This week, I am thankful:
for a kind soul on eBay
A complete stranger on eBay messaged me to let me know a buyer had left erroneous feedback on a book I’d sold. It was a negative rating, accompanied by a picture of a broken appliance, so this was most certainly not accurate.
I messaged the person who’d left the feedback and politely asked for them to fix the error, and they did!
So now my feedback is back up at 100%, rather than 85%. Whew.
What a sweet thing for the random eBay person to do for me; they did not have to message me to let me know about the error, but they did anyway.
that Zoe only needed a new battery
Whenever a car won’t start, I always hope that it is only a battery problem, not something more complicated.
And whew, that’s what it turned out to be for her! She’s got a new battery installed now, and she’s back on the road with no issues. Yay!
Also, last week someone said something about how a jumper cable bag sometimes has instructions on it. Well, may I present to you my jumper cable situation?
It’s a random set, housed in a very old H&M bag.
But you know what? It works. And I just google the instructions every time before I jump a car, to be on the safe side.
that I got to see my college girl’s campus
I went to visit her for the day last Friday, and she showed me all around her campus.
We will be taking graduation photos here 😉
So now I have a picture in my head of where she’s at!
Also, please enjoy the paintings on her wall:
Also: peep the lamp I spray-painted for her.
Check out her Aldi orchid!
And her fluffy orange cat. 🙂
for my velcro cat, always
Chiquita is forever following me. 😉
for the joy of being on day shift again
Oh my word, I am a much happier nurse this way.
sunrise, viewed from a hospital window
for a sweet preceptor
This week I’ve been with my main preceptor (the experienced nurse who has been teaching me during my orientation weeks), and I just feel so grateful for what a great fit she has been for me.
It’s been a very positive experience!
I brought her a little gift yesterday (some Snoopy pens, since she’s a Snoopy fan too, plus her favorite popcorn) and she brought me a Starbucks to celebrate my last day of orientation.
for supportive co-workers
Lots of techs and nurses on my unit knew it was my last day of orientation yesterday, and so many of them said things like, “You’ve got this! You’re gonna do great.”, and I was reminded again how much I love the camaraderie we have on our unit.
that the chrysanthemum from my grandma’s yard is still blooming
My South Dakota aunt brought it to me back when I was still married, and I planted it at my old house. But before I left that house for good, I dug up a small part of the mum and brought it here to my new house.
And it’s still blooming here!
for the way you all shared in yesterday’s comment section
I was slightly nervous to publish that post on a day when I was working, since I didn’t know what would happen in the comments. But I should have known I could trust you guys to be wonderful. Thank you!
Amanda in VA
Friday 24th of October 2025
Thankful Thursday on a Friday because my Thursday was crazy! I'm so thankful . . .
-for the school our daughter is about to transition to, her IEP advocate, and a special education attorney. Our special needs daughter has struggled and struggled in school. Last year the stress resulted in seizures. We felt so powerless as parents to do anything else. Then we found this local private school that is designed to serve students with her disabilities. They admitted her and recommended an IEP advocate who could help us argue for ourselves and understand what we were dealing with. This week we also spoke with an attorney who specializes in special education issues in part because he has a special needs child himself. We've learned so much and come so far since our daughter's epilepsy diagnosis last year. We have a lot farther to go, but we are just so thankful for the folks in our corner.
-for my practice of frugal shopping. It hit me when I was at the Goodwill yesterday quickly sorting through racks for clothes for the kids. Shopping at Goodwill and buying things off of facebook marketplace are skills that I have developed over many years. If I had never shopped in those ways and you told me "go to a Goodwill and buy that item for much less," I wouldn't necessarily know how to start. Because I have been doing it so long I know how to get bargains efficiently on the things our family needs, and I'm so grateful. I don't know how we would make ends meet if I had to buy everything new.
-my mother's health. My mama is an angel. Salt of the earth. She is 71 and in excellent health, so I hope that means I get to enjoy many, many more years of her company. For years now she has continued to work (she retired in 2023 only to immediately start working part time, which has turned into almost full time) while she cared for my dad, who has dementia, and my grandma, who is mostly healthy, but suffers from being old and silly. I convinced my mom to accompany me to sunny Florida in a couple of weeks when I go for an academic conference. She will finally get a chance to sit on the beach, read, and relax. I'm so blessed to have her in my life.
Kristen
Friday 24th of October 2025
I am so happy for you that you've gotten a better school situation for your girl. You are a good mama. <3
Anna
Friday 24th of October 2025
Kristen, I saw in you book pile "shadows of the workhouse" by Jennifer Worth. I really enjoyed her books. They led me to the "Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle (The Country Nurse Series, Book One) " series by Mary J. MacLeod that you maybe interested in as well. Both book series go into detail about the kind of work the nurses do, MacLeod's books detail life on a remote Scottish island. Beautifully written.
Lisa K
Thursday 23rd of October 2025
Thankfuls-- 1. That I have been able to attend an early morning prayer meeting once a week. I am having my cup filled. 2. That I have finished parent teacher conferences for this term. 3. For the mild fall weather. 4. For reasonable sleep in the last week. 5. For supportive people around me.
Elaine T
Thursday 23rd of October 2025
The college campus looks beautiful and cozy! And I’m sure you will be a great off-orientation independent nurse! I am excited and joyful for you !!
Thankful things :
-That I got to see Rhode Island in its fall glory as I traveled for a work conference this week .
-That I got to sit in front of a cute Airbnb briefly and watch the RI fall leaves with a mug of coffee this morning- if even for a few minutes!
-Speaking of car batteries !! Thankful that though my car wouldn’t start when I checked out my Airbnb this morning(!) , a kind man doing construction on a nearby house was not only willing to help but had this brand new portable battery charger that his mom had recently bought him and that he had also just charged up- and it worked great on my car ! I’m planning to buy it now for emergencies- It’s this one - TJWLP Portable 30000mAh Car Jump Starter, Battery Charger and Power Bank, Emergency Jump Box - Walmart.com I’m also thankful that I didn’t again have to google “how to jumpstart any car” although it would have been good practice Lol
-That a local auto parts store installed my new battery and the new battery got me back to NY in one piece!
-That my PT’s advice that getting more sunlight would make my cold symptoms get better faster was true! ( that and slowing down and lots of chicken soup)
-That my yucky cold is getting better. No more tissues and soup!
Sabrina
Thursday 23rd of October 2025
The shutdown doesn't affect my husband's military retirement and disability pay.
Even though it is affecting my brother's pay (he's a guard on an army base) we are in a position to help him out if he needs it.
It was raining and lightning this morning, which made for a beautiful drive to work.
My preK class all napped today. Super thankful for that. Lol
The delicious piece of apple pie i just ate but didn't have to bake myself.