Trying Very Hard To Be Miserable

I've mentioned before that The Universe Hates Me.

Well, today has been no exception.

After not using my back at all yesterday it was much improved, until this morning when I picked up a basket of wet laundry and buggered it up again.  So NOT ONLY is that part of me immensely painful when ever I move, BUT The Universe decided to send me an allergy day today just to really make me suffer.  I'm allergic to privet, and next door, for reasons best known to themselves have chosen to grow massive privet trees in their back garden DESPITE the fact it is a noxious weed in these parts and we live a few hundred metres from acres and acres untouched bushland.

SIGH.

Long story short. Privet is blooming. Thus I am sneezing which makes me yelp in pain because it jolts my back, my nose is running, I have a headache and hubby flinches every time he looks at me - apparently abject misery sucks away all my pretty.

So, trapped inside, air conditioning on and I had resigned myself to a day of wallowing around the house feeling desperately sorry for myself.  But the Universe had other plans.  No, it wasn't happy letting me just enjoy being miserable. It had to CHEER ME UP.

Firstly I had an email from the English Department at Macquarie University saying CONGRATULATIONS - You have been accepted into our Masters of Creative Writing program.  Well bugger-me-backwards-until-Friday.  I'm rather almighty pleased about that.  I've not had the smoothest path when it comes to tertiary education - it took me a long, long time to get my arts degree whilst working full time and I could hardly believe it when I finally graduated.  Higher degrees were the domain of my younger sister - who is presently working on her PhD in Statistics (SO PROUD OF HER).  But now, here I am, standing on the cusp of achieving a higher degree of my own. HELL YES :)

Then, if that wasn't enough, my copy of Backyard Self-Sufficiency by Jackie French arrived. I love Jackie French - there I've said it.  I really do.  Amazing lady.  So, I've spent most of the day reading it and making grand, immense plans for our back garden.  I have been feeling that my vege garden etc, whilst heading in the right direction, were somewhat milquetoast (oh how I love that word). And this book has confirmed that I was correct - and pointed me in the right direction - Basically I need to Plant More. Simple as that.

Came across the following paragraphs in the book, rather liked them...

Making Do
Someone once defined happiness as the right to spend extremely long hours doing something you love. If you count the minutes, you're doing the wrong thing.

Lives can be created. Work out what you love - and fill your life with it. Don't live second-hand via TV and video. Don't let other people's rules keep you to a job you hate, living in a house that is only tolerable. Every part of your life should give richness, or it's wasted - a house should be a place you love, not something to keep off the rain; a garden should be a place of fascination  (what will bloom or fruit today, what bird with visit) instead of just a lawn, to mow on Sunday afternoons and to make your house identical with all the others in the neighbourhood.  Each meal should be a delight, not a hurried munch at a once frozen pizza.

This is what self-sufficiency is about: not just producing your own food to save money (though it will), or having an insurance policy in case civilisation collapses even further. It is about making your life richer, not just in material things, but also in the memories and joy that can come with them.

So yes. Planned on being a misery-guts today, but somehow it just hasn't worked out that way.

:)