Lack of sunlight tends to depress one's spirits, a fact we Michiganders deal with as best we can through indoor sports, or quiet wintry hobbies like knitting, or burying ourselves in our work, or perhaps less healthy strategies such as retail therapy, yelling at the children, or self-medicating with chocolate.
At our house, Jacob and I have been indulging in old episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Sometimes the episodes are full of the best in good old-fashioned sci-fi: cool gadgety pseudo-science, explosions, Klingon battles, and regular characters amusingly possessed by aliens. Those episodes are silly. Well, sillier. Other times we're reduced to groaning at Ferengi love triangles. Ugh.
But perhaps DS9 has inspired my latest coping strategy for the late winter blahs: light therapy. One of the DS9 ethnic groups -
the Bajorans - have these orb thingies that are supposed to create divinely-inspired, dreamy experiences when you open their little casings and look at them. They've got the orb of wisdom, the orb of prophecy and change, the orb of time, and so on. (The curious or similarly geeky can learn all about it here).So when, at a friend's recommendation, Ron bought me light therapy lamps for Valentine's Day, I decided we should call them the "Orbs of Happiness."
See how happy I look? These little boxes blast you with full-spectrum light and are supposed to put your skewed body clock and your sunlight deprived, mood-controlling body chemicals back in balance. The brand name is actually "HappyLite." And I think they might really work. We'll give it a few more months and see if the intially promising effects continue.
Meanwhile, may I suggest to the manufacturers that they offer the Deluxe DS9 version, complete with nifty Bajoran casing? I would buy one in a minute, and I bet I'm not the only hopeless geek who would....
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Dear Debra,
My name is Jenny Simmons and I live in Dallas, TX. I am a recording artist and perpetual blogger. Most importantly, I am days away from giving birth to my first baby, Anniston Cate. The last time I was in Nashville another artist friend of mine, who is also due this week, kidnaped me into a room and said, "You have got to read this book." Great with Child. She began reading passages and we both sat there afterwards in awe.
Forget ANY other "how-to" books on having a child, this book was the Bible. Since then we have both read, slowly, carefully, your words. This book has been our companion and at moments it has been filled with the Holy Spirit more than a Sunday morning at church! This morning as I awoke to another day of the waiting game, I re-read my blog from yesterday where I quoted a passage from your book. I have quoted you often these past months. I then went to my friends blog and she quoted you yesterday too. "The only way out is through." That feeling of there being a part of this that no one else can do but me and God is so present right now. She was feeling it too.
I decided I had to track you down and let you know that we have spent months with you and we cannot thank you enough for your wisdom, honesty, wit, humor, and thought-provoking spirituality. I believe I am going into these moments in a way that I never would have imagined because of the words in your book.
I have about 4,000 readers a month on my blog and when this is all over I plan on doing a blog that gives the top 5 things to buy a pregnant woman. Of course your book will be number one on that list, as my readers already know it has been a pivotal part of my pregnancy. It has been our guide, our laughter, our thoughts, and our companion and we cannot thank you enough.
Love, two very pregnant girls who will give birth differently because of you! Hopefully sooner than later!
jennysimmons.blogspot.com
allirogers.blogspot.com
and my email is jenny@addisonroad.com if you want to get in touch.
Just know
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