Chocolate Martini Therapy

Wednesday was less than stellar for a good part of the day. I felt like this.

Grumpy, pouty, irritable girl..the vision of a protruding lower lip alive in my head and a dour look jogging around a sullen heart. I woke up with Grumpy Glenda creeping into the senses and I attributed it to hormones and the cold weather. I wanted to stay in a warm bed, but the many piles of paper on a desk at the office beckoned.

OK, OK, I’ll get out of bed and trudge to work in the dress clothes that hide thermal underwear and ski socks underneath.

I thought perhaps the company of others at the office would change Grumpy Glenda into Smiling Susie. Witty conversation, a few laughs, and a pot of coffee would create rainbows, sunshine and the warm fuzzies of puppy dog tails circling overhead.

I was wrong.

Boy, was I wrong.

I have been stressing about my workload, about a co-worker leaving in a couple of weeks and the resulting void, about the part-time job hunting, about bad gym habits, about too much. I have not been dealing with it well or in the right light. The constant interruption of “here’s something else for you to do” emails, phone calls, and a caffeine-infused co-worker standing in front of the computer monitor, asking me to “focus” on her question, was bristling the hairs on the back of my neck. By lunch time, I had to escape to the aisles of Wal-Mart or the corner bar. I chose Wal-Mart, needing to pick up kitty litter and sunshine in a bottle (vitamin D). The shopping cart passed winter clothes on sale, swimsuits that I wouldn’t fit into and many aisles of food during the lunchtime adventure. I grabbed dark chocolate almond milk and a conversation with an elder gentleman about the virtues of almond milk in oatmeal.

And then…something almost lured me into its clutches…

Double stuffs, cookie dough, and crispy marshmallow Oreos.

Eeeeek!!! Run!!! Check out time. Back to work you go, Grumpy Glenda.

The afternoon didn’t feel any better than the morning. Continued interruptions, continued questions deepened the bad attitude. I wanted the day to end so I could meet Natasha at the mall and walk off the negativity that had darkened the day.

“Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.” ~Unknown~

Fast forward to 4 p.m. Natasha picks me up and wonders out loud “what is your problem?” You see, I texted her about the walk three separate times within an hour and when I didn’t get a response, Glenda got a little snotty. We had a talk in the car on the way to the mall, with Natasha noticing a nervous rubbing of the fingers as I whined about the day. Grumpy Glenda had secretly thrown Lucy from the chocolate factory in the back seat. I was not fun to be with at that moment.

Once at the mall, it was apparent that there would be too many shoppers and strollers to walk through and around in order to get the proper workout.

What do we do now?

Hmmmm…it IS happy hour at the mall restaurant.

Sold! (That decision took about .005 seconds)

Natasha and I sat at a table near the pizza oven. The warm glow and heat from the oven make it an inviting place to sit in mid winter. The waitress quickly comes by and gives a familiar “hello” to Natasha (she knows everyone, I swear). She doesn’t have to ask our beverage of choice. It’s clear to both of us.

Chocolate martini. Godiva attitude adjustment. It is warranted and required on this day.

It didn’t take long for the adult refreshment and an order of ahi tuna pops to arrive. Two glasses clinked, two eyes sparkled, and nectar of the therapy gods was sipped through a straw.

The effects of the chocolate martinis were swift and sure.

Grumpy Glenda and her pal Lucy were asked to leave the bar. Mary walked in and took their place. Let the games begin! Natasha and I commenced with a three-hour smack-down (not to be confused with a tour on a boat) full of laughter, honesty, revelation, talk of tampons (I don’t remember), misty eyes, and potato chips. I will not go into detail, but this was a girlfriend talk of epic proportions –  one that wrapped around multiple emotions, solved the world problems, kicked bad attitude in the arse, and came to completion with licking chocolate off the rim of the glass (there will be no chocolate left behind).

Epic martini. Epic bad day therapy.

Today was a better day. It was a new day to move forward. The sun was shining outside and in my head. While I had interruptions at work as I had the day before, the pile on the desk remained intact, and the questions continued, I was calm. The corners of my mouth turned upwards and I saw everything in a new light. I realized that I was stuck in a pile of junk (some of which is not mentioned here) and it took a good friend and chocolate martini therapy to pull me out of the quicksand. I also remembered the words of my boss, who told me just last week that we, as humans, “steal our peace and joy” when we mire in anger and negativity (and junk).

Wise woman.

I bet she never has to sneak Lucy into the back seat of her car.