I love Me a Cuppa...

It is a sad, but true fact that ever since I hit 50, I have slowly and systematically been forced to give up all my favorite things...let me just list the Big Ones for you:

-- Partying (aka Drinking More Than I Should With Friends)

-- Backpacking and Hiking in the Mountains

-- Sex

-- Camping in Tents, then in Trailers, then in Cabins...you get the idea...

-- Snowboarding and Cross Country Skiing

-- Outdoor Concerts

-- Long Drives into the Back Country on Dirt Roads

-- Travel that Requires Flying

-- Overnight Road Trips

-- Week-long Company Visits

-- Big Get-togethers and Dinners at Our House

Sigh....

Those are the Big Things....there are a myriad of smaller things, I assure you.

So...a few years back, when my doctor informed me I had high blood pressure and was going to have to be on medication to control it, most likely for the remainder of my life, I was distraught. I remember coming home and telling Larry that if she even hinted that I would have to give up caffeine (MY ONE LAST FAVORITE THING!), I would look for a different doctor - period. But the dear woman never even hinted that I should consider such a travesty. The blood pressure medication did it's Thing. And I still get my lovely coffee --at least two big cups every morning, with lots of Hazelnut Creamer!

There is just nothing that sends a wave of happiness into my very being like walking into a coffee shop and getting a hit of that smell like no other.

The only thing better is a good Margarita Bar...sigh...

Overthinkers ANON

Lately, Facebook has had a bunch of posts about the challenges of being an Overthinker. LOL...as I read each one, I think to myself, "welcome to my world!"

For years, I have been trying to tell people that I have a continual stream of thoughts and stories going on in my head: long-ago memories; what I should/could have said; to-do lists; shopping lists for menus coming up; things to buy or make for Christmas; what doctors appointments or prescriptions are coming up; ideas that come to me of things to make or accomplish or...or...or... You get the idea. It is never ending.

Amazingly enough, I sleep really, really well, almost all the time. Once in a blue moon, I wake up at 5am, my head turns on, and I realize it is futile to try to go back to sleep, so I get up and get going. I attribute this ability to sleep well to the fact that I have pretty much covered all the thoughts that need thinking for the upcoming future, and my brain allows me to turn off. --Hey! It's as good a theory as any other!

Overthinking usually covers one's ass for all the unknown variables of life, but it does have plenty of downsides...

The worst downside of all being that I really have trouble listening to or joining in with "banter", aka small-talk. Chatting has two downsides for me: 1- I find what is going on in my head more interesting or important than the chatter. 2- Oftentimes, chatter just gives me more subject matter to worry or think about! Hell--I have WAYYY too much in there already!

Of course, I realize that banter, chatting, and small-talk are important social skills (which I am sadly lacking in). In my 40s, I learned to use conversational skills in an office setting...mostly because I worked in a small dental office and I was oftentimes left with a patient's family member who hoped to be entertained while the patient was in the chair. However, that was at work and it was like an on/off switch.

In order to roll this skill over into a social setting, I found that drinking helped immensely....not a lot, mind you. But one good strong drink, and I become the life of the party--hopefully, not too outrageous, mind you--just funny and entertaining. Enough so that, when someone in Larry's golf group invites him to a party, they oftentimes ask, "Terri will be coming, right?"

A few months ago, my sister came for a weekend visit with Mom. My dear mama enjoys Toni (who was born with more social skills than I will ever have) so very much. (See all of the above for reasons why hanging out with me is not particularly enjoyable!) At some point, we got onto this whole subject of why I have a hard time with banter. A few days later, she sent me this:

It sums things up Perfectly!

Easy Goulash Soup

Sometimes the simplest things are the things that make you happiest. That's what this yummy recipe is all about. It is a take on my mom's Goulash, but Daddy liked everything thick enough to hold a spoon upright. At our house, we like soup...

(Ingredients list at the end)

In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot or pan, melt 1/3 a cube of butter. Chop up half an onion and a bell pepper and saute in the butter. Add 1/2 lb. of ground beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir until beef is browned. While that is cooking, bring a pot of water and 2 tsp. of salt to a boil. Add 2 cups of large shell macaroni (or any other you prefer), turn heat down so it won't boil over and let it burble on the back burner. Add a can of diced tomatoes and a can of water to the ground beef. bring to a boil. The shells will still barely be cooked. Scoop them into the beef mixture, adding at least half the water and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for at least 15 minutes, adding pasta water as needed, until the pasta is cooked to your liking. We like this with cottage cheese (don't knock it until you've tried it!). Mama (being German) likes it with sour cream, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion 2 cups large shell macaroni

1 bell pepper 2 + tsp. salt (to taste)

1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 lb. ground beef 6 cups water (aprox)

1/3 cube butter