I was singing the shower this morning. SINGING. I stopped myself, mid chorus, with a shampoo bottle in my hand. Who is this person? And when’s the last time she spontaneously belted out some Dexy’s Midnight Runners?
And then it dawned on me. Singing in the shower, to me, is a symptom of happiness, the kind that comes with having a bit of energy to spare, even on a day as grey as today.
I’ve written about my Litebook before, but now that it’s fall and I’m back at it I thought it deserved another mention, especially since I listed it in my “editor’s faves” column in the November issue of Capital Parent Newspaper (which you can read right here).
During my research for the column I discovered that my old Litebook is now obsolete. (Mark actually bought one for my birthday this year, which is GOOD because I needed one but kinda sucks because the new Litebook Edge looks kinda great. Oh well. It isn’t the only name out there by the way. There are lots of light therapy options
Have you ever thought about how great you feel on a nice bright sunny day? On sunny days I have extra spring in my step, and a smile on my face. And I’m more likely to be better at dealing with life’s challenges.
The Litebook is essentially a wee spotlight that folds open and sits on a desk. (The girls jokingly refer to it as a bat signal. If we added a black cut out bat shape they wouldn’t be too far off.) It’s essentially a ray of sunlight without the UV. For me, the Litebook has become a bit of a life fixer upper. It gives me energy and wakes me up, and helps me be happier person. (You can read much more about the benefits of light therapy here.)
Every morning I sit down with a cup of coffee and read the news for 30 minutes while the light shines in my face. And then I hit the treadmill. I do this every day and will continue to do so through until the Spring. Why? Because sometimes I need to put myself first, because when I start to fall apart, my world seems to fall apart around me.
But what does it mean exactly when I say that time spent in front of my Litebook gives me extra energy? It means I bake a loaf of banana bread instead of chucking the spotty bananas straight into the compost. It means I walk down the drugstore to pick up a few things instead of driving. It means I’m a better parent. It means I pack a lunch instead of getting take out. It means I tidy up the mudroom instead of stepping over shoes and backpacks. It means I am less grumpy, spend more time on the treadmill, am prone to sudden fits of dance, and generally Feel Better About Almost Everything.
I catch myself doing things I haven’t done in awhile, and I think, yes, that’s the old Andrea. And to tell you the truth, I like the old, silly, happy Andrea. I like her a lot.
This doesn’t mean that all of my health problems are solved. I have made an appointment to see my doctor about a few things, but this extra bit of light in my day goes a long way to improving my daily life and my outlook.
