Eliminate the stress during the holidays - JUST SAY NO!

All right.  I know holidays are connecting with families but if the family posses a problem, eliminate the stress and don't do it.

My family is dwindling and only my nephew and his wife remain.  They invited me to Thanksgiving with her family. This group is very strange. One brother is an ex-convict. Her sister is a certified schizophrenic and another aunt is an alcoholic.

After being with them for a gathering last summer, and in other settings through the years, I knew I can only take them in small doses -- not over 30 minutes.

So, when I got the invite to Thanksgiving, my memory harkened back to those times when I could barely tolerate them.  So, I decided to minimize the stress and say NO.

I went, instead to dinner at a friend's where I had a great time.

It made me realize that you have to keep yourself sane.  So, if it's going to be stressful, don't do it.  JUST SAY NO!

You can have fun in the daytime

I'm dating a guy who has glaucoma and doesn't like driving at night.  That, at first, stunted our fun.  I would go on to my evening functions solo.  But I wanted to share these experiences with him. Then, it occurred to me that, with a few adjustments, we can have fun doing day things.  So, instead of nighttime fun, we frequent museums, matinees and recreational centers that have activities during the day.  So, we've made it happen and, on the upside, it allows me to go to bed satisfied because I've lived up to the phrase: "Have a good day."  And, I've had one…during the day.