I have been thinking of this poem for some time. So I have put it here. Tomorrow, even if I cannot write yet, I shall put lots of pretty pictures up.
Dear Lady Georgiana,
Nobody has suffered more from low spirits than I have done – so I feel for you. 1st. Live as well as you dare. 2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75° or 80°. 3rd. Amusing books. 4th. Short view of human life – not further than dinner or tea. 5th. Be as busy as you can. 6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. 7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you. 8th. Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely – they are always worse for dignified concealment. 9th Attend to the effects tea and coffee have upon you. 10th. Compare your lot with that of other people. 11th Don’t expect too much from human life – a sorry business at the best. 12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence. 13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree. 14th. Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue. 15th. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant. 16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness. 17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice. 18th. Keep good blazing fires. 19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion. 20th. Believe me, dear Lady Georgiana,
Very truly yours, – SYDNEY SMITH
I love this. I hope it is helping you this week, and that you are finding comfort in small things. It is wonderful advice, isn’t it?
(is this to Georgianna, Duchess of Devonshire?)
Poppy, good morning.
and warm 
Very good advice dear girl, I hope that you will consider taking it, as far as you can.
Paul.
Scarlet, this one is the Duchess’s daughter – cool, huh?
Georgiana Morpeth
Back to work I go.
Hi, Paul!
X
And Sydney wrote a rhyming recipe for salad dressing which (apparently) popular in America (or was – I suspect not so much now.)
Dearest Poppy, you beat me to it – I was going to refer to the rhyming recipe, but you got there first!
Wise words from the canon, especially for you at a time like this, but there’s something in there for everyone (I won’t tell you which one applies to me!).
How beautiful that second picture is, except I hope she is crying tears of fulfilment and not of sorrow. And the third girl looks so naughty!
I hope your week is going as well as can be expected.
Right now I am all about number nine:attending to the effects coffee and tea have on me. One must never waste caffeine.
When I was going through my dark times, a wise and noble man told me- ” It comes to the point where it is a decision to be happy, you must choose it when all around you is in ruins.” I couldn’t just then. But when I could, I vigorously embraced that way of life. Saw the rainbow through the rains. I had to fake being happy so many times in the beginning. Gradually, it just stuck.
Sweet Poppy, You have chosen a baptism of fire to get to the life you so desire and crave. I admire you. You are BRAVE, please know that! You will get there. I just know it.
So say we all
DJ
Poppy, I love that book!
The advice is all good, except cool shower or bath, brrr, no thank you, I always max it up to the hottest I can bare, occasionally to my detriment!
I am so glad you got your cottage and I am sure it will be a refuge for a while.
Although we may think it does, other people’s opinions ultimately matter nothing against those who are there to support and help you through difficult times.
Hugs xx
Those are some great thoughts to live by, I am with dd, that cool bath/shower can wait ’til the summer though.. I agree 100% stay away from music unless you know what is going to play.
Be happy.
Thank you so much.
I am sorry I did not reply yesterday- it was a bad day but I had a bath (warm!) and slept and now it is all over. This bit will not last long. A week and two days I think. I know there will be some sad days after that but the unrelenting darkness will stop then.
Dearest Poppy, please don’t feel bad about not replying to every post – see my previous comment. And it’s good to hear that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel – it’s a terrible cliche, I know, but it holds a lot of truth. Just imagine what a beautiful day it will be when you emerge!