Coming Back To You by Donya Lynne Read Free Book Online Page B

list Jan had asked her to
create at today’s appointment, she grabbed her laptop and pulled up
her blog.
     
    My therapist asked me today to make a list of
everything that gave me joy before I met M. Maybe she thinks if I
remember what made me happy before, I can get back in touch with
those things and be happy again. No matter the reason, if this is
what I have to do to get over M then I’ll do it. I know it’s time I
move on. It’s just hard, especially when I can’t remember what it
was like before I met him. What did I like? What brought me joy?
What made me smile, and what couldn’t I wait to do?
     
    The first two items on the list are easy
enough:
     
    1. Writing - I’ve always loved writing.
Packed away somewhere are notebooks filled with stories and poems I
wrote when I was in school.
    2. Cooking - I’m watching The Barefoot
Contessa now, and she’s making this yummy French fish dish that
I think I’ll try. It looks really simple.
     
    Other things that bring me joy:
     
    3. My cat, Spookie, even though I can’t have
her at my apartment. Stupid apartment management and their no-pets
policy. Spookie stays at my parents’ house, but when I was in high
school, she was my little pal. She would sit on my desk while I was
doing homework and play with my pencil as I was trying to do my
math. She’s always been my baby. Maybe it’s time to start shopping
for a new apartment now that I got that raise.
    4. Running. In high school, I was on the
cross-country team and really enjoyed that. Running was always kind
of an escape for me.
    5. Yoga—duh.
    6. Pilates—double duh.
    7. Hanging out with my friends (no names
since I’m keeping this anonymous, but they know who they are).
    8. Music. When I was a kid, I taught myself
how to play the guitar and used to be pretty good. But nowadays, I
enjoy listening to music more than playing it.
    10. Sports. In addition to cross-country, I
played basketball in sixth and seventh grade. And I’ve started
playing softball on the company team. Other than that, I love to
watch all kinds of sports. Dad and I try to get together once a
week to catch a game.
    11. Beaches. I’ve never seen the ocean, but
I have this picture of a seascape at sunset hanging on my bedroom
wall. I often fantasize that I’m standing on that beach, staring
out at the ocean. I’d love to stay in a beach house. I’d live on
the deck when I wasn’t walking along the edge of the water.
    12. Reading. Before M, I read all the time.
Romance mostly. But then M had me read a bunch of books on sex and
sexuality, and now I just find it hard to read. My poor Kindle
hasn’t been charged in months. Maybe I’ll go charge it right now
and download a bunch of books. Perhaps that will help get my mind
off M.
     
    Her hands hovered over the keyboard as she reread
her list. Then she hit publish. Funny, but just writing that list
made her feel better. For the first time in months, she wasn’t
dwelling on how alone she was and actually considered getting off
her ass. She hadn’t been to a yoga class in ages, and her Pilates
instructor had probably forgotten what she looked like.
    She checked the time. If she hurried, she
could just make the class before it started. She prayed they hadn’t
changed the schedule.
    She shut her laptop and glanced at the flat
screen as Ina served scrumptious sole fillets on yellow plates.
With a resigned nod, she stood and headed toward her bedroom. She
snagged her Kindle, plugged it into the charger, gathered the
stacks of sex books off her dresser—where they had resided for
months—and carried them into her spare room, where she packed them
into one of her bookcases. Returning to her room, she quickly
changed into yoga pants and a tank top, pulled on a cable-knit
sweater, shrugged into her coat, grabbed her purse and gym bag, and
headed out. First stop, the gym. Second stop, the grocery
store.
    She was having French-style sole for dinner
to celebrate taking her first real step toward