I am one of those annoying people who finds it almost impossible to be unhappy for longer than an hour.  I ridiculously find the silver lining in just about every situation and can honestly say I've not spent a single day in my life depressed.  I think it's mostly genetic seeing as my father has an irrepressible positivity that he inherited from his own mother. 

However...

Sometimes, just as I'm just drifting off to sleep at night, I find that I can't breathe.  At all.  For years, I allowed my obnoxious perkiness to misdiagnose this problem as weight-related or a feeling I blamed on eating too much before bed, but no.  Three out of three doctors have confirmed that the tightness I feel in my chest at night is textbook anxiety.  When I have too much on my plate, my body responds, usually before my brain has even registered that I'm worried.

The only thing that seems to help is to make lists.  My To Do list is getting out of hand lately and last night my lungs alerted me to the fact that it's time I wrote some stuff down.  Here goes:

1. Figure out the insurance money.  I have at least three big fat checks waiting to be deposited so we can pay for all the restoration construction.  (Did I mention I don't really have access to the downstairs right now?  And I wonder why I'm feeling anxious!)
2. Stay on top of the budget.  Look into budgeting software since Quicken doesn't work with my bank account set-up.
3. Buy a filing cabinet and catch up on the paperwork currently overflowing out of that basket in the hall closet.
4. Organize the hall closet and buy some proper shelves to maximize the space.
5. Finish cleaning out the garage so I can park in there before Halloween.
6. Buy rain gear for the entire family.  Preferably yesterday.
7. Buy more pumpkins.
8. Find red tights in a size 24 months for Genoa's Wondergirl Halloween costume.
9. Hang a million sets of curtains.  (Or hire someone to do it for me!)
10. Sell the crib.
11. Take at least three trips to the Salvation Army to help clean out the garage.
12. Find a coffee table, a rug and curtains for the living room.  Plus something to hang on the wall.
13. Remember to sign up for that final financial planning class.
14. Double check that I've sent out all the address changes.  Mail the address change cards out to family and friends.
15. Mail that package to my sister before her birthday.
16. Finish the paperwork for the last bill from Dave's old insurance.
17.  Organize the receipts and return about a MILLION things to Home Depot.
18. Find a way to convince Dave to let me buy a $130 pair of ugly boots.  (Uggs being the perfect thing for the weather here).

And that's just what I could think up off the top of my head.  I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.  The weird thing is that not much of my to do list has to do with the kids.  I guess I'm so busy being with them all day that this is the stuff I find it harder to get to.  I either need to find a babysitter or a secretary.