<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/swiv/2353937055/sizes/m/in/photostream/"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1673" title="rubberduckie" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/rubberduckie-300x284.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="284" /></a>I was dangerously close to a meltdown last week. </p>

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<p>It started with that stinkin’ <strong>pumpkin carving kit</strong>.  It was past 10 at night, and I just finished writing the blog post from the previous day.  I was exhausted, my back hurt from being at the computer all day, and I still needed to “live” my day’s “adventure” of carving an intricate jack o’ lantern pattern for the first time ever.  Oh, joy. </p>

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<p>And then I reminded myself…</p>

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<p><span style="color: #800080;"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">YES!  Oh, JOY!  THIS is what the blog is about:  Living curiously EVERY day.  Not on the weekends only.  Not a few times a week.  Not every other day.  EVERY day.  It’s an EXPERIMENT. </span></strong></span></p>

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<p><span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>BECAUSE IF I STAYED ON AUTOPILOT IN MY LIFE, I WOULD HAVE SURELY LOST MY MIND!!! </strong></span></span></p>

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<p>Like lecturing to myself at 10:45 at night with slimy pumpkin guts on my hands is the picture of sanity.  ;-)</p>

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<p>I dragged my tired self into work the next morning struggling over how I could keep this going.  This is everyone’s first question to me when they hear about the blog, right?  </p>

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<p>“HOW can you possibly live one curious ‘adventure’ each day AND find the time to blog about it?” </p>

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<p>Well...sometimes I carve pumpkins at 10:30 at night.  Sometimes I lose sleep.  Sometimes I use my lunch hour at work to start writing a blog post.  Sometimes I stay in on a Friday night to write. </p>

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<p>Because living our passions sometimes takes sacrifice.  And I’m willing to make the sacrifice. </p>

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<p>Although I <em>really</em> need 8 hours sleep. </p>

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<p>Oh, yeah.  And a regular workout schedule. </p>

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<p>And while I’m finishing my wish list for Santa, I may as well throw in a regular guitar-playing schedule.  I am no longer in a position to play at an open mic and it <em>kills</em> me.  <em> </em></p>

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<p>These are the 3 things that seemed to have slipped through the cracks over the past few weeks. </p>

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<p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #008000;">COOLEENIE TO THE RESCUE!!!</span></strong></span></p>

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<p>Are you blessed with a tried-and-true friend who is <em>always</em> there for you?  Who <em>truly </em>understands you (and your neuroses) and <em>accepts </em>you unconditionally?  And <em>always</em> has the solution that is <em>perfect</em> for<em> you</em>? </p>

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<p>That’s Colleen aka Cooleenie.  She’s the one that brilliantly devised my “publication schedule” for this blog:  LIVE the adventure, SLEEP on it, WRITE about it the next day (while living the next adventure) and PUBLISH the next morning.  Logical and one small step towards sanity. </p>

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<p>Cooleenie calmly listened to my recent road to meltdown story and then crafted a solution.</p>

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<p>“You need a bubble bath.”</p>

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<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>??????????????????????</strong></span></span></p>

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<p>“Whatchyoutalkinbout, Cooleenie?” </p>

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<p>“You need a bubble bath.” </p>

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<p>“Cooleenie, I don’t have time for sleep, working out or playing guitar.  I certainly don’t have time for a bubble bath.” </p>

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<p>“That’s my idea for one of your 365 days:  The First Bubble Bath of the Season!”</p>

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<p>“Oh!  I see where you’re going with this.  Calgon, take me far, far away!” </p>

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<p>So this is how my dear, sweet friend tricked me into taking The 1<sup>st</sup> Bubble Bath of the Season on Day 37. Although technically it was The 1<sup>st</sup> Mineral Bath of the Season because I’m a mineral bath kind of girl.  You know the kind where you put the salts and herbs in the “tea bag” that floats around your tub and smells like lavender?</p>

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<p>Of course, there was the issue of the technical glitch which wouldn’t let me upload my photos to the blog post scheduled to publish the next morning.  Which delayed the bath until 11.  Yikes. </p>

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<p>But NOW I have a plan in place when there are technical glitches!  And Coleenie’s <em>point</em> was that I need to <em>pace</em> myself throughout the week.  <strong><span style="color: #cc99ff;">Because in my life right now, making the time for a simple pleasure such as a bath is truly stepping out of autopilot while stopping to smell the roses.  Or the lavender, in this case.</span></strong></p>

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<p>I am giving you permission to do the same.  In fact, I am going to pretend that I’m Cooleenie right now, and I am telling you that you NEED The 1<sup>st</sup> Bubble Bath/Mineral Bath of the Season.  I’m sure you’re thinking of a thousand excuses why you don’t have time for it tonight.  That’s o.k.  Gently tell your negative self-talk to bugger off and start running the water in the tub. </p>

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<p>Just think of it as an EXPERIMENT for your SANITY.  :-)</p>