A Glimmer

"Nibbled by ducks" my ass - the Universe has been hurling hardballs for weeks, and I've been bobbing and weaving and ... okay, a little bit of crying. Illness (mom), horrible money issues (kids), job stress (me and the Lug), and job-hunting stress (me) are all just the tip of the iceberg. I was sick last Saturday, the only day I've had for any decent treasure hunting this month, the only day I could blow off steam the best way I know. The day was beautiful, too, perfect for yard sales: cool, dry (mostly), just a hint of a breeze ...

Ah, well, it didn't happen. Nothing like that happened. No treasures, no relief, not even yardwork - nothing! Yet somewhere in the last 24-hours things changed. Not with a whimper (though I was voicing plenty of those and, I think, plain got tired of them) and not with a bang (none of that, either, more's the pity) but with a shout.

No, not the quack of a duck but the earthy, angry voice of Lt. Dan (Forrest Gump) holding onto the top of the mast in the midst of a hurricane hollering "Is that all you've got?" to the winds. Yeah, that was me, blast it, maniacal laughter and all. And, this morning, the worst that happened is I spilled coffee on my favorite white blouse.

Coincidence?

Then, because I had the time to finally catch up on my, y'know, life I mixed the trip to the vet (prescription dog food for my 16-year-old Terrier) with a sidle into the thrift shop in the same complex (not the one I usually go to - this one's a consignment store). Anyway, I spent $30 and am now the proud owner of a pretty 14K cross (about 2g), and what I thought was just a cheap pair of smoky-quartz-like earrings with 14K backers, but, if I'm not mistaken, are the real thing. Not a fortune, to be sure, for my $30, but two or three times that just for the materials is a definite improvement.

Hardballs have turned into Nerf balls, and the darkness that's hung over my head like Pigpen's dirt cloud might just be lifting. It's not much, not a bonus check or a great novel or a two-dollar diamond or a visit from Desperate Landscapes. But these days, frankly, I'll take all the glimmers I can get. And I'll keep the GPS location of that hollering mast in my Nuvi.