Rose's Cantina

Don't you hate when people leave you hanging on Facebook? Say they have some terrible tragedy unfolding, and you wait, with bated breath, for the next post only to hear crickets. Did he die? Is she ok? Was the operation a success? Follow up, people, please! Now back to me. I thought I'd give you a brief update on my living situation -- yes, the heart is still beating -- because, I thought you might like to know. Last fall, I posted an urgent message that I had to re-home my lovely Mini-Aussie, Pearl, because she was trying to kill Sophie the Pug. Faced with my own version of Sophie's choice, I couldn't do it. As I watched Viggo the Lab and Pearl play in the yard, I knew I couldn't separate them. I couldn't give up Sophie, either, because I've had her for eight years, and she really is my therapy dog. So a solution had to be found. First, we hired a doggie behaviourist, a nice fellow named The Dog Father. Dan came to the house and gave us som...

It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Baby steps. Take a vacation from your problems. But sometimes, baby steps are all a person can take when faced with a mental illness. When my anxiety disorder was in full bloom, it was all I could do to get to the office. I couldn't take the bus. If I got on the bus, in only minutes, I was off it walking sometimes miles to get to my destination, So Scott had to get me in the car for the drive to work, all six minutes of it. Every day. I would clench my hands around the door handle, close my eyes. It will all be over soon, I would say. Sometimes, the drive to work seemed like hours, especially in traffic, especially when he took the highway. When I got to work, I'd rush up the elevator to my spacious office and close the blinds, methodically turn on my computer. I always got to the office early so I had a half hour to calm myself, have some coffee, read the newspaper. Guz frabba. Then, and only then, I could function. For ...