After the paranoia I was having last night, I had a good sleep (five hours or so), and now I'm doing better. When I got up I went to Starbucks for a vanilla latte. A barista there said she caught me on the television program and that I did well. It was very kind of her to watch. Afterward, I got into my car and drove to Caribou Coffee and had a raspberry mocha. That was good as well, and I hung around Caribou for about an hour periodically smoking cigarettes.

Yesterday at Caribou they had an art show featuring the art work of many of the baristas who work there. It was a good show, and I was impressed with the quality of their work. One piece especially caught my eye: it was a painting of a sad looking woman with the subtle image of a cross (or is it a window pane) in the background, and it is all in blue tones. I thought it was a remarkable piece. I'm hoping to acquire it and put it somewhere in my place . . . but where would it look best? The painting is a bit ambiguous, but it seems to say to me that this woman is pained due to her cross to bear, but at the same time she is all alone in a sad situation with nothing but her faith.

I have felt those very same emotions in my life, and perhaps I'm reading too much into the painting, but that is what came to mind when viewing it. I am doing so much better than I have in the past, and so people might think that having such a mournful painting in my life would dredge up bad memories. I don't think so. I think it is a good reminder of where I have been and how far I have come, and it can serve as a reminder of where a lot of people still are so I can be more empathetic to their situation and more compassionate to them as a person.