Oblivion

It's official. I'm taking the plunge. In her book "Breaking Free From Emotional Eating", Geneen Roth speaks to my soul as she talks about the concept of binge eating. She writes, "Binges are purposeful acts, not demented feelings. . . a binge can. . . be an urgent attempt to care for yourself. . . Binges speak the voice of survival. . . A binge is a plunge into oblivion. We all need plunges into oblivion. Sometimes living is too much to handle." And so if you need to reach me today you can find me in oblivion. My oblivion usually involves home made chocolate chip cookie dough, a spoon and some serious time with the the Real Housewives of New York.

Moving across the world and then across the country has proved much harder than I expected. Especially for those of us who are 15 or still feel that age. Connecting with friends via facebook and skype makes you grateful for technology, but sometimes nothing short of human connection will do. The word from Georgia lately has been tragic. A young student killed in a car accident a few nights ago. An acquaintance of Micaela's. A hug and a few words were all I could offer. Before that I night I had never heard the boy's name but I know Micaela knew him and it would be a hard thing. This morning we woke to a call from one of her good friends letting us know that their good friend's Mom was killed in a car accident last night. This girl I know and adore. It's hard to watch your fifteen year old have to learn how fragile life is. Hard to watch her grasp at the reality of a friend across the country needing her, and her not being able to be there. Hard to watch her try to make sense of something that clearly doesn't. Hard not to have the answers she needs. Hard to think of a family coping with the loss of a wife and mom. With this news a hug and few words will not be enough, but it is a place to start. So bring on the cookie dough, and perhaps we'll need two spoons today. Housewives, here we come!
Dedicated to sweet Ada. We love you.