Yesterday I woke up with a belly ache. This has been happening on-and-off for a couple of weeks now is not AWFUL but is not fun either. It feels like a dull number two pencil has been shoved into my guts. Again, it doesn’t feel like a machete or even a pocket knife, but still–no matter what else I’m doing–it keeps my attention. Anyway, I’m doing the best I can. This morning I ate burnt toast, yogurt, applesauce, and a banana for breakfast while sipping Ginger Ale. Now I’ve moved on to herbal tea and have over-the-counter drugs waiting at the ready.

I’m really close to pulling the trigger.

Actually, I tried some drugs yesterday. Pepto Bismol (Pept Abysmal) tablets, then Zantac. I didn’t notice a difference. Last week I went running to release pent-up aggression, and that seemed to help as much as anything. But I haven’t had a lot of time for running lately, as I’ve been working my tail off helping some friends pack for an upcoming move. Plus, it’s been thunderstorm-ing all week. Anyway, I’m taking it one day at a time, Sweet Jesus.

Yesterday my friends and I started packing at six in the evening and worked for twelve hours straight. The sun was coming up as I drove home this morning. Ugh. My my schedule is so turned around lately. Right now it’s four in the afternoon, and I feel like it’s ten in the morning. Oh well–we’re getting a lot done. That’s what matters. We’re almost there. And whereas I could go the rest of my life without seeing a cardboard box or hearing the sound of a tape gun rip-rip-ripping, we really are having a good time. We laugh a lot. That’s important too. Even when my friends are working in other rooms, I manage to entertain myself somehow. Usually by drawing on their boxes.

Here’s a little cartoon I came up with last night in their laundry room–

But this was my favorite, which I drew on top of a crummy piece of furniture, also found in their laundry room. “Is this keep or trash?” I said. “Trash,” they said.

Okay, I’ve got about an hour before I got back to work again, and I’d like to clean up, maybe read a chapter in a book I picked up this week at the library. I’m learning that this is really important, to slow down and not work-work-work non-stop. Last night about hour nine, around three in the morning, I sat down on the couch and just piddled with my phone for five minutes. Take a damn break, Marcus. So although it goes against my habit, I’m trying. Even now with this blog, this ending, I’m trying to not demand perfection and productivity in every moment.

I’m trying to just–

Stop.

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