Today

No, I didn't really refuse to answer the phone. I have just had time to get my mind wrapped around a few things. The problem seems to be absorption. Once absorbed, things get much more manageable.

I am going to Nashville with my best friend. I have been wanting to record some old standards for a long time and I want to get something on CD now that my voice is recovering. Part of me is terrified that I am going to lose my voice again. I also just need some chill time with my friend. My husband is going to help with expenses as my Valentine's gift.

If I end up taking my friend to Jackson on Friday, we are going to leave at 7 instead of 6 AM. She will have to stay a bit longer, but it will be more manageable for me. This friendship is not a one-way street. She was my only local friend who came to be with my husband while I was in surgery and made calls to family and long distance friends letting them know I was OK. I do what I do for her out of love and hope that someone would be there for me if I were thousands of miles from my only family. She is also of an age where most of her other friends have seriously ill parents and/or spouses to care for.

Sam and I had a lovely watercolor lesson. She did not paint much, but I could tell that she was processing the information to be put into practice on her own. I was really jazzed when my peach actually LOOKED like a peach by the end of the lesson!

Balance. It's all about balance.

So why is it so hard to achieve?