This morning I woke up with an upset stomach, something that rarely happens but isn’t surprising considering all the pizza, soda, and chocolate pie I ingested yesterday. Anyway, I’ve been chewing Tums all day. I’ve even swallowed baking-soda water, a home remedy my Dad swears by. I mean, it does make you burp. Now it’s just after midnight, and “I think” my stomach is better. Not great, but better.

Ick.

After waking up with tummy trouble, I went back to sleep until just after noon. Then I ate breakfast, read for a while, and took a nap. I’m not sure what it is, I just don’t feel super-duper today. Perhaps my travels are catching up to me. Regardless, this is the last place I want to be, sitting here blogging. I got my laptop out two hours ago to start working, but have only been procrastinating–that is, watching Major Crimes with Mom and Dad, researching the stars and planets, drinking a beer.

This afternoon I hopped in Tom Collins (my car) to meet my friend Bonnie to see a movie. However, Tom Collins was dead. I turned his key over, and nothing–nada–zip. And whereas my dad and I were going to jump him, we couldn’t figure out how to get him into neutral so we could roll him out of the garage and next to another vehicle. He was stuck in park. “We’ll have to deal with this later,” I said. “The movie starts soon.” So Dad let me borrow his car (that doesn’t have a name), and off I went.

Thanks, Dad.

The movie Bonnie and I saw was Christopher Robin, about the boy who used to play with Winnie the Pooh and friends but eventually grew up and forgot about the Hundred Acre Wood. It was absolutely glorious. Drop whatever you’re doing right now and go see it. (Take a box of Kleenex.) Not only is it beautifully filmed, it also conveys several ever-important messages–be yourself, don’t forget how to play, remember those whom you love, and (above all else) stand up to heffalumps and woozles.

That is, face those things that terrify you.

When I got home from the movie, Tom Collins was turned around in the garage, and I could see his red alarm light blinking. Dad’s fixed him, I thought. As it turns out, Dad brought our wonderful neighbor and his son over, and they did. I guess Tom’s battery was fine, but one of the wires that connects to the battery was loose. At some point I’ll need to replace the wire connector, but our neighbor and his son put something in between the battery post and the wire connector to keep the wire from wiggling around, so everything works for now.

Thanks, neighbor!

One of my favorite quotes from the movie today was by Winnie the Pooh. Christopher Robin is rush-rush-rusing along, and Pooh Bear just stops. Well, Christopher is undone. “What the hell are you doing, Pooh?!” (These are my words not his.) Then Pooh says, “Sometimes if I am going somewhere and I wait, somewhere comes to me.” Ugh. What a perfect reminder. So often I run-run-run around, doing-doing-doing, trying to GET SOMEWHERE. I forget that it’s OKAY to get stuck in park once in a while. I forget that help is always on the way, dear. I forget that just as I am chasing my dreams, my dreams are chasing me.

And how are they supposed to find me if I’m always moving about?