4th of July

Last night I started cleaning the house. It was like the fog in my head started to lift, and suddenly all I could notice was how sticky the floors were and how overgrown my garden had become. So I got on my hands and knees and scrubbed all the wood floors, then yanked all the weeds from between my tomatoes and bell peppers. It felt good to effortlessly do something when for the past few days, I've had to work so hard just to keep all the ugly things I've been feeling from spilling out and hurting those around me. It was the first step towards feeling good again.

We'll be spending the 4th the way we do every year, up in the mountains and away from the heat. It's one of my favorite family traditions, even though it involves too many people stuffed into too small a cabin. The cousins entertain one another while the adults play hours of board games and make lots of gourmet BBQ food. The fireworks show is always spectacular, yet has a small town celebration feel to it. If the chaos becomes too much for me, I'll go running out in the mountain air. 

{images via Real Simple}