Full disclosure: today I am feeling uncharacteristically negative.
There are a lot of really frustrating and hard things going on in my life and sometimes, that feels a little overwhelming.
But it is also true that there are good things, so I’m gonna make a list. AND I also might have a crying session at some point today.
There’s room for both.
This week, I am thankful:
that Lisey is safely back in Hawaii
Her airline doesn’t have flights to and from an airport here, so she had to fly into and out of JFK in New York City.
The Honolulu airport
JFK isn’t right by an Amtrak station, so she had to navigate a few different public transport options to get there and back.
(I talked to our own Rose for advice, because I knew she had to have traversed this path before.)
Thankfully, Lisey managed it all without a hitch. Yay Lisey!
A photo she sent me on her way back to Hawaii
Also: her free flights are standby, so it’s always a relief when there still end up being empty seats. She was refreshing the app frequently to see if the 30 or so empty seats still remained. 🙂
The good news is that it’s not like people generally wake up on a Tuesday morning in NYC and decide to take a flight to Hawaii. So if there are 30 empty seats the day before, you’re probably good.
It would be much tougher to fly standby to somewhere like Chicago!
for the fun of introducing Lisey to Chiquita
Zoe and I got Chiquita right after Lisey moved, so Lisey had only seen pictures of Chiquita.
But now she got to see her antics in person, and Lisey loved it.
for math skills
“Skills” is maybe not the right word; perhaps “experience” and “practice” are more accurate. I’m not particularly gifted at math; I’ve just been swimming in it for a long time!
In nursing school, we are working on prepping for a med-math test at the end of the month.
There are 20 questions, you get two attempts, and if you get more than two wrong, you fail the whole semester and have to repeat it.
That would be a crushing blow! But I feel pretty confident that as long as I take my time and I’m careful, I will be able to pass this test.
And my confidence is partly due to my homeschooling years.
Also, I was able to help out a younger classmate who was struggling with the math, and we’re probably going to get together for a study session before the test. 🙂
for these little purple volunteer peppers
I got this pot last year from my Buy Nothing group, and at that point it had little red decorative peppers.
I did nothing with it, and this year, a little volunteer plant sprouted up. Interestingly, the peppers are purple, but who knows, perhaps they will eventually become red.
Regardless, they are beautiful.
for lovely weather for an outing with Sonia
We’d been trying to find a time to go visit some antique stores, and we finally made it happen yesterday!
The weather was lovely for walking around downtown, and we got tea together too.
You know how earlier this week we were talking about not having things match?
Well, this little tea shop has that down pat! Every cup and saucer set is a little different.
And I do think that makes the tea experience more fun!
for sunshine today
Alrighty. I feel a little better now, and I’m off to get my school life organized to prep for my exam next week.
I will, of course, retain the option of having a pity party at some point today if it’s necessary. 😉
J
Friday 6th of October 2023
Thankful for some alone time to regroup. Last month a discussion with my husband went totally off track and he became extremely agitated and vocal. This is NOT his norm. The event triggered feelings of insecurity that felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. It so disoriented me and I am sure that it brought back feelings from my turbulent childhood. I could not function to a frightening level. After a few days I was able to express to him what I thought my shutting down was due to. I’m slowly healing and he has done many small significant things to help. Anyway this weekend is his “guys getaway”. I was concerned about being alone but I am thankful that I am accomplishing many tasks that were put off. I am thankful that we both have this time to gather some positive energy and strength. Nothing like being a lurker and then diving head first into this blog :)
Kristen
Friday 6th of October 2023
Aww, I'm sorry to hear about this situation; I'm glad you guys were able to talk about it and figure out some of what was going on! Good for you for recognizing some of your childhood triggers; that's hard work to do.
Beth B.
Friday 6th of October 2023
Sending you good energy for your math test, Kristen! Helping out others will definitely help in your studying. I'm sure you will ace it!
kaitlin
Thursday 5th of October 2023
I'm sorry your week has been heavy and hard. You're invited to my late night cinnamon roll snack tomorrow night to help cheer you up.
Thankfuls: 1. my lawyer. He made a stressful couple of days not feel quite so bad because of his ability to communicate effectively. because of him i'll be able to go to bed less stressed tonight.
2. a job so exhausting I don't have time to get into my own head (as much). I threw myself into the deep end, with hurricane force gales icebergs, and stinging jellyfish. It keeps my mind for catastrophizing (that's a made up word, yeah?) about other things.
3. School: a safe place for kids that don't have safe homes. It's not enough to undo an unsafe home life, but it is better than nothing.
4. Beautiful foliage. Fall is here. And my toes are cold enough for socks. And the leaves are reminding me to soak up the outdoors while it's warm enough to do so comfortably.
5. The temporaryness of each day. Tomorrow is new. This current season of challenge and fatigue will eventually end. New joys and new hards will show up. Nothing is this way forever.
Jody S.
Friday 6th of October 2023
@kaitlin, My doctor told me to stop catastrophizing, so maybe it's not a made up word?
Kristen
Thursday 5th of October 2023
A good lawyer is worth so much. I feel that!
And a nighttime cinnamon roll sounds like a very good idea.
Jody S.
Thursday 5th of October 2023
The bad attitudes (righteously bad, I should add) abound. Here, too. I read through the comments and realize that, while I should be planning some high school Latin lessons for my boys, I need to practice some gratitude at the end of a bad attitude day for me.
So. Right now I am thankful: *that my father's knee replacement surgery went routinely and that he's not in terrible pain. *for the folks in the surgical waiting room. After sitting around hours and hours together, a group of us finally started chatting. It was a very good and friendly way to pass a few hours of tiresome sitting. I love talking to strangers! *that I felt zero guilt about buying food at the hospital cafeteria for 2 days because it wasn't terribly overpriced and I chose reasonably healthy options. I certainly did not have the energy to plan ahead to pack meals. I also didn't want to carry something else in from the parking lot. *for helpful children. *that I have some teenage boys who are stronger than I am. I no longer have to carry/move the heavy totes of clothing/shoes stored in our basement when it's time to change sizes/seasons of clothes for the kids. *that my husband never wanted to name any of our children "Dorcasny" as he did in my dream last night. (Where do these things come from in my brain!!!???!!!???) *for my friend; she sent me a chocolate bar and a bottled frappuccino as a pick-me-up. She knew I was dragging. *that my friend may have found a residential placement for his elderly special-needs sister. He's been struggling to figure out how to take care of her since their mother died earlier this year.
Fru-gal Lisa
Thursday 5th of October 2023
Glad Lisey is back home OK, and I love Chiquita's front leg "stockings." What beautiful and unusual markings! Love the tea room photos, esp. the mystery girl in the pretty green polka-dot dress and wearing such nice rings. Hmmm... I'm going to do more mixing and matching when I set the table next time. Glad you got some relaxing quality time, and pls. take care of yourself during this stressful adventure called nursing school. Since I'm writing this late in the day, I will say I'm thankful I get to be a part of this group. It's like visiting with far-flung friends every day. Greetings to all!