I love living in England. Ever since I was a little kid, I knew that this was the country that was for me. We would watch British comedies on our local public access channel on a Sunday night, and the cleverness, the rudeness, the dryness of the comedy – it sang to me. I ever actually thought I’d end up living here, and indeed, had never considered that it would be a possibility. I refused to entertain dating anyone across an ocean; what’s the point of a relationship that will never be actualized?

Obviously, I was terribly wrong in my assumption that I would never live here, or that I’d ever date someone on anther continent. As you can probably guess, I’m pleased to be wrong in this case.

There has been one massive downside in moving here, and one I never expected – I developed hay fever from Hell upon immigrating. Instead of the comforting sinus drip I had growing up mainly in Texas, my sinuses became an inflamed pressure chamber. My nose feels clear, but my head is akin to a concrete balloon for most of the year. It’s kept me inside for the better part of the last five years, which is lame – British sunshine is truly a glorious and enjoyable thing. Thankfully, after many years, I think my body is adjusting to the crazy and different pollens (like all the rapeseed/’canola’ plants locally). I do like being outdoors and feeling the breeze, but not enough to feel miserable.

Not that any of this matters today – it’s raining. And while I know that the stereotype is that it’s always raining in the United Kingdom, it really hasn’t been much this year. But summer is coming soon, and Mr. Sunshine’s Vitamin D output is one of those good things for depression. ‘Exercise’, the dirty word it is, is also good for depression (especially if performed regularly). I might hate the concept of exercise, but I love the concept of moving, of relishing my joints functioning while they still do, of the exhilaration of moving for the pleasure of movement. Who cares if I lose any weight? As the fantastic Ragen Chastain of Dances with Fat emphasizes – moving is good for your health. Health and weight are not the same thing. While you’re free to do as you will, and I’m free to do as I will and she’s free to do as she will, the salient point remains – we should engage in movement we enjoy for our health, and quit stressin’ and depressin’ ourselves with the rest of the mess. It definitely helps clear the fuzzy brain bunnies, and the fuzzy body bunnies too.

Ah well, I guess I can dance to fill the time instead – that’s always fun. 😀

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