  One Valentine's Day he had a friend help him and decorated the whole room where I worked - I kept the decorations up for months.  (The truth is I took them down when I got angry with him about something.  Silly me.  If he could come back I might still get angry about some things - but not stupid little things.)  I remembered the cards he had written with the poems on them.  I have the last one framed now - didn't know it would be the last one.  "For 23 years you've been all mine.  I know you'll be my Valentine."  I felt happy.  The memories made me happy. 

I'm writing this at almost 5 am.  The other side is I can't sleep.  I'm doing these weird mood swings where I am honestly having a good time going out and feeling like a person - alive and excited - and then waking up in the morning (if I sleep at all) and just lying there not being able to get out of bed.

It's good taking the risk and speaking about grief.  I was very honored Friday night at a meet up group called Culture Circle where you bring any kind of art you like or do - poetry, short stories, musical instruments, songs, paintings, food - anything.  I often read poems about Artie and his death.  One woman sang a song she said she was inspired to write when her father died because of the things I had read and talked about. 

It's all good and all bad and all in between.  Hoping one of these days to sleep again - didn't have any problem at all for a while.  It's like you pat the grief down in one area and it pops up in another!  Hello, I'm feeling fine then a burst of tears.  Rainy with a chance of sunshine.  Sunny with a chance of tears.  I never know. 

Keep showing up when I can and keep trying to turn things around.  That Valentine's thing really surprised me.  I hope you get some sunny surprises instead of the rainy ones.  xo