"Run for your life! Run! Run! Run!"
I'll give you one guess who said the above. That's right, the princess herself, limbic system Amy.
You will be able to appreciate the importance I placed on this little ritual especially after reading my previous post about how I rely on this blog to help me cope with my personal mood disorder.
"Amy," I said, "chill old girl. The storm has passed."
I searched for something more to drive the point home but I admit that my heart wasn't it. The thought running through my mind was, Oh, no! Here we go again. But I tried to keep control of the situation.
"The bright sun," I said. "The blue sky." You can see that I was struggling to come up with something convincing. Finally, just to end the thought, I said, "And all the fixings."
"But you don't understand," she said. "You must run and run fast; as fast as you can."
"But why?" I said.
"Because," she said, "if you don't run, you'll be left behind. You'll never amount to anything and you'll be forgotten."
"Cappuccino."
This last comment threw me into the interstitial space. I thought WTF Amy! I was completely nonplussed. Cappuccino?
"Sir?" said a voice in my right ear and it was then that I realized the barista had brought the coffee to my table.
"Oh thank you," I said. "Did you call my name and I didn't hear you?"
"Yes, sir," she said. "You seemed to be involved in a phone conversation."
"Ah-ha," I said because...well, you probably don't need an explanation.
"Thank you," I said. She smiled a sympathetic smile.
"Run now," said Amy.
I'd had enough of this drivel from the seat of my emotions if the amygdala is truly the seat of emotion. One might say that I was mad as hell and wasn't going to take it anymore.
"I'm not going to run," I said, and I tried to keep the voice calm and the atmosphere low-key because I had a plan and didn't want the little blister catching on to my scheme. "But I will go for a brisk walk around the block," I said. "Fresh air and a little boost to the blood flow will be good for us."
"What do you mean, us?" she said, showing just a tad of suspicion.
"An energetic walk is recommended for mental and physical health," I said and wished I hadn't as soon as it came out of my mouth.
"Oh, no," she said. "You don't involve me in any of that mental health rigamarole."
"Come on," I said as I pushed the chair back and stood. I placed the beret on my head with it tilted slightly down over the right eye, which makes all the difference in bolstering my confidence. "I'm going for a walk and you're coming with me," I said.
"Don't walk fast," she said.
"We're walking fast," I said.
"But...but,"
"But what?" I said picking up the pace.
"En...end..."
"Endorphins?" I said. "What about endorphins?"
She opened her mouth as if to answer but nothing came out. Instead, her eyes became slightly unfocused, her breathing became more regular, and she lay back in quiet repose.
And so Ms. Wonder saved the day again it seems. She wasn't there of course but that suggestion of hers that I keep the blood flowing at a smart clip to keep the mood above the mid-line worked like a charm. I'll have to incorporate it into Fierce Qigong.
Yes, Ms. Wonder is an amazing gal. I'm sure you agree. I do have to draw the line however when she gets on that too-much-coffee rag. Coffee habit indeed! Just because my largest monthly expense is Port City java, doesn't mean there's a problem. Just means that I like coffee. I can quit anytime I want to.