beth woolsey

mess maker • magic finder • rule breaker • kindness monger

The Grand Funk Cure

Usually, sunshine is a sure bet to pull me out of any kind of funk.

And we had rare, full, glorious sunshine all day long.

It was a roll down the car windows day.

It was a watch the birds chase each other in and out of the blossoming spring trees day.

It was a look what’s a-comin’, can’t wait ’til summer day.

And I was still in a funk.  A grand funk.  For no discernible reason other than I’m a girl, and I feel entitled to funky days every now and then.

Now, funky days can be their own kind of fun.  The wallowing kind.  The hang out in broken-in, saggy-bottomed sweats kind.  The melt a bowl of chocolate chips for dipping crackers and pretzels and bananas and my finger kind.

But I do try to save the funk for gloomy, gray days when the clouds will match my despondent efforts with their own dark, misty presence.

A sunny day seems like a serious waste of good funk.

So I did what I had to do to de-funk myself.

I pulled out the big guns.

twin preschoolers + ice cream = big guns

I could feel the funk lifting, one lick at a time.

It was a sure cure for Grand Funkiness.

For I cannot look upon the residual blue grime and goo that shows unequivocally the sheer joy with which a 4-year-old can decimate an ice cream cone…

…without rising up, looking around, and saying, “Funk?  What funk?”

Don’t miss a post. Subscribe here


15 responses to “The Grand Funk Cure”

  1. I must disagree with Webb. I need a funk day every once-in-awhile. And I think it does help, although I’m not sure I can articulate how & why. I’ll try: Every single day, we get up and pretty much run through the same routine-up early, do paper route, back home, rush to get ready for work, sit in traffic, work, sit in traffic, be too exhausted when we get home to think about dinner and then fix something fast & not very good for us, fall asleep on the couch, haul ourselves up to bed, and do it all over again tomorrow. Thinking about this can put me in a funk, but it helps me to plan a change of sorts.
    I guess. I don’t know.

  2. 1) The guy’s version of a funk is often to get sullen, testy, and when asked what’s wrong, to reply, “Nothing” or “I’m fine.”
    2) Can someone tell me what the purpose of a ‘funk day’ is? Really–why does it exist? What earthly good does it do? It keeps you from getting anything done and then you just feel worse. I’ve certainly had enough of them and I really can’t say they’ve ever helped. And please don’t tell me it helps us appreciate the good times. That’s like saying famine in Africa helps the rest of us appreciate our dinner.
    3) It’s curious how children can be both the cure of funk days, but also sometimes the cause. Just read the new picture book “Go the F*** to Sleep” if you need any kind of reminder how our parenting struggles can completely undermine some days.

    • Despite that very crabby sounding comment, this is not a funk day. I’m looking out of the window at some beautiful velvety purple lilacs blooming in the sun and I’m feeling fairly good.

  3. Well, the sunshine is certainly helping my spirits! And those boys of yours always lift them, too. Looking for the picture of their daddy eating ice cream…

    • That blue was cotton candy ice cream. (Which sounds good but is truly gross.) Cael more recently (yep – went again!) had blue bubble gum ice cream, which is delicious, especially with the rock hard pieces of frozen gum that quickly turn to grainy mush as you chew them and suddenly harden into granite that’s chew-impossible. Fun all around!

  4. Oh so glad to hear others had a “grand funk” day . . . mine included tears for who knows why and just yucky gloom . . . then I took a shower, put on some shorts (since yes it was actually sunny today!) and sat outside to watch my boys play. Ah . . . blissfulness (at least for a few moments before sticks became swords and dirt became cannon balls, but at least it got me out of the “funk”!) Tomorrow is supposed to be nice again (hold on to your hats now!) and I’m thinkin’ we might need an ice cream run as well 🙂 Here’s to a brighter day tomorrow! Good Night today!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.