On Second Thought, Yes, These Will Be Fine

The events of last Friday were unspeakably deplorable and horrific.  Any parent, any person with a heart has been deeply saddened by the senseless deaths of the 26 in Sandy Hook, CT.  I grew up in Danbury, a town within 15 minutes of Newtown.  

And while we are all feeling it as a community, a sort of unbearable loss,  if we weren't directly hit, we can still count our blessings. I know some of those directly affected will still count their blessings - those are amazing humans.  

So here are the things that I am going to consider blessings whereas I may write an entire post on why they suck:  

I have my Humanling. She has epilepsy and we deal with that.  Overall she has a pretty normal life and a decent, yet naive understanding of things.  But she is here with me.  Mornings suck when fighting her body's urge to flee off into a seizure but fight it off we do, most of the time successfully. 

I have two adorable rotten animals who's alarm clocks are set to "play with small noisy items that no one knew was under the chair" between 4-6am.  I can deal with this.  I have a water bottle and at least one of them respects that.  

When the cats are on vacation from destroying my beauty sleep, I have hermit crabs, who's claws sound like chalk on the plastic side of the tank as he's trying to burrow himself under the water dish.  I'm not sure if any of you realize how slow and methodical crabs are when they are on a mission. Bumping the side of the tank only prolongs the process.  As soon as you lie back down, the crab is emerging from his shell again, because he can.

A smoke alarm that goes off when I boil water.  Prompting Big Kitty to stalk me and implore me in her desperate meowing that I do something to make it stop. 

I have a sign on my forehead that states that I must not take my work seriously while in the office because my podmate, whom I adore, gets along with me so well that she loves talking to me.  In a whisper.  So no one else can hear and which also requires an advanced course in lip reading.  If I am reading lips then you may as well clock me out for lunch because I'm not working either.  

Being single.  I have found that I'm pretty excellent at getting the garbage out on time, cleaning the litter box, guinea pig cages and watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.  My hands might feel a little like sandpaper at the moment but it's nothing a good dose of olive oil couldn't cure.  I'm quite the catch right now.  Don't blink, I may be snatched up as soon as I post this.  There's probably a single carpenter needing a girl with sandpaper hands out there somewhere.  

I said that I wouldn't eat mushrooms for loved ones.  But in recognition of current events, I have changed my mind.  I'd eat mushrooms every day if it would prevent anything like this from ever happening again.  And would say "Amen" after gagging down each one.