If you don't have anything nice to say..

September is here, and this first week has been a quiet one. I imagine cricket sounds here on the blog.
I hate negative posts and know they're a drag to read, so I try not to indulge in them very often. Which lately meant I haven't had anything to say!

I canceled my annual mid-autumn moon party last week. It pained me to do so, but I just didn't have the heart for it this year. With only one exception, my friends haven't been reciprocating in the friendship department for months now. They didn't seem terribly interested in this year's party, and even some of my closest friends casually said they "might not make it". After last year's disappointment, when I put so much work and planning into everything and then all of the new people (who had all accepted invitations!) failed to show, it seemed too much like I was setting myself up for a letdown again. I had started to dread everything about the party, not least of which was the effort and expense involved. So I decided to put my own best interests and comfort level first for once and bow out of the whole thing. I instantly felt nothing but relief, so I knew I had made the right decision. I'm disappointed in my friends right now, though. I've decided to take a step back from trying so hard and let them have a chance to do their part in our relationships. If they care enough, they'll make some effort. If not, then I need to move on.

Work has been a real pain lately too, often literally. I seem to get stomachaches when under stress these days. Work has been especially stressful lately, with petty power plays going on between people all the time. Most of the drama doesn't involve me directly (thank you, Universe!) but it still affects my stress levels to be in such an environment. So I've had stomachaches almost every day this week. Not fun, and not good blog material either.

Then there's the worst thing of all: I found out this week my mom is sick. She was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It was a lucky thing for her that they found it out. She had blood work done for something unrelated, and they discovered by accident that her blood sugar levels were way off the charts.  The good news is that she rallied almost immediately and is already making huge changes to her diet, and is carefully monitoring her blood levels to figure out how well different foods are tolerated. The doctor gave her medication but is hopeful that she can eventually get the disease under control without it. She's making a great effort so far, and I'm proud of her. I'm looking for ways to support her in it, and have offered to follow her new diet with her--as I have a solid family history of diabetes and need to lose some weight, it will be good for me. She seemed to like the idea of having a diet/exercise support buddy. Maybe some of the changes I make will make for some interesting future blog posts. Right now, it's too early to have much to say.

So that's been my start to September. Kind of frustrating, stressful, and disappointing. Nothing anybody wants to hear about! I'm hoping to be back next week with some awesome fall recipes for you, as well as more book recommendations and some silly pet pictures. Stuff someone might actually enjoy reading!

Meanwhile, hope everyone else has had a good and happy start to the month.