Tue 14 Feb 2006
Diana and I stumbled by default on a GREAT restaurant called The Daily Grill in Irvine last nite. We shared a filet medallion entree and still couldn’t finish the plate. I was also proud that we left a considerable chunk of the chocolate brownie that was sitting underneath a gob of ice cream, which I also left. The dinner was good because it was the first time I’ve seen her in person since she entered her really trying time in her family life, health, career and love life. It breaks my heart when she calls me crying and I can’t be there. But I was really happy to see that she was actually doing pretty well last nite. We were able to laugh and kid, altho of course she was still dealing with lingering sadness. I hope she remembers that to feel down and depressed is normal, and considering all the stuff going on, the fact that she was only at her lowest point for a week or less and is now pulling out slowly, is really great progress. She has her chin up and her faith in that everything has happened for a reason — a good reason — and even tho it hurts and seems fruitless now, everything will fall into place later and she will understand why she had to go thru all this.
I’d brought my laptop and we went thru my cruise photos, and then just for kicks, ended the night with, at her request, a slideshow of our 260 or so Cancun photos. We remarked, as we reminisced on our September vacation, how different things are between now and then, and what we didn’t know then was just around the bend.
*sigh* Hey Diana, remember back in the day when we were really well adjusted and we were bored with our lives and envied the excitement of other girls’ romantic drama? HA.
the weird thing was that the lingering sadness was hanging over my head the entire time – i thought for sure that i would have a crying fit when i saw you. but i am glad that i didn’t – i think it’s ok to be sad, even to be really sad, but the key is to be able to feel that way and still function (somewhat) normally, which was something i havent been able to do in a long time.
It’s absolutely okay, and even healthy, to respond to something upsetting with sadness. As long as the sadness doesn’t consume and destroy you, and isn’t permanent.