Towanda has two meanings ‘peaceful resting place’, ‘many waters’ or ‘rushing waters’. The latter water meaning is an Osage Indian word.  I use it as Fannie Flagg wrote it in Fried Green Tomatoes – as the battle cry of Idgie’s alter-ego, an Amazon woman.

This coming week has seven full days as do all weeks.  But this will be my first full normal week in a while.  I work all five days, I have yoga class, I have a friend’s housewarming open house, and I have some medical appointments to take my mother to. And writing group six of those mornings.  Blissful normalcy.

I am always ready for this week after the holidays.  In the weeks leading up to the festivities of yule, there are office parties, time off, usually a sick day, and a frenzy of work.  It’s stress added to an already stressful life, overwhelming.  The return to normalcy provokes a psychological ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I say normal week.  My normal and yours are probably different.  Yes, I still have no water.  Yes, I am still inordinately stressed, and yes, my to-do list is 9 miles long and growing but these are practically norms now.  I wrote earlier this week that I need routine in my life.  And, boy, do I ever this year. 

The holidays were just awful. My plans to see my son and grandson were derailed by weather and illness.  It was only the second Christmas ever that I’ve missed with my son.  My heart aches to hug him.

This return to routine is welcome. 

Because I need routine to function well, I am ritualizing things that help me manage my stress.  Yoga will now be a weekly thing.  I’m not sure how I will afford it, but I will find a way.  I will write every morning because it brings me joy and satisfaction.  I will put myself back on a regular schedule and force myself to at least stay in bed all night.  These late-night insomniac sessions on Facebook are probably not good for me.  I will get back to daily meditation.  For crying out loud, it’s 15 minutes and I only need to clean a small corner to make it so.  I will radically improve my diet – it’s been a junk food wasteland for far too long.  The ravages of Long COVID made fast food oh so tempting, but I’m putting an end to that.

Towanda! 

I’m a woman on a mission.  Do not mess with me.

“How many of those hormones are you taking, honey?”  Another line from Fried Green Tomatoes that I love.  My answer:  none.  They wouldn’t let me have any and now I’m past the point of wanting them. I am hopeful that I am entering what Margaret Mead referred to as the Menopausal Zest stage of life.  Yes, she said that.  A topic for another essay:  The Promise of Zest.

It’s time. 

Towanda!