The Summer of Our Discontent

It has been a long, hot, muggy, swampy and hateful summer.  I can't wait to see it come to an end.  There has been so many things going on.  Some horrible, some minor but annoying....everybody that I know practically has been in an upside down state, like a bad case of evil planetary alignment.  Let me say right now that I feel grateful that we have been on the minor inconvenience end of the spectrum.  But the barrage of minor crap has seemed endless.  For instance, just last week our red Impala needed a new battery, Bruce's car needed brakes, my work car (mail carrier, you know) had the passenger window stop working.  It was in the down position and would not go up which is unacceptable in these unsettled times of torrential rain almost every day.  And that same car also needed the anti-lock brake system fixed.  Which Bruce did.....twice due to a faulty part....before it finally worked.  Add to the neverending to do list the fact that given all of our rain, the grass in Eastern NC has been growing at double the rate of other summers.  It was on the news.  People almost need a robotic lawn mower, like those roving robotic floor vacuums.  Set it on 24/7 because you can almost see the stuff growing.

And yet, while I bitch, I also know we are mostly ok.  Annoyed, exhausted, but fine really.  And I can almost see light at the end of the tunnel.  In a couple of weeks Labor Day will be here, and while September is still quite warm most of the time, it is drier, more tolerable temps.  NOT the classic Death Heat that comes in July and August here.  I am itching to see those bright orange pumpkins start showing up.  A few of the farmers have huge displays in their yards around here, selling pumpkins and hay bales, and corn stalks right on the front lawn.  I LOVE seeing it.  Its such a happy sight, like water to a parched throat. 

I had a mini breakdown Thursday night.  Minor glitch.  I'm fine.  I was just so tired.  Work has been overwhelming, the heat feels claustrophobic and I am still dealing with the weirdest thing.  It feels viral.  Sore throat, slightly upset stomach, and fatigue.  It has been hanging on, coming and going for months now.  I have been tested for everything under the sun, but nothing shows.  My Dr. really thought it was some kind of auto-immune thing, but blood tests all show negative, which is a good thing.  It might be allergies, or thyroid issues or maybe I am just crazy and imagining it.  Who knows.  But it still keeps on keeping on, despite anything I try.  So I mostly ignore it and try to act like everything is normal.  But it all caught up with me, having felt sick for most of last week, and dealing with the stress of heat (I work outside for 4-5 hours a day), and everything that I touched breaking (mainly those darned cars), and all of that kind of stuff.  By Thursday night I had had it.  I made up my mind to call in sick and just take a mental health day to regroup, get some rest, and hopefully feel human.  But the stupid 800 number with the automated voice prompted call in for unscheduled leave service was NOT working.  I tried multiple times.  For some reason it just hit me, and I felt waves of anger, frustration, exhaustion....I had a good cry over it.  I was too upset to sleep that night, too.  But I got up and went to work on Friday despite it all.  I refused to argue with supervisors as is the way if you HAVE to call in to our office and actually talk to a real person.  It is easier to just go work, seriously.  But now, we have had a restful weekend and I feel much better.  My throat doesn't hurt and I am only mildly tired.  And the week ahead looks like low 80s, so maybe the lower temps will help.  I feel hopeful that this summer is finally coming to an end.  I am holding the door wide open so it can make its exit as soon as possible.  Good riddance to some seriously negative energy.  The fall is going to be better.  I can just feel it.