The Black Dog Nips a Bit

I can feel the SAD kicking in these days. Winston Churchill had depression, which he called “The Black Dog’. I am fortunate that mine is never that bad or long lasting. Mine is more like a black puppy. I call it ‘the fall melancholia’. There is a gray, dreary hopeless undertone in all I feel and do these days. No fun in that – or in much.

I am also fortunate that it never causes me to crawl into a ball or miss work. Nor does it ever ‘stick’. It goes away by mid October. Or so I hope. Every year I face the possibility ‘it will stay”.
In years past, I have used the preparation of Hallowe’en as a sort of 'manic defense' against SAD, but this year even this does not help. Thinking of a special holiday meal for Someone, or channeling Martha Stewart for fabulous new decorating ideas - none of these feel worthwhile to do this year.
This year is the first bout of SAD as a blogger. Blog-land seems to both an outlet and a bane when feeling down. When feeling down, I go to more and more blogs, and recheck more often for comments, and see what others are up to only hours after looking – far more activity than in past months. There is the sensation of falling down the rabbit hole.
There are some grumblings from Someone that I have disappeared.
So I should lay off some time ‘on line’ and do more exercise, yoga and get some sleep.

What entries appear in the next two weeks may look glum but this too shall pass.
It is also good to throw a pie in its face from time to time, so if there are more outrageous entries than expected here, worry not.