I'm encountering a harmonic convergence of suck right now. I've felt kind of emotionally ick the last few days - a combination of the suck and holiday induced blueness. But last night I got a treat that made all the suck and blueness recede for a little while. When I took Elsa out for her last sniff and pee, it was so cold and still and quiet outside - very peaceful, especially when you always have little voices yelling in your head (but not in the crazy way...come on, you know what I mean). But the best, most beautiful thing, the thing that kind of calmed the storm and allowed me to take a deep breath was the ground. It was late and already freezing and there was frost on the ground, and it sparkled like someone had shaken glitter all over the yard. Everywhere the moonlight or streetlights hit were sparkles that crunched pleasantly where you stepped. It was so unexpected and so pretty that I didn't mind Elsa wanting to sniff everything in the back yard; I just wanted to keep smelling the cold air and watching the grass twinkle.