Moodiness

I'm seeing trends in my mood blanket!

This is a lousy picture. Sorry about that.  I need a sunny day and an opportunity to get out in natural lighting! When I do, I'll replace this with a better photo.  In the meantime - take a look. 

Updated pictures!  Bad photos removed!

102  98 days completed.  Each row across represents 14 days. The little plastic markers indicate the end of a month.  They are just there to help me keep track of what day it is. If I'm not sure where I stopped, I simply count from the last stitch marker.

• Bright pink = 21 days of migraine. Maybe it's time for preventative medication?
• Blues represent sadness. 
• Purple means I was thinking of my dear friend, Donna. 
• Various shades of red show anger or frustration.  Clearly, someone has been getting on my nerves recently. 
• Orange days were high activity and hopefully productivity. 
• The palest hexagons are peach or light pink.  Peach = neutral, while pink is neutral to the happy side.
• Shades of pink that do not represent a migraine indicate various levels of happiness. This includes fiesta pink, which is actually brighter than the shade named "bright pink."

All the hexis really are the same size. It's amazing how different they look without being blocked or stretched into place by a new row. 

I haven't felt yellow or green yet.  I'm not sure what emotions will come with those colors! Something tells me they may end up being connected to summer - growing things in the garden - warmth of a beautiful sunny day... but who knows?   I have successfully resisted the urge to dictate the colors by what I think will look good, sticking with mood determination.  Not easy to do! 

Difficult Topics

Deviating from my usual topics of yarn and food to talk about life and death.

Tragedy strikes when we least expect it.  Last week, a cousin contacted me to share that his cousin (not related to me) was murdered by her husband. Louise was 49 years old - exactly my age. Domestic violence is a dangerous reality for many women, and one that is not easily escaped.  This is the kind of thing we see on television, but never believe will come so close to our families and friends. Shocking.

Unbelievably, within 24 hours our mutual cousin died by suicide after a long battle with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.  Linda was only 43 years old. CRPS is ranked as the most painful form of chronic pain that exists today. It is characterized by constant chronic burning pain, inflammation, spasms, insomnia, and emotional disturbances. The risk for suicide death for those suffering with CRPS is high.  More shock.

My heart breaks for the parents, close family members, and friends of these two women. I did not know Louise. I have not seen Linda since a family reunion in 1984 - 30 years ago.  These tragedies got me thinking about how most of us handle this kind of news.

There is a tendency to stay quiet - to leave families alone in their grief - instead of reaching out to them.  I think this happens because of our own fear and from being uncomfortable with death in general, especially with such tragic loss. Reality is, families mourning a homicide or suicide are in great need of support from their friends and extended family members. It is perhaps even more important to reach out, acknowledge the death, and simply be there for those who are left behind.

If you are interested in reading more about grief and suicide death, I've written a post about it on my work site, Good Grief of Northwest Ohio, Inc.  

Thanks for listening!