When I was younger, we used to call this a Bomber Hat, because it was created for World War II bomber pilots to keep their heads from freezing. I’ve always called it a nerd hat because every nerd I know has one, it’s almost a sacred emblem in the nerd world.

I have many nerd-like qualities, but mostly, I have learned that bald people need to keep their heads warm and covered in winter, or all the heat in the body rushes out through the head.

My grandmother tried to tell me this, but I dismissed it as an old Russian folk tale. My grandmother was right. If the head is warm, the body stays warm longer. It’s a great hat from L.L Bean. And it works.

Beyond that today had some deep messages for me.

My friends, my lover, my computer, my car, my dog and every angel around me was very clear yesterday and today: I need to stop for a couple of days, take a deep breath, read, sleep and meditate.

I’m told that I have been racing around too much, trying to do too much. When I think back on the past few weeks, I see that this is true. Maria sat me down this morning and looked stern and serious.

“You’re not old, and you’re not dying,” she said. “You’re just human. Your body and soul and angels are telling you in their own way that it’s time to take advantage of what’s happening and just rest for a couple of days.”

My computer crashed and had to be completely erased this morning, I am backed up on my Apple Time Machine, fortunately, and the Apple-trained techs are working now to restore all of my erased data.

Crissy says I don’t need a new computer right now (whew). My car is in the shop, Fate has to get her staples taken out, it will take me a couple of days to get my computer life back together, which means stepping back from the blog a bit (not entirely).

If you can’t listen to people who love you, then you can’t listen. Maria and my friend Sue Silverstein told me to slow down and rest, my computer said if I didn’t rest for a bit, she would make me rest.

So there it is. Sleep late,  read more, meditate much, take walks, stream some gripping mysteries, call my daughter, my sister, some friends, drink tea, cook some cool meals, go see some good movies (tomorrow, “Parasite” from Joon-ho Bong.)

Monday is Veteran’s Day, and we head out to pick up Zinnia. My plan is to have my little world – in disarray – put back together, and I will be refreshed, and start running around next week and dealing with a new puppy.

So I’ll blog when I can (this is from Maria’s laptop) and expect some good luck. I’m a huge fan of rebirth and renewal, I expect everything to be better. And I miss my car, which I might get back tonight.