A Moody Sort of Day

The weather was moody at the beginning of the week. One minute it was dark gray, then sunny, then gray again. It couldn’t seem to make up its mind and neither could I. I sat looking out the window at our tangerine tree and my heart was filled with a longing to write but uncertain what to offer up. My mood seemed as fickle as the weather. I thought it was the dark clouds of a moody Monday but today is a bright, sunny day and I still feel a little off. It makes no sense.

Ever have one of those days or weeks when your mood is off and you aren’t sure what is going on? I am not talking about depression, just a mood. It is important that I first recognize this is a feeling, not my reality. The mood might not lift right away and it may be more difficult to stay focused on projects at hand. It’s the mindless tasks I can get through on days like this. Tasks like laundry, chopping vegetables, cleaning, weeding, etc. – ordinary, everyday chores keep me tethered to life giving activity. The sluggish pull of moodiness has the greatest impact on my writing, listening and studying.

A funny memory just popped up regarding being stuck. When I was in early elementary school we lived in a new house and there were places in the yard that were just dirt, no grass. A good downpour turned parts of our backyard into a grand mud puddle. The sight of it drew my brother and me out to explore. We put on our rain boots and marched outside as if we were joining Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin on an expedition. Soon one of us would completely walk right out of a boot. The mud had latched onto the boot sucking it down into its gooey grasp. The bootless child would stand on one foot, wobbling like a drunk pelican (never saw one but I can imagine) trying to free the boot from the mud. The sibling would try to help but usually we would find ourselves standing on each other’s feet. Then we would yell for Mom. She’d put on her boots and rescue all mud trapped boots and the two children struggling not to put their unclad feet down into the squishy mess. Sometimes Mom would get stuck too but eventually we were all free because Mom knew how to deal with mud.

“Christopher Robin was sitting outside his door, putting on his Big Boots. As soon as he saw the Big Boots, Pooh knew that an Adventure was going to happen, and he brushed the honey off his nose with the back of his paw, and spruced himself up as well as he could so as to look Ready for Anything.”

– A. A. Milne

Even though Mom may not have been able to keep from getting stuck too, she knew how to get us all free. Sometimes I need to look for a more able bodied person(s) to show me the way of getting unstuck. Like the four friends of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12. The paralytic was at the mercy of his friends. Four of his friends carried him to a home where Jesus was speaking. It was crowded. Elbows everywhere blocked the way. So like any reasonably desperate friends, they made a hole in the roof above Jesus. It was a hole big enough to lower their friend down through, mat and all. Don’t you think there was a bit of a commotion below as the roof was being removed? Everyone must have looked up in surprise as the man was lowered down through the hole. The faith of the paralytic and his friends resulted in forgiveness and healing; the paralytic was able to pick up his mat and elbow his way back out through the crowd.

One thing I noticed when I am a bit moody is I often haven’t had enough fellowship with friends. I am an introvert who is involved in ministering to others, so I come home and renew in the quiet. But sometimes I don’t recognize my need to hang out with my friends – the people who know me well, make me laugh, challenge me to go deeper with Christ, and help me with hard things. Introverts need people too and when I forget to make time for friends I can get moody.

When you feel sluggish and moody what do you do to move past the mood and live in the reality of today? Here are a few practical things I need to check when I feel this way:

• How long have I been sitting? Do I need a walk?
• Do I need to find a quiet place and have a talk with Jesus?
• Am I drinking enough water?
• Have I had too much sugar today?
• When was the last time I had an uplifting talk with a friend?
• When was the last time I took a play break? A play break will be different things for different people. Playing, for me, usually means doing something creative without a driving purpose.
• Am I in need of a healthy, home cooked meal? Curried Pumpkin Sweet Potato soup, a comfort food with a touch of the exotic, fills our home with the spicy scent of a far away place. It makes me smile.

Mini mood lifters

• A stroll around the yard to see what’s blooming.
  Today I took a cup of tea and wandered around the back yard. The Michaelmus Daisy bush, which nearly died last summer, is bursting with cheery dark pink blossoms. The Sweet Pea bush I got for Jim in memory of his Mom the Mother’s Day after she died has grown and is covered in small purple and yellow blooms. The Jasmine and Wisteria smell lovely. And the most amazing thing: the Sweet Peas I planted from seed are growing and I hardly ever get seeds to produce plants. That little stroll lifted my spirits and filled my heart with gratitude.
• A delicious cup of tea. I like French Vanilla with creamer. Good Earth tea not only tastes good but fills the room with a warm, spicy scent.
• Spend a few minutes reading an encouraging passage of Scripture or a nice bit of poetry.
• Listen to birds, wind chimes or classical music.
• A few minutes of silence with my heart inclined to the Holy Spirit.
• Giving thanks and offering up praise to God.
• Write a haiku. This doesn’t have to be professional. It is a fun way to describe the day.
• Turn on music and dance. Movement helps make a shift in the brain and lightens the mood.

Moods come and go. Sometimes a mood is just a mood. Other times a mood comes over me because I have neglected to have a necessary hard conversation with someone, or I was hurt earlier in the day and ignored it. When the mood is tied to a neglected responsibility it is important I take steps to face it. If I have been hurt I may need talk to the person who hurt me or I may need to find a healthy way to process it. Journaling, praying, and talking to a safe person are all good ways to process hurt feelings. I certainly don’t want to stay stuck in a bad mood because I didn’t take responsibility for myself.

Today I just needed a walk around the yard and take a nice, long walk through the neighborhood. I also scheduled a couple of dates with friends for the weekend. So if you are like me and you sometimes have a moody Eeyore sort of day try something different. Make a list of things that work for you and share it with the rest of us. Like Eeyore, someone might find one of your ideas will work for them too.

“But, Eeyore,” said Pooh in distress, what can we – I mean, how shall we – do you think if we – "

“Yes,” said Eeyore. “One of those would be just the thing. Thank you, Pooh.”

– A. A. Milne

*Photos by Jim Joiner and edited by Julie Joiner