Eagles



And now for a less serious post? Maybe? Today, I had hot chocolate with a friend, then went out to see the eagles! There were a number of people out with their cameras. It is tough to get a good picture, at least with my limited zoom camera. I think the third picture might be my best yet, though I haven't compared it with last time's photos.

And I got my "exercise" while I was out walking and jogging to photograph birds and exercise. My walk back, the camera was off due to lack of battery power. That was nice, because it let me look at the eagles and appreciate them without subtracting from that in my quest to photograph them. (Though I was tempted to see if I could get in one more picture before the batteries completely died.)

The sun has come out after a few days of rain and snow. Seems to be helping my mood. The therapy light does seem to help my mood, but it doesn't stop my mood from going down on cloudy days. I presume it helps me not go as far down, though.

Well, I'm really, really thankful. Talking with my friend this morning reminded me of how many positive changes have occurred in my life in the last several months. A new church, playing music at church, feeling so much better. You know, this friend was one of the first to suggest that I was depressed and could potentially be significantly helped by professional help and even medication. It was a few years before I actually saw a doctor for my mood, but I think I had to get used to the idea and hear it from multiple sources.

Another thing (and now I've gotten serious again; what a surprise -not!). The fact that my church is on the "conservative" list kind of surprised me today - it would still be seen as liberal by some of the people I've met :). And it kind of bothered me, because people supportive of my seeking help for mental illness and even for my labeling it a mental illness instead of a spiritual problem, a lot of them are probably to the less conservative side of what I grew up with (or even significantly "liberal"). So I feel "liberal" compared to some of the ideals I heard as a kid and still run accross, yet I love my "conservative" church. So today's aha moment was this; it is okay if I am a somewhat conservative person. I don't have to change that. I can keep the "liberal" beliefs I have as well as my "conservative" preferences. I don't have to copy either side exactly. I am the person that gets to choose what I believe, and going to a "conservative" church doesn't mean I have to look down on liberal people or whoever else the stereotypical conservative looks down on (including their potentially looking down on me). Funny how much stereotyping goes on, and almost instantly!

So I'm not sure if I'm liberally conservative or conservatively liberal or what, but I'm enjoying the sunshine and the weekend away from work (I was ready for the break!), and I'm slowly but persistantly learning to be okay with myself.

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