Last Saturday I had an encounter with dear ol' Aunt Dee. She’s like a lifelong buddy, never too far. Shy and quiet, she sneaks up on you undetected. You only realize she’s around after her long scrawny arms reach around you, hugging, her perfume brings back a daze of nostalgia.

I was playing another round of Cities Skylines, and realized I’m not into the game anymore. As a matter of fact, I was forcing it for the last hour. I promised myself to go to the gym while a part of me was trying to use any possible excuse to keep me glued to my chair. It was gray and cold outside, a weekend after a hard week, I wasn’t in the mood, I didn’t eat enough, bla bla bla. Suddenly, I recognized this train of thought: “Ah! I know you, you depression you, how have you been?”

So, I checked my list of depression indicators. I think anyone who’s been with dear Aunt Dee long enough has a similar list.

As a result, Sunday was different. The first thing I did was go back to my elements. This means, without getting all fancy about my life philosophy, that I did my morning exercise (few stretches, pull-ups, little weights) and meditation. I took my time before I sat at the computer: first, there was one round of exercise, then I made coffee, then a second round of exercise. Then, there was meditation, which started with a mind dump. I talked to myself about things that are important to me, things that I’ve neglected. Then, the meditation itself, a series of deep breaths while counting.

One of my life facts is that when meditation is really needed, there’s always strong resistance to it at the start, but then I don’t want to finish it. Putting my mind in a neutral state after emphasizing to myself things I care about is powerful.

After that, Sunday started taking shape. I know so because my room started looking like my room again. First (it’s always first), the bed. Then laundry. Then, the closet, which was something I hadn’t dealt with in a while. Cleaning my room is similar to cleaning my head. It’s odd that making my bed makes me feel so much better. I don’t know why, but I don’t argue; it works. Later on, I went to the gym again, this time without a long struggle. Later still, I enjoyed sharing a different video game, The Return of the Obra Dinn, with my partner.

This time, I didn’t play alone. It was a nice mutual experience of puzzle solving. It reminded me of my grandparents playing Bridge together, only with more high fives and laughs. The laughter was therapeutic.

Somewhere between the meditation, the game, and the avocado salad/guacamole I made, I found content. Aunt Dee was gone, out of town, see-you-next-time. I had a good day at work yesterday (not excellent, not awesome, just good). It’s important that I mention it for myself, for next time, and for you, the other relatives of Aunt Dee who might find comfort in this.

Have a good rest of the week!