Ooof, you guys. I’m gonna be honest, I am feeling unusually blue right now, like a little cloud of sadness is hanging heavy over my head.
Chiquita is doing her best to cheer me up
There are multiple and varied reasons for this, none of which are the end of the world. It’s not as though some single great tragedy has befallen me recently.
In saying this, I’m not trying to be vague and mysterious (as in “vaguebooking“. Ha.) I’m sharing because…thankfulness doesn’t always just come naturally to me.
But you know how a hard workout is what builds physical muscles? I kinda think a thankfulness hunt when things are hard is similar.
I’m not bypassing the sadness; I cried about the things that are bothering me, I talked to some friends last night who empathized and helped give me a different perspective, and I have a previously-scheduled therapy appointment this afternoon.
So, I’m using those tools, but I’m also gonna use my thankfulness-hunting tool. Because a good toolbox has lots of options, and a smart person uses all the tools available to them. 😉
Ok.
This week I am feeling sad. And ALSO this week, I am thankful:
that Lisey sent me some gym music
Some good workout tunes really do help one get through a workout, so I appreciate her sharing!
I do have shorts on, dear reader. They’re just out of the frame.
that my dermatology checkup was all clear
Since I have a family history of melanoma and since I’ve had several sketchy moles removed in the past, I get a head-to-toe skin check every year.
Mine was yesterday, and I’m all good to go for another year. Good job, skin!
that I am able to go up and down stairs
I always take the steps up to/down from the third-floor dermatology office, and as I was walking down after my appointment, I thought about how grateful I am to be able to take the steps.
not the dermatology stairs, obviously! But it’s the steps picture I had in my files.
I think working at the hospital really makes me appreciate my mobility. Sometimes it takes several of us staff members just to get a patient out of bed and onto the bedside commode; imagine how happy a patient like that would be if they could easily navigate flights of stairs!
I do not take this ability for granted.
(As I said in this Instagram reel, I am only temporarily able-bodied.)
for a tiny kitten I saw at the vet this week
Oh my goodness, so small and so squeaky.
that I have only four weeks left in this semester
My final exam is December 11th, which is four weeks from yesterday. FOUR WEEKS, y’all. I am so close, so close, so close.
that I had sweet little pediatric patients again this week
One of them pretended to be my doctor. “I have a diagnosis for you!” she said.
Wanna know what my ailment was? A headache. In my thigh. And like every diagnosis this girl has given me, it required a shot.
(Is there a kid alive who doesn’t love to give pretend shots??)
She also said I was going to need to stay in her hospital room for a few days, which honestly seemed suspiciously self-serving. 😉
that I have a printer
Not all of my classmates do, and this week I was able to help out a classmate by printing some clinical sheets for her.
My printer uses so little ink, and the ink is so cheap, I never mind doing some printing for classmates!
(The printer I have is an older version of this one, although Canon has several other options with the big ink tanks.)
for a funny critical comment
Sometimes the critical comments people leave are so ridiculous, they make me laugh.
Like this one:
“Read a freakin book, man!”
lol!
I must assure you that I will not be adopting “frugie” as my moniker. Yuck.
Don’t even TRY to make that happen. 😉
for morning walk scenery
Today I have school at 8 am, so no nature for me. But I did squeeze in some walks earlier this week.
Look how many more leaves were on these trees just last week:
I must admit, I do feel a little lighter after making this list. It’s kinda like how you usually feel better after a workout, even if you really didn’t feel like starting the workout!
A. Marie
Thursday 14th of November 2024
Hang in there, Kristen. Keep doing everything you need to do to take care of yourself. Team FG is rooting for you.
Today, I'm thankful to have a body that not only moves, but still has some bounce. I slipped and took a hard sit-down on Bailey dog's family's concrete front steps yesterday--just as Bailey's human parents were pulling into the driveway, to compound my embarrassment. But, fortunately, I've got enough (ahem) padding in the seat that all I am this morning is sore.
And I'm even more thankful that yesterday was Bailey's mom's last chemotherapy infusion for ovarian cancer. She'll be getting a "maintenance" drug infusion every few weeks hereafter, but we're all rejoicing that she's come this far successfully. She's an inspiration to me.
Gina from The Cannary Family
Thursday 14th of November 2024
Ugh, like you I've been blue, for various reasons, and it does help to think hard about what I'm thankful for. *I have the money in the bank right now to go buy my new car and I have actually stopped procrastinating the car situation at my house and will go to the dealership TODAY. *I found a therapist who has been able to help get me unstuck and moving forward. Not to go into great detail, but sometimes we do need a professional to help with a big thing. Losing your spouse of 35 plus years is such a thing. *I am down another whole pound in weight, which means that my small efforts are adding up. My employer provided me with a dietician who is a great help. *Its cooler outside this morning, making my hot coffee taste exceptionally good. I am so thankful for my home and how comfortable I am in this season of life. Things might be a lighter shade of blue today. (:
Becca
Thursday 14th of November 2024
No to Frugie, huh? How about Frugalicious or Frugity-frogity-froo?
kristin @ going country
Thursday 14th of November 2024
Chiquita definitely looks Very Concerned in that photo where she's looking up at you. I'm sure she's doing her duty as a Comfort Cat, though. I hope your cloud lifts soon. Or at least thins.
Thankfuls:
--That all my kids read so well. Not everything at school comes easily to them, but they are all advanced readers, and that helps SO much, with everything from math to science. Plus, they all read for pleasure, which makes my bibliophile-heart happy.
--That my husband hasn't gotten the school bus stuck yet. About 40 miles of his route is on dirt roads, and those have turned into a mess of mud since our giant snowfall started melting. He's had a couple of close calls, but has managed to get through. I think yesterday was the worst day and it should be drier from here on out.
--Relatedly, that I wore my hiking boots yesterday (of special note for this crowd: They're waterproof leather boots I bought for our trip to Spain . . . 18 years ago. Got my money's worth out of those suckers.) I don't really like wearing them all day at work, but I also don't like mincing around mud and ice in nicer shoes. I was very glad I wore them when we ended up walking the last quarter mile home from the bus run yesterday on the very muddy road. (Not because we got stuck, just because it's hard for my husband to turn around in the mud at our house and the worst stretch of his run was still to come, so he thought it would be better for us to walk from the main road while he dropped the other family off. That way, if he got stuck, he could just walk them home and then figure out how to extricate the bus by himself.)
--For a surprisingly drama-free start to middle school for my middle son. There were a lot of changes and new things this year, but he's been very responsible and self-reliant managing it all, and I'm proud of him. Especially because he's definitely my child who has to decide to do something on his own, or getting him to do it is a constant battle. So, proud AND relieved. :-)
--For the white Christmas lights strung along the metal ceiling divider between my kitchen and living room. I call them my Time Change Lights, and I put them up as soon as the time changes in November and we're eating dinner when it's dark. They make it feel much less depressing in that area. Also the candles on the table. Our church got a big box of taper candles donated that we can't use (the Catholic church actually requires that the candles used in church be at least 51% beeswax--for both symbolic and practical purposes--and these are mostly paraffin), so I have a lot of free candles. That's why I can burn them at both breakfast and dinner. My kids love it, and so do I.
Candy
Thursday 14th of November 2024
I have read several freakin' books, even one or two on bread making and I absolutely don't remember the warning not to bake bread on a Wednesday. Should publishers of these books put a warning label on the cover?
What else have I missed that I shouldn't do on a Wednesday? Wednesday used to be Prince spaghetti day so I think I'm safe with pasta.
Can I wash windows on a Monday? Would a leap year affect that? What if I were in Australia? Does reversed seasons change the algorithm of baking restrictions?
So much to think about today but I might not have much time because it's Thursday and I can bake bread.
Take care, you've got this!