1. My parents are incredible people.
2. Bad TV isn’t always bad.
3. Retail therapy really does have its place.
4. Never underestimate the power of flowering houseplants – especially the ones that you haven’t killed off.
5. Good friends will scrape you off the rocks – literally and figuratively.
6. The River is my sanctuary.
7. Kids are great judges of character.
8. Apparently, women in the middle of divorce are not.
9. Work can be a refuge.
10. Driving a large truck can make you feel like a superhero.
11. There is a place in this world for modern medicine.
12. “I love you” sometimes doesn’t mean diddly.
13. Sometimes it does (see #5).
14. You can call a nervous breakdown a “spiritual emergence” instead.
15. Cleaning the house can really mean Cleaning House.
16. There is culture to be found in Montezuma County.
17. I don’t really like smoking, although a cigar once in a while can be quite satisfying.
18. A guy friend can sometime be your best girlfriend.
19. I know for sure that I don’t want to live in La Plata County (no offense).
20. A heart really can break.
21. Blogging is not that hard.
22. Facebook still f@#$’s with me.
23. Only seeing your children parttime forces you to be more present when you are with them.
24. They appreciate that.
25. Red wine gives me a headache.
26. White doesn’t.
27. Obsessing about Tibet is a great distraction, but Brad Pitt is Really bad as Heinrich Harrer.
28. Not everyone views anniversaries as sacred.
29. I like sleeping alone.
30. My cats like that I sleep alone.
31. My dog likes it too.
32. I guess I’m not actually sleeping alone.
33. Death marches in the desert clear my head.
34. Reconnecting with old friends is great.
35. My kids are always good for a laugh.
36. Some people do take sides.
37. My vibrator always takes mine.
38. Sleeping under the stars ensures that I wake up in a good mood.
39. There’s something to the whole feng shue thing — moving my bed changed my entire outlook on life.
40. Wearing mascara at this point in my life is a bad call.
41. I can grow orchids.
42. Male co-workers tend to mind their own business (this is a good thing — see #9).
43. Every woman should own a cashmere tank top.
44. I can polish off an entire pot of coffee all by myself — I like drinking coffee alone.
45. Sad music doesn’t really help.
46. Neither do McDonald’s Happy Meals.
47. Really good friends will pretend that you are sane when you are not.
48. You have to lock the hubs.
49. It could be worse, I could be a Siamese twin — then there’d be two of me.
Suzanne Strazza writes from Mancos, Colo.
