There was a ladybug in the house yesterday. This is January right? Shouldn't she be hibernating or whatever it is ladybugs do in the winter?



I'm sure she regrets her decision to enter our home which, regardless of any attempts at housekeeping, always seems to be full of dust and cobwebs. 
She's obviously carrying some excess baggage here.

I know exactly how she feels because I too am carrying around some serious excess baggage.

First there's the baggage of the extra pounds I've managed to pack on in the last few years. I'd like to say I have no idea where those pounds came from but unfortunately it wouldn't be true. No exercise, second helpings, and late night snacks have turned me into a very fluffy person. I like to use the word "fluffy" instead of fat but don't think for a minute that I'm fooling myself. I look in the mirror every morning and see the truth in living color. Using "fluffy" just sounds nicer, don't ya think?

Another set of baggage includes feelings of apathy. After a hectic holiday season I now find myself with all kinds of time on my hands but nothing to fill it with. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty I could be doing, I'm just lacking the desire to actually do any of it. I thought making a written TO DO list would spur me on but so far it hasn't worked.

A third set of excess baggage weighing me down comes from a decision my husband and I have made. It calls for action, and while we're ready to take this action we have to wait for the timing to be right. Many might say there's no such thing as the "perfect time" but because our actions will affect people other than ourselves, we need to time it so as to minimize the impact on them. Patience was never one of my virtues.....

And, last but certainly not least, I carry the baggage of consequences.  It's a given that everything we do results in consequences. Not all of them are bad but many are. It's those dire consequences, the ones that knock us flat on our backs, that are weighing heavy on me today. Some of them are deserved, others are just due to dumb luck or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, consequences are weighing me down.

I dusted off the ladybug and took her outside, releasing her to the great outdoors. I wish someone would do that for me. Of course, the weather has turned cold again and I'm afraid the little ladybug may have succumbed to the elements. That's not something I want happening to me, so for now, I'll just sit here among my baggage, waiting for someone to dust me off.