Happy Holidays! We are getting ready to celebrate a non-denominational Christmas here. That is to say, we celebrate Christmas, but not really in a Christian type way. We do believe in a higher power, but are not so completely convinced of all the Christian hype. I guess you could say we are kind of agnostic, but maybe not. 
We are desperately trying to get our finances in order here. We have stopped using the bank, which at times is extremely inconvenient, but since our income has been so reduced, it is really a very visual way of keeping track of how much money we actually have. I have hardly been working (kind of by choice, though) through the holidays–I am still writing for the paper, but I’ve backed off of Demand Studios a bit. I will probably write a couple of articles this week to cover my son’s allowance, but I am building myself up to a new start as of Jan 1, 2010. This is also with our food consumption.
I have been struggling with depression for the last 4 years (almost exactly–since Dec 2005), and I am trying to find a way to “snap out of it.” I am tired of feeling like this, and I am hoping I can muster up enough strength to change what I can change. As far as diet goes, that means mostly vegetarian–which isn’t really a problem, because I like this lifestyle–it has just been easier to fall back on easy meat meals, because they mostly involve throwing something in the oven (which works when I can barely function). My goal is to get a bunch of meals in the freezer so that I have the same option of throwing something in the oven.
Money. Well, we are in the process of filing bankruptcy. This isn’t someplace I wanted to go, but it seems to be the only way I can get my mortgage company to pay attention. So, we are doing a Chapter (whichever one allows you to pay back–not just clear the slate–13, I think). The point is that we are paying our bills–we are just trying to get a bit of relief. Hubby has been working, although only 3 days a week. Actually, he has mostly been working 5 days a week except for the holiday weeks since September. But only 3 days a week for the 9 months prior. And perhaps it was folly for me to quit my job at the bakery, but honestly–I truly believe that staying would have killed me. My blood pressure, which has ALWAYS been on the low side jumped to the way high side, and I am sure it was the stress of my job.
Anyway, for me this is normally a great time of year, and while my emotions have been fluctuating by extremes, for the most part it hasn’t been too bad. And I am hoping that everyone else’s holidays aren’t any worse than mine. So Happy Holidays to you. May your days be Merry and Bright.
I probably won’t “see” you until next year, but let’s get together then. And start fresh.
