Bobbi Storm's Cure for SAD

Seems everything today needs to have a label and it's own unique title... being down in the dumps because winter will not go away is not called "SAD" which stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder rather than just being "sad" that winter will not vacate the room. Personally, I'd have called it Seasonal Anxiety Disorder but I did not get a vote in naming that...nor did I get a vote in naming Erectile Dysfunction.

Either way it seems some people are sad on gray, dark days when the clouds seem to hover over head and everything is gray or brown outside with traces of snow on the ground and the sun is hidden behind a cloud bank that took up personal residence back in November.

This winter has been to put it mildly a real bitch that won't go away.

Friends and family up north want the snow to end. Friends and family down south want the cold fronts to stay away. In the middle it is just gray in the Carolinas, briefly on Sunday there was a drop of Carolina Blue skies before the clouds moved back in.

Personally....I like the winter. I like being able to see the sky in forested cities where trees usually blot out my view of sunrise. I like the gray, misty morning that calls to me like a muse and begs me to sit and write sad, poignant poems while the coffee fills the room with the aroma of the tropics faraway.

In Miami I love to wear my boots or winter clothes and feel the brisk wind and watch the technicolor sunsets that make the skyline look as if it was a painted movie set or 1950s postcard all mauve and coral and magenta with the sun dipping slowly down just barely touching the edge of the world punctuated by palm trees silhouetted against a cotton candy sky.

So...TWC who pointed out that there were freezing frosts in the farm lands of Florida warned people not to think about going to Florida to get away from the cold.

Seriously????
Honestly????

Obviously, TWC crew of writers are the ones who only go to Panama Beach, Destin or Sarasota and never venture south to the truly warm, tropical world of Miami.

Memo to TWC:

If you want to get rid of SAD on a permanent basis... MOVE TO MIAMI!



No one is truly "sad" in Miami. The sun always shines, the stars are always out twinkling at night in the tropical sky and there is always a beach to walk or a place to sit outside and watch the parrots fly from tree to tree or watch seagulls glide across an endless blue sky. Even when it's a little chilly and we bundle up in our ole winter clothes there are no endless gray days, no frozen ground beneath our feet and no one is wearing leggings underneath their jeans. In fact, often it's too warm to wear jeans and we run around in January in flip flops, tank tops and shorts. High heels mean sandal heels, we rarely wear closed toe shoes with our mini skirts. Guys wear brightly colored tropical shirts, guyaberas or tee shirts. I have one son who

I had a boyfriend a while back. He told me straight out, "anyone who wants to live in New York and deal with winter is out of their mind" and I have to admit, he is right in many ways.

But some people........do love winter. If you love Winter I say go for the gold and live in Boston, wait for the Spring and Spring Fever and the Red Sox coming out of hibernation or go all the way to Maine.

If you suffer from SAD,think seriously on selling your business, quitting your job and looking for a new job in Miami where you will NEVER suffer from SAD again in your life. I mean NEVER. Mind you... you might still be depressed from General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) but you will never ever again have to complain about SAD.

If you are stuck for things to do while trying to fight off SAD may I suggest a few things to try?

If you are in the Raleigh area on a gray, wintry day that looks like winter will never go away....

Step One:

Go to Falls River Books, walk all the way to the back of the aisle on the left and look through the history books, pick an era, any era... browse through the pictures and the stories and then wander over to the cookbooks. Find a delicious soup recipe, something unique and possibly tropical... maybe a Jamaican Fish Soup? Buy the book, take it with you and immediately head over to the Savory Spice Shop in Lafayette Village.

http://www.fallsriverbooks.com/

Upon entering the Savory Spice Shop INHALE DEEPLY :) You will forget what SAD is and begin searching for those exotic tropical spice blends that you will need to make that Jamaican Fish Soup recipe you found in the book from Falls River Books. Stay and talk to friendly owners or people who work there, taste a few spices, inhale a few far away places and you will no longer be SAD.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Savory-Spice-Shop-Raleigh/114549381924416?v=info

Then, mozy on down to the Fresh Market, sip some more coffee, taste a few berries, buy some fresh produce, an interesting drink of some kind to go with that tropical dinner, perhaps a loaf of bread or a bottle of wine. Wander through the store inhaling the aroma of epicurean treats that are baked there daily while mingling with friends that you bump into who are in search of those perfect cherries, or marinated olives for their favorite pasta salad.

Live life. Get out of bed. Enjoy the small, friendly stores all about you far from the frenzy of the Malls. Get to know people. Get to know businesses in your own little hood. Stay far away from the wolves at Walmart. Enjoy the season, make salads in the summer and soups in the winter and look for new recipes and friends along the way.

If you want to work off some of that weight... find your favorite neighborhood gym, do some Zumba at Ladies Wellness and Fitness.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ladies-Fitness-Wellness/390450250252

Get up, get out and get about... that's my remedy for SAD if you love living up north and don't want to move down to down south to Miami.

And, if you are in Miami and are blue for any old reason, just plain ole GAD, toss away that General Anxiety Disorder and go to Bayside, because Bayside is my remedy for any sad day anywhere. Sit by the water, watch the boats float in the bay, watch the seagulls glide overhead, listen to the Jimmy Buffett wannabe playing his music hoping to get discovered from his gig at the stage by the blue, blue water while tourists sip pina coladas and lunchtime Miamians stroll along the edge of the Bay for their lunchtime exercise. I know... cause I have been one of those people chillin' at Bayside on my lunch break.

Your choice.... live up north and find ways to love it or surf over to www.jetblue.com and book a ticket for blue water and blue skies and escape from SAD forever.

As for me.... I'm like my ole friend Joe..I like to enjoy the weather I got ;)

Chow for Now
Besos Bobbi

Ps... The OFFICIAL Grand Opening of the Savory Spice Shop is this Sunday if you are in the Raleigh area and if not... find a spice shop in your neighborhood where ever you live.... inhale deeply from the aroma of life, sip coffee, read a good book ;)

As for Miami....Boat Show is coming in February ;)

http://www.miamiboatshow.com/