Virginia Fair's Mental Musings

There is much to be thankful for, living in rural Alabama. The trespassers upon my property are deer, possums, raccoons, and turtles. Occasionally, I can hear the cry of a bobcat. While I should be more cautious trekking in the woods behind my house, I can't help but feel a sense that I no longer have to fear gang members but the animals of the wild. Blessed with the opportunity to rear my children in this idealistic setting, I have found that for my daughter the biggest obstacle has been the education system. I am the first to acknowledge she is not a strong academic student and still has a long way to mature in her general attitude. Yet, it is in the nature of youth to be raw, needing to learn to adopt the gentle responses in which the "adults" in her world are supposed to have mastered. My daughter has always had a good idea of herself. There was a time when she became withdrawn and tremendously shy. With intervention from a wonderful program at the elementary school s

Writing for the most part is said to be a solitary occupation. In my case and many others I have found this to be true. I find i am not one to surround myself with people, and crave the seclusion. Infact, most of my occupations I have worked by myself with little or no interaction with others. When I do mingle with friends and family I find often I feel drained, left with no energy. Being human, I have cycles where I crave to be around others. Unfortunately, being shy I do not have a circle of friends at my ready. The friendships I have been able to gather are long term relationships but sadly they live in other states or countries. It's these times I find that I spiral into a depression. The longing for kinship is overwhelming. The simple pleasure of meeting with my peers to simply enjoy a cup of coffee and exchange banter is often taken for granted by most, but for me it is an impossiblity. During these times I have to force myself to stay focused. I do have ha