...it's been great!

To mitigate my anxiety about the upcoming election, I have recently bought 2 new fall candles because they were "on sale" - apple cider and pumpkin spice. Aroma therapy is important. It's foolhardy to buy candles without smelling them ahead of time, but these are from candlefolk and I love their grapefruit + fig so much that I fell for the advertising. Hook, line, and sinker.

Pie has been eaten. Pie is a cure for anything that ails you, both physical and emotional. Cherry for me, chocolate/peanut butter for Marti, Nancy and Jennifer both got coconut cream even though they recognized they should probably select different flavors - the mouth wants what the mouth wants. Don't argue with the desire of the moment by interjecting logic.

Marti turns 101 this month! We have taken to telling each other when we part company "if this is the last time we see each other it's been GREAT!" Because, why not? It could be the last time any of us see each other. I may start using this as my standard good-bye. Only for the people who it would be appropriate for, the ones I cherish, not every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Back to the therapy part of this post - Do we need special pajamas for the holidays? Probably not. Will I need a set of hot pink Bagheera pajamas from Printfresh THIS year? Maybe. It's a "sorta, kinda, but not really" holiday print and while sitting on my porch this morning glancing at the news, if felt right to get them. See paragraph #2 ie.. not interjecting logic when anxiety and desire are at play.

My last strategy for alleviating anxiety this week was weeding out my expired spices. It is something I have absolute control over and gives me a great sense of satisfaction/accomplishment.

This was only phase I. The oldest one in the cabinet expired in 2015. Sister tells me they are "still fine" - that is the Angie in her. Brother and I are in agreement that if you are going to take the time to make something you should use fresh spices.

Of all my strategies for reducing stress/worry, I must say the spice clean out was the most effective, and the cheapest.