This has been an annoyingly not very good week and there’s no sign of relief. If I could, I would just go to bed and stay there still Saturday. Since that is not the world I live in I push on just like everyone else having a not very good week.
Meanwhile, someone who is also having a challenging week seemed to recognize that I was hanging on by a thread yesterday and offered me the sweetest little gift.
It’s a Little Debbie Christmas Tree!
I hadn’t had one in years and it was a delightful treat on a sour day.
That’s the thing. In a world that seems to only take take take, a small gesture can have a big impact!
Happy whatever day this is! I hope you’re having a good one.
A trip through a big box store is a sure way to question your life choices and the future of humanity.
They were paving the parking lot so half of it was closed and people were even more temperamental than normal. For some reason, people kept driving the wrong way in the parking lot – up the down staircase, so to speak, causing traffic to back up even more than was necessary.
It was hot. People seemed impatient. I was tired and in no mood for anyone’s nonsense.
And then I saw it – an elderly man who seemed to be struggling to walk, pushing one of the store’s motorized scooters up the parking lot to a cart rack several spaces away. Evidently, the battery had died.
He didn’t seem to be in any condition to walk very far, much less to push that scooter in the heat. I suspect he couldn’t get a handicapped space and was left with whatever parking he could find.
I felt bad for him but, before I could completely process what was happening, something fabulous occurred.
From nowhere there came another man, young and strong, who helped push that scooter the remainder of the way and then escort the older man back to his car.
Friends, let me tell you, I wasn’t having a great day.
But in that moment, my faith in humanity was restored – at least a little bit. I hope the younger guy knows what it meant to some of us to see him helping another human in need.
It meant the world to know that maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem.
This has been a challenging week on a number of levels. When things turn difficult, I try to be mindful of the good in my life. After all, negativity breeds more negativity and it’s easy to become so focused on the bad that you can see nothing else. Gratitude is a key to happiness.
Here are some things I’m grateful for today:
1. It’s Friday and it’s a long weekend for some of us here in the US.
2. I have plans to see my cousin this weekend. Before starting my No Spend Challenge, I decided to give myself a budget for a movie and lunch out because I have been that excited to see the new Tom Hanks movie. We will walk in the sunshine, see the movie and have a bite somewhere.
3. I’m reading a really good book right now. A Man Called Ove is actually the basis for the movie I’m going to see. The curmudgeonly hero is quite relatable.
4. I spent last night doing fun chores including some decluttering and styling shelves with things I already owned. Decluttering doesn’t equate drudgery and can actually be fun!
5. Season three of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS began Sunday night. It’s a short season of just seven episodes but for those seven weeks I have a reason to look forward to Sunday night. If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend starting with season one. It’s the best thing on tv right now.
6. I have a roof over my head and can afford to buy groceries. Many people are not so fortunate right now.
7. Adventure season is just around the corner and I think there will be some good ones this year.
8. Pictures are a return ticket to places and people we want to remember. The above picture is from a rainy Saturday in NYC. The below picture was sent to me by a cousin this week. That’s me with my parents in 1977. What an angry baby! Looks like I could have benefited from some gratitude way back then!
9. My cat likes me and has spent as much time with me as possible this week. He is a sweetheart.
This is not the full list but these are the highlights. What are you grateful for today?
Ever have a day when nothing goes right and you’re not sure if mishaps are caused by your bad attitude or the other way around? It’s been one of those days.
I’m trying hard to stay upbeat, but man, I could use a break today!
Something happened at my house a few days ago that caused wiring in the furnace to melt and rendered the heat pump unusable. The furnace door was blackened on the inside. I should be thankful to still have a house.
So the house is unbearably hot and my poor little cat is suffering while I eat lunch here in my air conditioned workplace. The repairman has to work me in and I shudder to think what this will cost.
I have all that running in the back of my mind while I struggle to do my job. Would love to go home for a nap but I have no one to run my office today and it would be way too hot to sleep. Meanwhile I’m just crabby and ill tempered. Nothing is going right. Someone needs a timeout!
The thing about being single that no one ever mentions is how expensive it can be, how difficult it can be to operate a house on one income. Owning the house – insuring, paying the mortgage and all that jazz is already a challenge. The real problem though is in maintenance. Last summer it was $3,500 for a heat pump. I’ve needed a new front porch for a while and countless other little projects have been begging for attention for months or longer.
It makes me question the sense in hanging on to a house that I can hardly afford to maintain.
I guess for today I will focus on gratitude that the house didn’t burn to the ground and hope that tomorrow will be better.
