Blame it not on the lilac

It is 4 am and I have been up for nearly 2 hours. Periodic hormonal insomnia I suppose.

I came downstairs to warm up some milk, but there was only enough for my AM coffee, so I made a drink.....tart cherry juice, vodka, and seltzer. I am feeling a bit tired, so I think that it may have worked.

My day was splendid, gave a series of heartfelt lectures to my kids about life and the importance of being present (physically AND mentally) and the power of positive thinking. They were receptive and I hope I reached a few of them. I really love my job. I feel I can give back to the universe all it has given to me though my teaching.

After work, I drove up to the mountains to my therapist. It is only a 20 minute ride from my city that sits at the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. She works out of her house, a 19th century home that is filled with art and antiques from her former B and B in Hunter NY. She is a Buddhist, and a humble and brilliant woman. I have learned so much from her, and she has enabled me to go places I have never gone before. She is my mentor, my spiritual guide, my mother figure at times.

Before a late evening dinner I went for a power walk. As I walked I encountered a warm breeze that smelled sweet and slightly heady. I realized I was walking by a hedge of white lilacs in full bloom. I picked a small branch, and walked with it, raising it to my nose now and again to remind me of the beauty of spring.

Of course now, as I type, I cannot breathe out of my nose, but I will not blame it on the lilac, as it was just one of many pollens and allergens out there.

Off to try and sleep again. Tonight's photo is recycled from a walk through a back road in Woodstock. My camera and equipment is in the bedroom and I have already woken Larry up a few times.

Till tomorrow, Patti O Flower