so how come I'm not miserable anymore?

I've been thinking about this. Here I think were some turning points:

- wonderful gospel choir weekend workshop in October - first time here in Berlin that I was working with other people on a shared project, I think - a few people also made advances to me and one of them, Susanne, has become a friend - we go for walks and take turns speaking English and German, and I've gone to a couple of concerts that another choir of hers was giving which were a lot of fun, just before Christmas

- a lovely breakfast with old friends Anja and Alexander, also possibly in October? - just me and them and true conversation

- the constitution of my weekly play-reading group (also sometime in October? late October, I think) - the weekliness of it was key! the fact that I knew I would see these people every week, and that they were up for it as I was - and I forgave them the fact that they were English-speaker - and there too friendship has sprung in the conversations before, after, and around the plays we read together

- blogging, that was a big one

- jogging, that helped, but not as much as blogging

- writing my 50,000 words in November. I had a task, I worked hard, it was something I'd never done before, I learned a ton and it was thrilling and satisfying

- and I think finding my Tuesday morning Weight Watchers group, which I actually didn't just find but a few of us started going at the same time, a few of us outspoken types, and I think we created it together, and there too it's weekly, it's around a shared interest/activity/conversation, and it's an enormous amount of fun, and it's in German!

There are other new friends, new connections, and new groups. But these are the important turning points I think. Also going to see the work/life coach I went to (also October! important month . . . ) - I went to her just once but it was tremendously helpful.

I want to remember these things for the future in case misery strikes again. What have you done when you were miserable?