Thankful Thursday | that's a dust blanket
This week, I am thankful:
that I got to dust off my piano
It was literally covered in dust after a quiet semester of me not playing it!
But I vacuumed off the keys and pulled out some Christmas music books yesterday and I'm happy to report that my piano fingers still work.
You wanna know something funny, though? Right after I play the piano, I have a hard time typing on my phone or my computer keyboard.
It's like my brain gets adjusted to a different kind of keyboard, and it takes a minute to adjust back to a QWERTY experience after the black and white keys.
that I did not get sick all semester
I am super amazed at this. I was in a room with 130 students all semester, I was stressed and tired and somehow, I didn't get sick, and I didn't miss a single lecture, lab, or clinical.
I am SO grateful.
Gold stars for my immune system!!
that Zoe and I had a movie night last night
She was supposed to have plans with a friend but that got cancelled....so we got pizza and watched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice (since we'd just recently watched the whole P&P BBC series together).
that I did most of my assigned med cards last semester
Before various lectures last semester, we were assigned some med cards. Basically, this means you have to fill out a paper with a bunch of information about a particular drug.
I hated doing these, but I did finish almost every single one, even though they were optional.
Well, at the second-semester orientation, we found out our new set of professors wants us to turn in all our med cards from last semester.
So now I'm feeling glad I've got a big ol' pile of completed med cards. Yay, past Kristen!
that we get to type our med cards for next semester
We have another 74 drugs to do med cards on, but mercifully, they said we can type our cards now! YAYYYYY! I get so so tired of writing the info down by hand, and I think I can fit more info onto the med cards anyway by typing, since that's more space-efficient.
that I got into the 2nd-semester section I wanted
I like to be in the group that takes exams in the early morning, so I choose section 001. Some people like to have the section where you take your test at like 3:00 pm but that would drive me crazy! I'd rather just get it over with promptly in the morning.
I'm not much of a test crammer, so I'm happy to get up in the morning and go.
Early morning also works for me because I have not ever stayed up late to study for a test! I don't function well late at night so I do my studying during normal business hours (heh) and then just go to bed, figuring I know what I know, and that's that.
for a chance to go back to school
I was just scrolling through my phone and came across the screenshot of my college history.
It all fits on a single screen but when I think of all that has happened between 1996 (my first semester!) and now...I dunno, it just feels wild that I have lived so much life in this time, and that I still have a chance to go back and get my degree and become a nurse.
I am grateful. Always.
that there is time to do so much in life
Piggybacking on the last item...I am only 45, but as I look back on my years, it seems to me that I have already done so many things.
Like...
- raising my kids
- teaching piano lessons for 20 years
- playing the piano at church for over ten years
- blogging for 15 years
- starting life on my own after over 25 years of marriage
- going back to college
Plus a million other small things. It feels like my 45 years have been full, and it seems a little wild to me that there is (presumably) still so much more life to live too.
I know there is a sense in which life is short, but at least for the moment, I feel like there is a lot of time to do things!
Wow...you even manage to make dust seem pretty both in pictures and words. Maybe I should start describing my house as having a cozy blanket of dust... it's real cozy around here...
I'm struggling to find the thankful this morning, so I'll just settle for being thankful that all things eventually pass. And like I tell my students, it's ok to be sad or angry because all feelings are ok, but know that feelings also come and go so you won't always feel this way.
@Becca,
I hope you find the good in today. You are up and typing so that is a good start!
@Becca, Thank you. I needed this. The struggle is real today.
@Becca, sending you love. Those are wise words to your students. <3
I’m thankful for:
-making it through this school year so far. It’s been intense.
-access to hot water
-being seen by so many this Christmas after fearing I would be invisible.
-coffee for brekafast
I am thankful for long time friendships as well as newer friendships. A friend and I are planning to go to FL in February to visit another long time friend. Thank goodness for air travel and the health and wealth to make it possible.
I am thankful this is the winter solstice. The days will begin to stay lighter longer and it will be perceptible by January.
I am thankful I am steady on my feet. I parked on black ice yesterday but realized as soon as I put a foot on the driveway that it was slick.
I am thankful for a warm house on these cold days.
I am thankful for this weekly exercise.
I am thankful for the hot breakfast I am about to eat.
@K D, I am also thankful that the days will now be getting longer. The stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a difficult one. I do want to hibernate and my productivity goes down.
@K D, yes! The solstice....I will be thankful for every second of extra light!
@K D,
Three cheers for the winter solstice!!!
I am thankful for my sleeping old dog on his bed beside me
So grateful for my daughter who moved back home to finish her delayed undergrad degree. Most especially grateful that we each have our separate living arrangements, as she is in our garage apartment
Finished all the Christmas wrapping yesterday. Last year’s sale paper from Target is super cute under the tree
For unscheduled days that stretch out before me. I loved the discussion of “margins” & “white space” yesterday. I need a lot of that & am grateful for it
Winter- I love the cold, especially cold morning runs in a local park
Happiest of holidays to all
I have never stayed up late to study, either. The idea of an all-night cram session is madness to me. I turn into a pumpkin after 9 p.m. Even in college I was that way. And now it's even worse, of course. 🙂
Thankfuls:
--Today is THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, YAY. We have a long Christmas break, and we are all ready for it.
--All my children have gotten good grades this semester, and the areas where they were struggling seem to have improved.
--At the staff party this week, a retired teacher took the time to tell me how much she enjoys my children when she's substitute teaching in their classes. I know they're good kids, of course, but sometimes I lose sight of that when I'm breaking up my tenth fight of the day in my home. It's good to be reminded that for the most part--and especially in public, of course--they are respectful and funny and hard working.
--This is kind of silly, but I'm thankful I didn't get rid of my running pants. I've had them for, um, maybe a decade? But I haven't been running regularly for the past few years, and have more than once considered just getting the running pants out of my drawer, since I wasn't using them. I didn't, though, and now that I am running again in winter, I'm so grateful to have them.
--For warm weather without wind this week. Kids--my own and the ones at school--need to be outside as much as possible all the time, but particularly in the very exciting week leading up to Christmas. So much energy and excitement. Plus, I've been able to get all my laundry dry without any problems. Much appreciated since I don't have a clothes dryer.
@kristin @ going country,
One frugal tip I've learned is that hanging your laundry inside the house to dry in winter helps put moisture in the air...especially important if you use certain types of heaters such as wood stoves, pellet stoves, etc. If no one is around, I set up my wooden drying racks in front of the gas space heater. Another good place is over the floor (HVAC) vents.
@kristin @ going country, my sister gave me a pair of Nike running pants many years ago, the ones with the zippers at the ankles so you can take them off once you are warm. The cut of the leg has been out of style until recently with wider pant legs again, but I kept them even though I don't run anymore, because they have this slightly fuzzy inside that is very warm on cold winter days. So I share your gratitude for older, warm running pants. 🙂
Totally the same way about staying up late! It would be such a waste of time for me because I don't think well late at night. Plus I'd be so tired the next day, I'd probably do poorly on the test.
Better for me to just go to bed.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I do this for the few weeks of the year I can't hang things outside, but I don't like to, because my house is chaos with all the children running around. There's never "no one around" here. 🙂
@Jan G, I have the kind with zippers, too. I was not aware there was a newer style. Glad I've kept these so long that they're back in style again. I would hate to look frumpy running around my ghost village. 🙂
Wow! Kristen, you are an overachiever with your 4.0 GPA and all the things you have accomplished. All that and homeschooling, too. If I didn't like you so much, I'd be insanely jealous, LOL! You really are rocking your life!
--This week I am thankful that part of my financial headache has been solved; the county allows homeowners of a certain age to split their property tax payments into four installments. So instead of X thousand of dollars one time, I can pay $X hundred every other month, from January until July. Also, I thought Dec. 31 was the deadline; it is actually Jan. 31....and now, that's only for the first installment. You folks will recall I was really sweating this, thinking I owed the whole amount by New Years Eve, and wondering how I could pay it and some other debts. This makes it a bit more affordable, along with the state's recent property tax reduction.
---This year, thankfully, my property taxes are $1,000 less than last year -- although it's still too high IMO.
---I'm also thankful that my friends are once again hosting their Christmas Day ugly holiday sweater party for those of us who have nowhere else to go. Last year it was a blast, and everyone who couldn't travel home or who didn't have family were able to get together and be happy.
--For my friend/cleaning lady came over and helped me hang the draperies since it's not safe for someone with vertigo (me) to climb a ladder by herself. I get a discount because I let her do her laundry at my place. My newly-painted rooms still lack flooring (had to pause that due to the $$ situation) but at least passers-by can't peer in and see the ladders and paint cans and work still in progress. Oh, and the newly-dry cleaned drapes look brand new. Yay, "Grand Millennial" style!
-- Since it got dark so early, we drove around together looking at the Christmas lights when I took her home, and that was fun to have someone in the car enjoying it with me.
Yay that you got your tax situation managed. Whew!
@Fru-gal Lisa, you are very impressive yourself! You have faced many obstacles and just keep pushing through, working hard, being realistic, and maintaining an optimistic outlook on life.
I saw your post on Instagram. You play beautifully, Kristen.
1. I’m thankful that all my children will be here for Christmas, and we have plans to see our extended family. It has been many years since we were all together.
2. I’m thankful that I seem to be organized and ready for the the onslaught of visitors. My holidays are often quite eventful no matter how organized I am, so we will see. (Think Christmas vacation).
3. I’m thankful for the shelter that my house provides.
4. I’m thankful my DH will be home for 3 weeks. He works in another state. He leaves on Monday morning and comes home on Thursday nights. He does this 3 weeks a month. This is the longest stretch that we have had together since last Christmas season.
5. I am grateful that the sun is out today and the wind has slowed. We have had multiple days of gray skies and strong winds. Even the birds are happy about this. They are joyfully singing this morning!
Merry Christmas to all! I hope your holiday season is filled with peace and love.
Kristen, I bet there were some "oh, crap!" moments among those who did not do the optional med cards.
Today I am so very thankful that the last major item is cleared from my to-do list in handling my late brother's estate. Still wrestling with one of his credit card lenders that appears to have "pursue the grieving relentlessly" as a business model, but I will definitely out-sarcasm 'em during their so frequent phone calls.
@Ruby, seems as if a person would have to be very desperate or really soulless to work for the collections department of a credit card company. You can outlast 'em!!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I'm with you: My money's on Ruby!
@Ruby,
I'm on TeamRuby for the win! That credit card company better watch out! 🙂
Thankful that my sister-in-law in TX was able to find time yesterday for a phone call to update me on her and my BIL (DH's only surviving sibling, who also has dementia, though his eventual diagnosis is likely to be different from DH's). We cried on each other's shoulders, and I offered her what comfort and guidance I could.
Also thankful for, in Kaitlin's words, "being seen by so many this Christmas after fearing I would be invisible" (and thankful to Kaitlin for capturing the feeling in that phrase). In my situation, I thought the holiday season might be The Case of the Vanishing Widow, but that hasn't been true at all. Quite the contrary, in fact, and I'm grateful to all who have gone out of their way to include and acknowledge me.
And, along with others here, very thankful that the Winter Solstice is here. It's be a while yet before it's light enough early enough in Central NY for me to resume my usual morning walks at the usual time, but it's good to know that things are on the turn.
I am so happy that you have people around you to help and support you.
And I am glad that you are able to offer support to your SIL. You can understand in ways that other people cannot.
@Kristen, thank you. And I forgot to ask: What did you and Zoe think of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice? I'll hold my own opinion in reserve till I hear yours (and those of any others who want to chime in).
Haha, well, this was not our first viewing!
My opinions: the cinematography is beautiful; the lighting is just lovely in both the sunny and rainy scenes. And the movie version is good if you don't have six hours to devote to P&P. It's so short, though, I feel like the storyline would almost be confusing if you weren't familiar with the P&P story. Like...Lizzie's relationship with Wickham is so scantily developed! We don't really get a sense of the significance of it, or why she feels so betrayed by his behavior.
The BBC version is better because there's so much more character development and more of the storyline is left intact. Every time I watch the 2005 version, I'm always like, "Wait, what, we're at the proposal already??" And Zoe feels the same.
If I could imbue the BBC version with the 2005 cinematography, then we'd REALLY have a perfect Pride and Prejudice.
@A. Marie, If anybody likes it, I won't think poorly of you. But I hated it.
@Jody S., I've thought about watching it, but a) I can't imagine anybody but Colin Firth as Darcy, and the actor who plays Bingley in the 1995 version is just splendid, and b) I really, really don't care for Kiera Knightley's acting that I've seen in other things. So she would ruin Lizzie for me.
@Jody S., I'm with you. It was too frenetic for my taste. My husband and I found it hard to follow the story and to hear what was being said. We much rather watch the BBC version, even if it means we need a lunch break.
@Kristen and everybody else: I agree with Kristen about the cinematography, but that's the only positive thing I have to say. I also agree with Kristen that a 2-hour version doesn't do the novel (or any 19th-century novel, for that matter) justice; I agree with Karen A. about Keira Knightley (KK's acting sets my teeth on edge); Matthew Macfadyen just doesn't cut it for me as Mr. Darcy, especially by contrast with Colin Firth; and the ridiculously short Mr. Collins and the generally ridiculous Mr. Bingley don't bear comparisons with their predecessors in both the 1980 and 1995 BBC versions.
I could go on, but I won't bore you all, except to say this: Even the lovely camera work seems to be used in the service of turning P&P into a Bronte novel--which it ain't. What's with the first proposal scene in a pounding rainstorm, and the second proposal scene with Elizabeth and Darcy in their jammies in the middle of a field, anyway? Heaven and Jane Austen preserve us.
@Karen A.,
Right there with you about Colin Firth. Swoon.
@A. Marie,
Since I haven't seen the 2005 P & P, I don't have any opinions about it...but it doesn't sound worth viewing.
I can say, the only KK performance I *sort of* liked was in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies...and that mostly because of the interplay between her character and Jack Sparrow. 🙂
Glad you have next semester section that works best for you. I think that older adults in school have similar philosophy "I know what I know & that's that." Which is not a bad thing.
Thankful for---
●the sunshine we have had (which seems more than normal). Beginning of week was gloomy & dark & seemed forever long. I am not a bug fan of getting up in dark & coming home in dark & not much light during day.
●the mild weather we still have. Living in midwest & being winter I know that the snow & colder weather is normal. Just check out news about our regular occurence of closing down I-94 because of major multi car pile ups during white outs (happened earlier this week already this winter). I am at point on my life I like snow but get tired of shoveling & bad drivers. I can deal with cold but give me sunshine to make it more bearable (& no below zero wind chills please). I love that Lake Superior was already frozen earlier this week & look forward to (maybe) being able to go to ice caves & maybe frozen waterfall in January but I just am not physically capable of long term cold anymore. But it is not a bad as past years & seems to be fluctuating more & longer each current year(s).
●that teen is starting to get into holiday spirit. Requesting to make cookies this weekend & decorate the mini tree(s).
●that I got a early election position for February voting---apparently a lot of people applied. It's only 9 days but I am interested in getting into this area as additional income revenue & I am really excited to learn the process of voting & it's process.
●that I have over shopped & are stocked up on most everything & will not need to buy almost anything (exvept eggs, bread, milk, fresh produce maybe if good price) for few months minimum. Prices are usually higher in January & February for most everything we need & I am not thrilled about hauling stuff in & out in snow & ice so stocked up while prices lower. Hoping for no spend January & February since shouldn't need much of anything.
This is a needed exercise for me. This week (and yesterday, in particular) has presented challenges to remembering gratitude.
*I am thankful for boys with strong backs who can carry my 50 pound bags of oats.
*I am thankful for my friends at church. We are hurting right now as one of our own is home (with hospice) and declining rapidly, but we have each other.
*I am thankful that my church friend who is still in the hospital surprised the physical therapists yesterday by walking all the way to the door instead of the couple of steps that were expected. His wife (and the rest of us) rejoice in this victory.
*I am thankful for the coffee I'm drinking right now.
*I am thankful that my Christmas joy doesn't depend on things happening now.
*I am thankful for music and dancing in the kitchen. My husband's old cell phone (a couple phones ago) serves up my playlists while I cook. I love making my children groan while I dance and sing.
*I am thankful for our cantankerous record player. We've been listening to some Christmas albums lately, and my daughter is the one who can get the stupid needle arm thing to drop by threatening the record player--- "I can always buy a new record player for Mom and Dad for Christmas!" or "Do you want me to listen to the cd player instead?! I can get this on cd." It's funny how it listens to her menacing tones.
*I am thankful for my car. I like it.
*I am thankful our electricity came back on before we went to bed on Tuesday. Losing electricity is no fun in the winter. Or very hot summer.
*I am thankful I have not yet succumbed to the sickness that everybody else in my house is dealing with. Also that the sickness wasn't too bad.
*I am thankful some of my kids are so excited about buying/making gifts for each other.
@Jody S.,
Lol, when my son was about 5 years old, he would ask me to "please stop" whenever I started singing. He is now 13, and I delight in singing and dancing to make him groan and cringe. 🙂
Right now, I'm thankful for:
1. Successfully passing a work test-the stress was that it was mandatory for my job and I couldn't prepare for. But, thankfully I passed! It's a huge weight off my shoulders.
2. That my daughter got her driver's license. Okay, I'm a bit terrified too, but she's showing so much maturity in the last few months and it's really nice that she can drive herself to work/church functions now.
3. The overall good health (physical and mental) of my family.
4. For puppy cuddles. My girl's been with me for over 12 years and I love that she's my little Velcro dog.
5. The opportunities to celebrate the season with my family and friends.
I am thankful for:
* 5 days off (including weekend) over Christmas
* A nice Christmas in store. We go to my DH family every year and I'm so grateful my kids get to experience happy Christmases, contrary to my own as a child. And I'm happy for myself too.
* Massages given at a massage school for only 35$
* Having a job that pays well and freedom to pick-up extra shifts here and there.
* Health. Mine and of loved ones.
Merry Christmas to all! (or whatever you celebrate)
I follow you on IG and heard your beautiful playing. That is a talent I would love to have. I've taken lessons a few times over my life, but although I could learn the head part and where everything is and how to read the music...my brain just doesn't let my hands do two things at once. It is never a smooth and beautiful sound like good pianist have. I would play every day if I could do that!
This week I'm thankful for:
My dad turned 76 yesterday. I know how fortunate I am that my parents are both still pretty healthy and active. Thankful for them every day.
My health. It seems like I'm finally getting back to myself after the past few months of health issues and procedures. If my ENT can figure out the pulsatile tinnitus this next year...that would be amazing!
I'm on a bunch of blood thinners since having this device put in my artery for the brain aneurysm that are causing a multitude of issues (bruising, a small retinal bleed, etc), but I followed up with my neurologist this past week and have been cleared to go back to all my regular activities (including lifting items over 10 lbs...yay!) and was given a date in May that I can stop the worst of the blood thinners....so there is light at the end of the tunnel! I like having a date.
I am thankful all my traveling for work and all is done until after the new year!
and last, but not least, I am thankful my son started a new job this week. It was a higher position and the pay was better, but mostly it was out of the toxic environment that his last supervisor was causing in their workspace. We have prayed for a while that the right spot would open. This new job also allows him to utilize his favorite skills so the job itself is also much more fun each day.
Merry Christmas!
I think piano playing is easier when you learn as a kid! I got started when I was six and that probably helped me a lot.
@Marlena, I hope you find a cause for your tinnitus and some relief. I was diagnosed with unilateral tinnitus back in 2020 and after determining it wasn't an acoustic neuroma, just shrugged and said, "Huh."
Man, that's awful. I have heard that tinnitus is a maddening condition to live with.
I mean the doctor just shrugged. And no followup.
@Karen A., my son and mom have tinnitus. My mom from Meniere's and my son from damage and retracted eardrums...a result of multiple tubes and issues when he was young. My mom's is better some times than others (and improved greatly after her ENT had her get allergy tested and shots). My son's is bad in the evenings. He has started sleeping with a white noise machine to drown it out some.
Mine is a pulsatile tinnitus that (the best way I can describe it) sounds like a heartbeat for a baby in a sonogram. It has my heartbeat thudding and also a swishing noise (blood flowing through the arteries around my ear). Mine started right after getting a concussion a few months ago. Every time I roll over at night or stand/sit etc...Boom Boom Boom. It makes me crazy. My ENT says it is whenever my blood pressure changes and everyone's does it....but you shouldn't HEAR it do it. I was fortunate to be sent to a great ENT and her test actually found my (unrelated) aneurysm. I've had that treated, and now I go back to her after the new year to look for other causes. She's checked my blood flow. Next she'll check the bones around the inner ear...she said sometimes they wear thin and that can cause this. Not sure I could do anything about that, but at least I could put it to rest that it isn't harmful.
My son saw an ENT recently that tested his hearing, said it was fine, and had no interest in digging deeper....very aggravating. He's now waiting for a referral for a more aggressive ENT.
A nurse at my PCM's office suffers with tinnitus horribly. She recently got hearing aids that blocks out the tinnitus sound. I don't understand how that works, but she is LOVING them and feels like she has some of her life back.
If it is a daily issue and bother for you...I would encourage you to see someone else or push your current doctor to do more.
@Marlena, Thanks for all the info! Mine is high pitched and sometimes pulses? And sometimes gets very piercing, briefly, but then settles back down to its usual high pitch. It's hard to describe. But only in one ear. The ENT did a hearing test on me and found I had some high frequency hearing loss in that ear. That's why he ordered an MRI, to rule out acoustic neuroma, which can cause unilateral tinnitus and hearing loss. No neuroma, which was great, because I wouldn't have been looking forward to surgery down the road, but I was bummed that he didn't even press for further causes. He said to follow up in a year, but...I didn't see the point if he was going to be dismissive and also not care about the MRI analysis that mentioned demyelinating disease.
I did explore the possibility of TMI causing it, but a mouth guard did nothing, and in any case I don't grind my teeth at night anyway. I just live with it at this point. It's not getting worse? So that's good. Since it started right after I had my first bout with Covid in January 2020, I suspect the high fever caused some nerve damage in that ear. In which case, there's not much to be done about it. I use white noise at night to sleep, which DH likes to have as well, so that works out. And if it's really bothering me I play music.
How great you found a doctor willing to explore all avenues and who found the aneurysm! I have heard that otosclerosis can also cause tinnitus, and i think there is a surgery they can do in that case. Hoping you get answers and relief!
You have every reason to be so proud of what you have accomplished and how many twists and turns your life has taken. At 45, you're literally around half-way, so there is much, much more to come, hopefully mostly wonderful.
Struggling this morning. Trying to feel joy in the midst of grief and sadness. Hating that I make such a thing out of Christmas which adds to stress and not knowing how to ramp it down.
@Rose, wishing for you love, strength, and peace.
@Rose, have a cuppa something comforting and just sit in silence, looking out whatever window in your house has the best view. Beauty soothes.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I tried. I noticed that hedge needs trimming!
@Bee, thanks, babe. I was whining to BFF on the way home from feeding the ferals, and she said, "Oh for God's sake. Buck up. At least you're alive! I'm not."
@Rose, "Hating that I make such a thing out of Christmas which adds to stress and not knowing how to ramp it down" - I feel you. (Not about Christmas for me, but other things, recognizing my brain is out of sync & very difficult to re-route. Draining!)
@Rose, managing expectations can be very tough. Christmas used to come way too often for me. The older I get though it feels easier to not get caught up in the craziness of trying to male it perfect and just enjoy the perks of the season. A little goes a long way for me. That was a long time coming for me. I always felt that moms especially had to really work hard to pull it off for others and that effort was not recognized enough.
@Rose, I hear you. Today is the anniversary of my brother's sudden, unexplained death. He was just 30 and my only sibling. My parents handled everything badly, maybe I did too, and we are now estranged. For years I really really hated Christmas, couldn't stand to see lights or hear carols. But I had to do something, not just ignore the holiday, because we had kids, and, well, they don't deserve to have Christmas stink because mom is a mess. So today, just take time for yourself, do what you need to do to feel calm and, if not happy, at least not distressed.
Also I try to remember that Christmas can be a season--we stretch it out through Epiphany and so it's not just one big whomping day with expectations.
@Karen A., I'm so sorry, Karen.
I had a brother die too, and his birthday is Dec 29. I send Mom flowers on the day, but IDK, this morning she was begging me to come home from college quickly because she's "in the hospital" after a car accident, she thinks. Also I guess it's the mid 80s when I went to school.
Today I'm thankful for good friends,
For access to good food.
For online library access -- it's so easy to check out my next book.
For my husband
For my two dogs.
I got married young. I had my son at age 20 by choice. I went back to nursing school when I was 28. All of my fellow students were mothers and people looking for second career options. At 45 there was so many years ahead of fun ,career, family .travel ,better earnings, you are just getting started.
It is true; there are a lot of non-traditional students in my nursing program! A lot of us are not fresh out of high school.
Kristen, I really liked your comment about all the things you've accomplished in your life. There IS time to do a lot of things.
I have been feeling twinges of sadness as my kids are getting older and I'm trying to adjust my parenting approach. Trying also to focus on the good things about this season of life (which I've learned from reading your blog) watching them grow into interesting and wonderful adults, and having time to do other things I enjoy.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a mom, and for the children I have been given to raise.
Grateful for a bit of time the last few days to clean up some annoyingly cluttered spots of my house.
For a job that is flexible, especially this time of year. For the people we work with, most of whom are really nice.
I'm thankful that today is my last workday of the year.
I'm thankful that our daughter is over her nasty stomach bug. It always terrible to have the stomach bug but even worse when you're 7 months pregnant. So glad she didn't end up at the ER.
I'm thankful that we will get to meet the young lady our son has started dating. He's bringing her to Christmas dinner. 🙂
I'm thankful that we will get to see both my family and DH's family over the weekend.
I'm thankful that my Christmas shopping is done and almost all the presents are wrapped.
Merry Christmas everyone!
• Today is my last day of work for 2023! Our company gives us the week between Christmas and New Year’s off – this it the second year of this practice and I am so thankful for this time.
• I’ve been able to schedule some last minute doctor appointments. Sometimes when I try to schedule an appointment the next available is months out but I have been able to get into the appointments I need before the end of the year, which is very helpful for insurance!
• It doesn’t look like we will get a white Christmas this year (bummer) but I am thankful that it’s not as painfully cold as last year and that the roads are safe to drive on.
• I’m thankful that I understand where my stress is coming. Our family has a lot on our plate right now so when I start to feel overwhelmed and want to cry at the end of the day I can take a step back and recognize it will pass. It’s not fun in the moment but it helpful to understand.
Thankful for
Good health
Getting to know myself better over the years
Two purring cats
Good tools, that make it easier to do small repairs and improvements
Our kids having a good heart
Discovering a lost stitch in my knitting, before I had completed a complicated pattern. How it would have annoyed me if I had discovered it an inch later!
I've not been doing well at all this week but I try to go through this exercise to help me out a bit.
I'm thankful that my Christmas break starts soon. It will nice to not have to worry about work for a while or really worry about much. Even getting dinner together is often a struggle.
Thankful that I have a few good things on my "To watch" list.
Thankful that some projects at work really went our way, particularly the one I was leading.
@Battra92, I feel ya on the dinner thing. Commiserations from the middle of the Atlantic.
@Battra92, i hope better days and renewed energy are in your near future. Be kind to yourself as much as you are able. Thinking of you and glad you are part of this supportive community.
@Battra92,
I hope you have some time to relax, regroup, and watch some good shows during your break. I 100% understand the difficulty ofdealing with everyday things when depressed.
This is a funny one: that I got to Mexico City without a hitch. This is literally the first time this has happened.
The first time was when 5 year old me, realizing we were in New Mexico, asked if we were going to visit Aunt H, who lived in Mexico City. I figured Mexico must be close to Mexico City, right? (PS: Yes, but MC is not close to the NM-M border.) We went anyway but it was a last minute scramble.
The second time the airline told me, incorrectly[1], that I needed my passport. I didn't have it, my parents did; they were going to give it to me in MC. I spent literally the whole day chasing my passport across the country, as I tried to catch up with my parents and kept missing them - delayed flights, incorrect gate info, etc. It was an even weirder experience at the MC airport but that's another story.
The third time my flight was cancelled while we were at the gate and allegedly the next available flight wasn't till the next day, at which point I'd miss the wedding I was going to. My father found a 11 pm flight and cajoled me into taking it. I did manage to stay awake during the wedding but I'm not sure how. Maybe my mother kept nudging me.
This time, very smoothly!
[1] At that time, a US citizen needed a passport, a birth certificate, or a voter's reg to go to Mexico. I could have gotten my voter's reg and been back at the airport in 3 hrs but the agent neglected to tell me about the other methods. Boo!
Aren't you glad you filled out those cards already?!
1. I'm so thankful that I was able to return to college, too, and I'm cheering you on, Kristen. It was 14 years for me between stopping "temporarily" after getting my AA and AS and returning for my BA, but I'm sure glad I did it. I also am thankful I inspired my kids, or so they tell me, to go ahead and get college done in one fell swoop instead of taking a break in the middle, ha. If you can't be a good example, at least serve as a warning, I always say.
2. I'm thankful that my 70+ year old sister has dug down and found the courage and drive to wade through paperwork, challenge government red-tape, deal with major home repairs, handle car sales, connect with doctors, keep up with insurance and look at long-term financial needs and goals on her own. This is definitely outside her life experience, and something that makes her uncomfortable, but with her DH's dementia and Parkinson's, she's had to take the reins, and she's doing it well.
3. I'm thankful that when I told my bosses yesterday that I needed to leave a little early, they said "no problem." I worked for 7 years at an independent bank where I worked 8-5, but when I asked to leave at 4:30 twice a week (to commute 50 miles for night classes at above referenced college), they told me I could leave at 4:30, but only if I cut my one-hour lunch period down to 15 minutes, twice a week. I so love my current job.
4. I'm thankful for the birthday this week of my dear son-in-law. He is a great husband, father, son-in-law and brother-in-law.
5. I'm thankful that my roof was already replaced before the storm that hit this past weekend. So many people are still waiting for repairs, and many of them lost the tarps off of their roofs in the storm, leaving more water damage and mess.
Congratulations on an amazing run with your grades!! Super impressive. I also love your observation that you've been able to do so much.
1) Grateful that finals are done today! The teens are taking a lot of hard classes, and they are not particularly adept at managing their time well, spreading things out across the semester. It's a life skill they are learning, but a break will be great for everyone.
2) For the rain we've been getting. I don't enjoy it, but know we need all of the rain we can get.
3) DH & I had a hilarious planning session (what are we going to do with our time off, if we can't go skiing). We made some modifications, and I think we have a better plan that is making everyone happy, but I'm ever so grateful that we want to spend time together.
4) That my teens truly love spending time with my parents, aunts/uncles, cousins.
5) For good neighbors. All of my neighbors are lovely, and always offer to help bring in packages, etc when folks are gone for the holidays.
ME TOO! After I play the piano, I cannot type for beans! I thought this was just some odd quirk of my odd brain.
So, today I am thankful:
1. to learn it isn't just me with the temporary keyboard paralysis!
2. for rain this week (I feel so drought-scarred that no matter how much it rains, it always feels like a special gift and a relief)
3. that my husband discovered pickleball this week (retired guys need projects and hobbies)
4. for less work so that I can putter around the house, read, study, learn, knit, clean, make pomegranate jelly, bake cookies for a function, all during the day ENTIRELY GUILT-FREE (that guilt is a hazard of working from home).
Thankful for a good night's rest. I stayed up for a good part of the day after getting off work at 6:30a. Usually going to bed early often means I sleep and then get up for several hours or sleep straight thru and miss my evening meds and supper and drinking enough water. Last night I was up for an hour did all of that and went back to bed. I have worked this night time shift three nights a week for several years and it is still a work in progress.
I am Very thankful that although some of our work staff has had COVID, it has been hit and miss and our residents have been spared. I am thankful for being without upper respiratory issues. One of my friends was sick (was not tested but my nursing assessment says it was C) went through seven boxes of soft tissues. Her husband was sick just prior to her.
Thankful also that the days will be getting longer. I have been leaving work in time to see the sunrise, and I do enjoy it.
I am thankful I am not stressed about the holiday season. I have a limited amount of Christmas decor about and it is enough. I'm kind of in that "If you get it out, you'll just have to put it away" stage. And I'm the one that usually has a "theme" each year and leaves it up until February. May be time to purge a couple of the four packed totes of decorations. I tried last year and was unsuccessful.
Kristen, it is almost always good to be a "precrastinator" instead of a procrastinator. Way to go on those med cards! (The only time it isn't good is when I jump the gun and then the rules change.)
I'm thankful to be home for Christmas.
Thankful for a lovely day with a friend and hanging out with her cats!
Thankful to have mostly done my Christmas shopping
Thankful to be having a break from work
Thankful for lots of laughter this week!
I am thankful for the kindest doctor my step dad has this week. Truly, we cried.
I’m thankful for hospice.
I’m thankful for my family.
I’m thankful for a life well lived.
I’m thankful for forgiveness, grace and kindness.
I’m thankful for friends who I can show up on their doorstep at a moments notice and get a hug.
I’m thankful for text messaging. It helps when actual phone calls feel to heavy.
I’m thankful for Gods grace.
@Caitlie, Peace to your family.
Sending love to you, friend. I'm so sorry you're walking through this with your step dad.
@Caitlie,
"Thankful for a life well lived"....none of us can ask for more than that. What a lovelyand kind thing to say.
Wishing you and your step father peace and freedom from pain.
@Caitlie,
Your writing is beautiful, even though it is sad. It is a rare gift to be able to see the good in unhappy situations. Sending love and prayers to you and your family, esp. your stepdad.
Kristen, I heard you play piano on instagram… I’m thankful you’re still playing! , beautifully, I might add!
I’m thankful we’ll have a visit with our grandson here on Christmas Eve. Knowing he’s coming actually inspired me to paint a large winter scene in front of which hopefully we’ll get some cute photos of grandson and snowman… what am I saying?! Of course the photos will be cute if grandson is in them ! 🙂
I’m thankful for a good dr checkup this week.
I’m thankful for maturity we’re seeing in our adult children. And I’m so grateful for strong relationships we share with them. I feel like I’m growing, too, as I’m doing life more as a life-coach with them rather than the more focused parenting of them during their childhood and adolescent years.
I’m thankful for a few days this week that are unscheduled. I feel really calm coming into Christmas weekend.
Best wishes for a beautiful Christmas to you, Kristen, and to all your readers!!
It is so wonderful to know that you are in a place where you can dust off your piano and your hope in life. Love it!
I am very grateful:
-For being able to plan. Our kids' school system released next year's schedule, and I know at which university I will be teaching next year. So for the first time since before the pandemic, I feel like I can look more than a few months out. I am a planner, so this is joy itself.
-For the coming break. Our business always shuts down between Christmas and New Years. Even though we take time off during the year, if you own a business you never really stop. Except when we shut everything down. We will spend the week seeing some family, but also taking lots of quiet walks and hanging out with the kids and each other. And not going much of anywhere.
-That we didn't get COVID. We were exposed two weeks ago by a friend who was over for dinner and then got symptoms and tested positive the next morning. We masked when around people and tested at five days. Then my husband tested again at 9 days when he started with a cold. All tests were negative, and we are happy to put the alarm behind us.
-For the professionals in our life. I took our daughter to the pediatrician this morning. Her doctor is just so great--over the last decade she has taken good care and offered good advice on the health of our four kids. I often think with astonishment about the magic that our kids' teachers work every day with our kids. And finally, we have wonderful contractors with whom I have worked for years on various projects. They will be working on a commercial building we are in the process of purchasing. It is a comfort to know we are in the hands of competent folks who will act professionally and charge us fairly. I'm so grateful for all these folks.
-For big, soft chocolate chip cookies. Aldi has these packs of chocolate chunk cookies in the bakery isle. Oh my. I'm in my fourth month of chemo, so my relationship with food has been conflicted for a while now. But I am now a ways out from the worst of the chemo and starting to recover my normal tastes and preferences. I haven't enjoyed cookies this much in a long time.
I have not ever had chemo, but I remember how good food tasted when I delivered my babies and was finally able to get off Zofran, so I can sorta imagine how you are enjoying those cookies!
@Amanda in VA, I feel blessed for the contractor we had a few years ago. His bill listed the hours he worked for us each day, but with one bill I noticed he had made a mistake and short-changed himself by an hour. I pointed it out and he said, "No, that is correct. I was on my cell phone for about an hour on a family issue so I didn't charge you for that hour even though I was here."
I wake up grateful and thankful every day.
I cleaned out the woodstove this morning, so there's a nice layer of cozy! Thanks to my antique bellows, the bricks are now dust free and ready for the vacuum.
Thankful for :
*The Winter Solstice, re-reading An Old Man’s Winter Night by Robert Frost.
*The kind pharmacist who bent over backwards to help me yesterday.
*The mild temps & heavy fog, making breathing easier as I do chores.
*The massive tree mess that is keeping me busy and someday will keep us warm.
Blessing that which challenges me makes the chore less unbearable. Having the neighbors walk past cheering me on is also a blessing.
I feel exactly the opposite - I have already had 63 years and time is dwindling and I know I should get going on all of the things I have left to do, but this is such a hard season for me.
I want to think 2024 will be a good year.
I am thankful that I have managed to hold it together for now, and enjoy my newish job, my cozy home, my empathic son who is kind to me on a daily basis, and friends who check in on me.
@Gina from The Cannary Family, sending many good wishes. It’s a challenge when your life ends up so completely different than what you expected. The loss of a spouse is just gutting. I share your sorrow
I usually read all the comments before I post, but today is a very hard and sad day so I'm posting and will read after.
My senior cat, name of Puma, passed away today, she was 19 years old and 7 months. She had a good life and I am very thankful that I was her human to look after her and take care of her. Every time I see pictures of Kristen's Chiquita she reminds me of Puma as they have the same colourings, only Puma had some grey on her face.
Happy Winter Solstice to all, now the days start getting longer. (very slowly).
@Linda in Canada, I am so sorry for your loss; my heart goes out to you. Big hugs.
@Linda in Canada, so hard to lose a beloved companion animal. So thankful she was with you so long. Virtual hug to you.
@Linda in Canada, ((Hugs)) it is so difficult to lose such a vital part of the family. I hope you are comforted by the knowledge that you gave her a wonderful life.
Aww, Linda, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. Sending lots of love your way.
@Linda in Canada, I am sorry for your loss
@Linda in Canada, How awful for you! Pets add so much to our lives and leave such a hole when they go. Wishing you comfort.
Regarding the med cards, when I have to do a task like that I try to tell myself,
"my future self will thank me."
* Grateful my work email is running again! It was completely down Sunday-Wednesday, and we are off for a winter break starting Friday, so this was a close one!
* Grateful for a really lovely Christmas celebration last weekend with my in-laws. I got a copy of the Tightwad Gazette opus!!
* I'm grateful somebody wanted my many years old laptop from college, and I was able to put that money back in my emergency fund after dental work withdrawals. And grateful for my fiance for helping with the sale 🙂
1. For a husband who is caring, even in the middle of the night. This is embarrassing to admit, but when I am stressed I bite my fingernails while I am sleeping. I have no recollection of doing it, it is only when I wake up to chewed nails that I realize it. Last night the husband woke me up to ask me why I was so anxious that I was back to biting my fingers in my sleep. It was 3 am and he took me out to the living room and had tea and talked for almost 2 hours. I feel much better today.
2. The sun rose at 11 am today and will set at about 2:30. I know many people hate the darkness but I dread the 24 hours of relentless, merciless daylight in spring and summer. So today I am not doing much more than reading, where I can sit in our book nook and look out onto the snow and darkness going and coming today. I am thankful I don't have to spend the day working instead of enjoying these last days before the sun starts taking over again.
3. For my sister, who takes the initiative to call me frequently because she knows I don't really like talking on the phone. We are so radically different that if we had not been born into the same family, I doubt we would ever have been friends. Sweet but not a pushover: this is the sister who felt a hand down the back of her pants when she was bent over the welding table. She turned around, saw it was her boss and punched him in the nose so hard that she broke it. I generally do not cheer violence but as she said, "I don't think he would have gotten the point if the consequence was to be sent to a sexual harassment training." Maybe if more men were afraid of being clobbered by the women they dare to harass...
4. The local church, not mine, that holds free musical programs every Friday during the winter. Some weeks it soothes the soul to sit, look at the stained glass, while hearing a choir or a harpist or some other community musician. Sadly, never an accordionist, but bagpipers have performed---that is my second favorite instrument.
5. Thanks to people who put up outdoor Christmas lights.
@Lindsey,
Oh, what a sweet tale of your husband! And a wonderful story of your sister! ☻
@Lindsey,
I loved that your sister decked her boss! My mom, who worked full time during the late 60s through 2021, told my sisters and I some horrendous sexual harassment stories that had happened to her....so awful. My mom, having been brought up in the 50s, did not challenge or speak up to the perpetrators (or her bosses). My dad asked her what *she* did to encourage that kind of behavior (huge eyeball roll and cringe from me).
Ugh, that is so awful. I know we still have a ways to go but I AM grateful that things are better for women in the workforce than they were in the past.
@Lindsey, Three cheers for your sister and her strong right hook! (Or was it a left hook?) Tell her she's my hero!
@Lindsey, My great-grandmother (for those following along at home, the one my mother idolized) would take out one of her massive hatpins during the 1910s (hats were big then) and run them into the hands of men grabbing her on the NYC subway. I have some of them--they're 10" long.
So happy to see your first one, and the Silent Night reel. Happiest Christmas to you and yours!
I am thankful that I found a teenage babysitter who is willing to spend part of her Christmas break watching my daughter so that I can work.
I am thankful for vaccines and antibodies. We know baby girl will get sick but hopefully some of the vaccines our family is getting will help hold off the worst of it.
I am thankful for Christmas lights. The short fall and winter days can be hard emotionally but Christmas lights help boost my mood.
I am thankful that today is the winter solstice. Longer days are coming.
I am thankful for my morning coffee.
Thankful? You’d better believed I’m thankful. I live in one of the hardest hit towns in Maine from flooding and near hurricane force winds that happened on Monday. Three people lost their lives, many lost their homes and pets. Devastation all around us, yet this community has pulled together to make sure people are warm, fed, housed with friends or family or at the high school, where a temporary shelter has been set up. I volunteered there last night, helped people “shop” for what they need, gave out some hugs, shared some tears, and met some neighbors less than a mile from us who lost their home due to the basement collapsing. All of this with less than a week until Christmas, and now temps are in the teens and twenties. I have so much to be thankful for, there’s not enough room on this page to list it. Ever grateful.
Dusting - the only hausfrau chore neither of us enjoy doing. But I sucked it up before T-Day and cleaned like Sherman-marching-2-the-sea. Upside is it made Xmas cleaning easier and less exhausting. Age 45 seems a lifetime ago for me - kiddo one was a year out from graduating early from college and kiddo two was a year out from graduating high school. The grandparent I was closest to was still alive and living quite independently thank-you-very-much (and for another six years after that).
We're hosting the holiday again. And have done so since my mother got the sh*t end of the deal called dementia. No BS about "miracles" - dementia sucks and sucks the life out of the family. And please do remember Kristen, that some, more than you think, are grossly appalled at being bathed, much less the bodily function "care". I will do my damnedest to not put that burden on anyone. IMHO, selfish to suck down scarce medical resources for no benefit for society.