Category: Gratitude

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri
Max, my diva....sleeps
Max, my diva….sleeps

I know, it’s been a long time since I wrote one of these posts. But there are a few things I would like to talk about, briefly.

  1. Had a doc appointment with the surgeon who will be removing my fibroids, via hysterectomy. Before I left, he said “that bulk you are talking about in your abdomen, that will go away when you have the surgery.” Thank God. I don’t think of myself as a vain person but I (usually) work out a lot, and I push myself to lift heavier, sweat more with cardio, do more miles, etc. So when someone asked me if I was “expecting” about a month or two ago, I was devastated. I was like “my god, has it gotten that bad?!” I called a colleague and asked her to please shoot me. I used to  have a very flat stomach and a six pack, and that’s what I WILL have again. I worked too hard for it the first damn time.

    So why such a drastic step in surgery? Well, fibroids can have side effects, and they will keep coming back until you hit that certain stage in a female’s life where you no longer have to worry about kids. I already know I don’t want kids and hell, I’m 42, so in my opinion, “go ahead, take it all!” In case  you are worried, they will leave my ovaries so I won’t go through all the crap that would otherwise occur, just about immediately. (Sorry, men, if that’s TMI. I know women will totally understand why I mention this.)The surgeon was extremely nice, and I don’t know why, but I was surprised. He is the head of the practice, and he said he himself will do my surgery. He was recommended to me by two doctors I trust, so I feel like I’m in good hands. It still has to be scheduled, but I know I will be out of work for 4-6 weeks. Since I’m in good shape, I’m hoping my recovery won’t be too bad. I already know what to expect in the pain department, so that is an improvement over the first time. I know that it will hurt like hell when I shift from sitting or laying down to standing, and that walking will help a ton. I know it’ll hurt like hell when I cry and when I laugh. But that’s ok, I know it will eventually go away. Fear of the unknown is always worse than the reality. 

My Sebastian....when he sits like that, it's everything I can do to not reach over and poke him in the belly!
My Sebastian….when he sits like that, it’s everything I can do to not reach over and poke him in the belly!

2. Uber and my smart phone. Since the weather has absolutely sucked here in Boston for the past several weeks,  (no exaggeration), I have begun to use Uber via my iphone to get home from work at the gym on Thursday evenings. It just feels so nice to be able to be picked up and make it home within 5-8 minutes, rather than waiting for the bus, which may, or (more likely) not be on time, in the freezing cold, after I’ve worked an 11ish hour day. I know it costs money but I figure it’s worth it to keep my sanity, and it gets me home to the furballs a bit earlier so I can enjoy hanging out with them before I fall asleep for the night. The app is pretty cool because it shows you where “your” car is on a map relative to where you are, and gives you information about what car you will be in, who will be driving and license plate info. I don’t know why, but having that info makes me feel safer.

3. Zipcar, so I can enjoy my Sunday mornings at the shelter in Dedham, working with the farm animals. There is a pair of goats at the shelter who have been very skiddish the entire time that they have been there. But today, while I was cleaning out their pen and leaning over, I realized the male goat had leaned in close to me, and was sniffing around my ear, checking me out. He must have liked what he found because he did it a few more times. That means progress. He knows I’m not there to hurt him. I felt like I had scored a major victory.  I know I have a good way with animals – I think they can sense I mean them no harm, so it just cemented further into my mind the idea of working with animals in some shape or capacity, whether it be at a shelter or on a farm, or at a sanctuary. I’m going to try to keep an open mind about the opportunities out there. I do know I have a lot to learn, and I look forward to that.

My ladies, in their girly pink princess beds. <3
My ladies, in their girly pink princess beds. ❤

4.  I was sick this week, and am still fighting the last stages of my cold. The other morning, I woke up to having five animals in the bed with me. Yes, 5 of 6! (For some reason, I can’t get them all in it at the same time, lol.) Four cats, and of course, Osito, squeezed right next to me. I felt very loved. It may not be the situation I expected to be in at this stage of my life, but it’s one that makes me happy, so it’s alright. Yes, I do get lonely sometimes, not having dated or cared to date in a while, but I have hope that I will find the right person for me at the right time. And one thing I know is that they will LOVE animals. Because, well, these furballs are staying whether or not anyone else likes it.

5. Received some information on the house last week and I think I am going to likely go with the smaller model to keep costs down. I’ve watched and re-watched some of my favorite tiny house videos and it’s reaffirmed in me that I really don’t need that much. Plus, I think back to when I was considering moving all of us into an RV. It’s reminded me to focus on what is truly important and when you do that, it’s very easy to let stuff go.

6. Daylight Savings Time. It may make it harder to get up in the morning but seeing the sunset at night over the Charles again while on my way home, it’s just absolutely beautiful. I know it’s only a matter of time until it’s very bright early in the morning. I know that very soon, (if the snow melts a bit more and stays gone) I will be able to go for my morning runs on the Charles, and I can’t wait.  There is no better feeling than being out there, running along, feeling like nothing can stop you, one foot landing in front of the other, and seeing the sun rise, turning the water a beautiful shade of lavender. Put the crew teams on the water at the same time, and it’s so inspiring. Best way to start the day, in my opinion.

My BonkMan (aka Bonkers) and the diva, Max. They fight when awake, so this picture was particularly endearing to me to capture.
My BonkMan (aka Bonkers) and the diva, Max. They fight when awake, so this picture was particularly endearing to me to capture.

7. Last but not least, while I was home sick last week, I decided to give up coffee. I felt like I was depending on it too much to get going in the mornings, and also, because I don’t like drinking it black, I realized how much extra sugar I was putting into my body. So now, every morning when I wake up, I have a cold glass or two of water with lemon juice. It helps my congestion and also gives me some energy.

Oh, and did I mention it’s snowing AGAIN? Probably not going to amount to much, but the ability to be warm and safe inside, looking out at it, while knowing these furballs are safe and cozy warm with me, well, it’s a good feeling.

If you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or drop me a line below. Thanks for reading!

Never Stop Being Amazed

Terri

My grandmother died back in 2002, and she was definitely my best friend and soul mate. I don’t think your soul mate is necessarily the person you find to be with, but can be someone who you just feel a certain connection with, that you can’t put in words. That’s how it was with us.

So, think back to 2002. The internet was not nearly as developed as it is today. I remember trying to explain the concept of email to my grandmother. I think I failed horribly, btw. But it’s pretty amazing to think of all she saw in her lifetime. Born in 1908, she lived through two world wars and a horrible great depression that shaped the way she thought about possessions and money, as well as my mom’s thoughts on the matter, and in turn, mine. During her lifetime, she saw something other than birds take flight for the very first time. She saw a man land on the moon. She saw the Berlin wall come down. She saw this new “thing” called the internet. It makes me wonder what else can be invented by the time I leave this earth. And yes, I cut her a little slack for not understanding my “post office in the air/sky” kind of description to how email works. She had already taken in enough.

Flash forward to today. I think of the internet and I am amazed at how it has changed my life. I’ve met many people online – some through my previous blog, who I still talk to today and have met in person, and hopefully will host a third online friend for the Boston Marathon (Jill Will Run). I’ve met people in online classes via facebook (KEB) and also in person at tiny house workshops (BH) that have introduced me to others (ahem, BSG) (I also wouldn’t have known about the workshop without the internet.) Some online friends have really been helpful in giving me advice about my diet, and simple living. (DBN and JWT) I can’t thank them enough. I’m a total sponge – ready and willing to soak it all up. I will never get to that point in my life where I think I know everything (um, did that when I was a stupid teenager), and if I do ever get to that point, you all have permission to call me on it and kick my butt!

Most recently, I joined an online facebook group of people who live in NC and like tiny houses. Amazing how it has changed my life – through one of them, I found out about a builder in a small town outside of Charlotte, and now that tiny house dream I have been harboring for some time, is finally going to be a reality. In fact, when I was talking to the project manager (LB) over lunch, I found myself thinking “I could be friends with her if I just met her on the street, too.” I really liked her forthrightness.  Another person (QD) introduced herself to me in that group, saying she is from about 45 minutes away from where I live now.  And when I met her in person, I tell you, it seemed like I had known her forever. That’s rare. And a third made a trip to meet me in person to tell me how proud she was of me for what I was doing, making such a big change in my life. (BLL)

I met one person (DO) on youtube, with whom once I started talking, I felt very comfortable.  He always gives me candid advice, as he has no motive to do otherwise or blow sunshine up my butt. And that’s what I really like about him. His honesty. I would never have “met” him without the internet. Hard to believe.

Of course, there are those of you who I have “met” on here, on this blog, and some of those relationships have translated over to things like facebook or email. (JN, CL, RG).  I learn from all of you and I appreciate all the comments and support. I find writing on here to be cathartic. Some days, I start writing in my journal and then I think, no, this is something I need to share with others. I’m not alone in feeling this way.    

This is not to say that I think online friends of mine will replace my in-person friends. To the contrary, I think they just add to my world and I hope I contribute back half as much as I receive. In fact, when I think about moving from this area, I think first of my best friend. She is so much like a sister to me. I knew she felt the same way when her husband said to me “you can’t move…you’re going to be an Auntie this summer!”  (I already knew she did, intuitively, but it still felt good to hear that.)  Her dad asked me the other day how I would feel about leaving the life that I have created for myself in Boston, and she and her family are a HUGE part of that world. But I will always have them in my heart. And I just know, this is what I need to do now, for me. At one point, even the baby bird has to take that first step and see if it can fly.

So, I’m not sure where I am going with this post, but I felt the need to write it. If I have left anyone out, it’s completely not intentional. I will blame my foggy-headiness to my being sick and congested.

How has the internet changed your life? Are there people in it that never would have been without it? 

If you’ve liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or drop me a line below. Thanks for reading!

Things I Love

Terri
Max and Osito, two that like to be as close to me as possible at ALL times.
Max and Osito, two that like to be as close to me as possible at ALL times.

Sitting here on a Sunday night as I start to write this post. Looking around me and seeing all of my animals dozing or just about there…the bed was just freshly made with laundered sheets and two fleece blankets, so you know what kind of a magnet that’s gonna be this evening for all of the felines! (Well, and this human and of course, the dog.)

It just makes me feel content, moments like this. The heat is running (of course, it is Boston on Feb. 1st, after all, and we are expecting ….wait for it…., more snow!!!) YAYYY (yes folks, you’re not imaging it…that is sarcasm you are hearing as you read this post to yourself.)

But really, it does. I feel content because I know I’m settled in for the night, and don’t have to go out in the cold. (Gotta love having a dog that is trained to use pee pads and who hates the cold, too.) Well, at least I don’t have to go out until the morning anyway, since it’s unlikely my workplace will close.

My buddy, Ross, the pony!!
My buddy, Ross, the pony!!

Earlier today, as is my normal Sunday routine, I got up early, had my two cups of coffee and got ready to go to the shelter to take care of some animals. I was delighted to see that they had another goat that wasn’t there last week! Even the skiddish goats who came in a few weeks ago as emaciated strays seemed a bit more acclimated to us today. And at the end of my shift there, I spent some time with Fancy the horse, and Ross, the pony, outside. Ross can be a bit, how shall we say, overzealous, when food is in front of him, so it was hard holding the last carrot out of his reach so Fancy could eat it. He is such a cutie – he kept backing up or sidling up next to me to be petted and scratched, and then at one point, he got down onto the ground and rolled over on his back and kicked his legs up in the air. It made me so happy to see him so happy (and relieved from his itchy back, I’m sure.)

My cute, little HoneyBun. This is the dog's bed, but whenever the dog is close to me, she loves to spend time there. In this picture, she is kneading the blanket, happy as a cat can be.
My cute, little HoneyBun. This is the dog’s bed, but whenever the dog is close to me, she loves to spend time there. In this picture, she is kneading the blanket, happy as a cat can be.

I have come to realize that whenever I am at the shelter with those animals, I laugh. I talk to them just like I would my pets at home, always in a calming voice, and the horse and pony make me laugh. There are five goats there now, including a mama and baby girl, and the baby girl is such a nut – she has taken to jumping into the wheelbarrow while we are cleaning out her pen. Both myself and  the other volunteer this morning thought it looked super cute, but we still both shook our heads like “girlll….you are weird!!” Only for these animals would I get up so early on a Sunday and actually look forward to cleaning up after them.

That's ok, Max, you just go ahead and lie right there. It's not like I was actually reading that or anything.... :-)
That’s ok, Max, you just go ahead and lie right there. It’s not like I was actually reading that or anything…. 🙂

Other things I love? Spending time with good friends, having a good conversation and four forks to eat a piece of chocolate cake. That’s how I spent my evening last night. It was very needed – with the weather and my starting school two weeks ago, I found myself in a very down mood toward the end of the week. Seeing my best friend and two others definitely helped lift me out of a funk. And hearing that my best friend is still feeling amazing as she reaches week 17 of her pregnancy, that is just awesome in my book. She will find out what she is having in two weeks – my guess is it’s a girl. Don’t know why, but I just do. She is blond haired and blue eyed, and her husband is from the Bahamas, so you all know just how beautiful that baby will be. (I gotta admit, girls are so much more to buy stuff for, what with all the pink clothes and stuff, but …ok, I digress.)

From what I could tell, this was a minivan at one point in its life.
From what I could tell, this was a minivan at one point in its life.

Did I already mention chocolate? (Yeah, there was that bit above about the chocolate cake.) I could go on and on forever about how much I love chocolate, but I’ll stop now so I can shove a few chocolate chips into my mouth…ok, I’m back!

I am sorry for not having blogged the past few weeks but I just started school and am settling into a rhythm of handling that and working full-time. I have to admit, I am enjoying learning again. And I started auditing an animal law class last week at work – it’s so cool to be in a room with so many others that feel the same way about animals you do, and are passionate about it.

Yeah, this is NOT something that I love. Ever. Thank God it's not mine.
Yeah, this is NOT something that I love. Ever. Thank God it’s not mine.

Oh, and one last thing I love? Knowing that this is my LAST winter in the northeast. The location where I am looking to move hardly ever gets snow and as of last week, while we expected a blizzard, its weather forecast was for highs in the 50s. Enough said. I’m going, baby!

What  kinds of things do you love – what warms your heart and makes you laugh as if you don’t have a care in the world? Please drop me a line below and let me know!

As always, if you have liked this post please hit like or subscribe!

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri
Some days, you just don't want to get out of bed. I <3 my diva, Max.
Some days, you just don’t want to get out of bed. 

Just so you know, my cat Max didn’t crawl in under the pillows in the above pic. Rather, he refused to get out of bed or from under the covers so I made my best attempt at making the bed around His Highness. I’d say this past Thursday, many of us felt the same way.

I know I haven’t written this type of post in a while but I have not been in the mood to do so.  Not sure why, but when I’ve thought about writing the post at the end of the night, I’ve just felt way too tired. I know I should always be thankful for what I’ve got, so I’ll try to get back into the routine again.

  1. As of the time I’m starting this post, they’ve caught three of the four suspected terrorists in France. Well, killed three of four of them. I’m just thankful they have caught them, and hope they find the fourth.  With all the news reports making comparisons to the Boston Marathon Bombings, which are still fresh in a lot of our minds, it’s a bit depressing, going back to that day in my mind, when my friend Lisa, Mom2Marathon, was running and got stopped just before the 26 mile marker. I remember her saying she was having a crappy run that day, but that crappy run probably saved her life, so I’m thankful she had an off day.
  2. So thankful the heat is included in my rent, especially when it gets so bitterly cold as it did for most of the country this week. Thursday morning, the temp was -2F and it felt like -22F. In a word, it felt brutal.
  3. My cat Bonkers has a heart murmur so the vet suggested he get an echocardiogram before we give him a dental procedure in February. His results? All good, as I thought they would be. Speaking of pets, my friend Penny from PlanetYnnep Photography has a Australian cattle dog who had a procedure done earlier this week to remove a mass. So far, she seems to be recovering from surgery very well. I don’t know her prognosis as of yet, but it seems like she is recuperating very well, and I’m not surprised as Penny is one of the kindest people I know, and also such a great fur mom.
  4. I went to my mailbox at work the other day and was so surprised to see a gift card in my mail from a professor with whom I’ve worked a bit over the past several years and worked on a somewhat lengthy project. It was totally unexpected and the amount of it made my mouth fall to the floor, quite literally. I was speechless. Still am when I think about it, as it’s been put to good use already and there’s still a good portion of the balance left! Since I had found out earlier that day that I have an unexpected medical bill, it kind of evened things out.
  5. I was able to connect via phone with the vet who handles the large animals for the ARL and she was completely awesome! We talked for over an hour on the phone and I am definitely going to shadow her one day, or if she doesn’t have calls, she said she could show me how she takes care of her horses and other animals. Yay!!! We talked about where I was thinking of moving to and she said something that supported what one of my friends was saying the other day. My friend said when she thinks of horses, she thinks of VA and NC first before Kentucky. The vet said most of her clients who have horses move south to NC.

    So I started looking into NC again as an option. I looked at LocalRanchVets.com, and found that there is an insanely high number of vets or vet practices in or around Greensboro, NC. that work with large animals. It’s a bit over an hour from the Raleigh area and in the area that most people refer to as the Triad, rather than the Triangle. (It’s near Winston-Salem, and High Point, etc.) I started looking at job postings on craigslist for vet assistants/receptionists/technicians and wow, there are a ton!  And even better, the cost of living appears to be doable!

    Needless to say, I will do more research but am excited. When I found myself thinking of Kentucky, I was feeling this little nagging feeling in the back of my mind as I saw how many houses were available in a very low price range and was worried it also meant that the job market was extremely bad. I could be wrong. Hell, I could be wrong about a lot of things!  But I plan on making at least one trip pretty soon, maybe even in February to check out areas. Even if it’s only for a long weekend, it’s better to see something in person and do your own research than to rely on other’s opinions.

  6. Earlier this week, I paid my tuition for my prereq classes – thank you to all of you who have supported and encouraged me as I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! 🙂

If you’ve liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, and if you’re thankful for something this week and feel like sharing, drop me a line below!

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

Friday, people. It’s Friday. Thank freaking god.

My office mate is now officially gone to her new job on the other side of the country. Although I love having an office space all to myself, it’s just not the same. We shared an office for five years. You get used to the other person’s habits and quirks and we used to bounce ideas and questions off of each other pretty regularly. She knew all the business stuff and she knew the foreign and international treaty stuff so it worked well. I would hear the words “securities, equities, stocks” and start to hear “wa wa … wa wa wa” (those of you old enough to remember the Peanuts comics, just think of the voice you would hear every time a parent was talking) and she felt the same way every time mentioned “treaty” so like I said, it worked. So I’ve been kind of bummed this week, but now it’s the weekend.

Remember how I said I thought I had lost my wallet for good at the Animal Rescue League and I feared it might be in the manure pile?? Well, someone found it, thank God. I finally got my replacement zipcard so now I can actually go to the ARL and retrieve my wallet. And that means I can go and volunteer this weekend again, so yay, back to picking up poop and petting animals!

Not sure why, but two nights ago, I rode my bike home from work around the same time I usually do. I feel like lately it’s been pitch black at night every time, like I feel like it’s midnight, it’s so dark. That night, however, there was a gorgeous sunset and I was able to see it reflecting off of/over the Charles River. Just beautiful.

My list is short and sweet this week – I’ll be very honest, I’m just glad this week is about to come to an end because I’m just super tired.

But, if you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe or drop me a line letting me know if there’s anything you feel thankful for in your life this week!

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri
I'm very thankful for this little muffinhead! Baby O!
I’m very thankful for this little muffinhead! Baby O!

It’s Thanksgiving week, so there is a lot to be thankful for. The roof over my head and that of my animals (two of which are sleeping very close to me as I start typing this post).  The great meal that I have been invited to with the parents of my best friend. The extra hours I am working at the gym tomorrow and Saturday to keep plugging away and adding to my savings before my big move next year. Knowing my brother is traveling to my mom in upstate NY for the holiday so he won’t be alone. Having an awesome niece in MI who I love more than anything else being able to text back and forth with me regularly, on her mom’s phone. She’s amazingly fast and correct when she types – none of these stupid acronyms that most kids use!  (Although, yes, I do use a lot of acronyms myself when texting, lol)

Now, what’s not so great about this week is that somehow I lost my wallet earlier today when I was at the ARL down in Dedham taking care of the livestock. I retraced all of my steps and couldn’t find it. The only thing I didn’t do was to go through the manure dumpster. It’s the only place it could be now, so if nothing else, I’m grateful for knowing my bank card won’t get used fraudulently. If it is in there, no one is going in to get it, trust me. Have you ever smelled rooster poop?? Good God, it stinks!!

Ok, so picking up rooster and chicken poop and horse poop isn’t the most awesome job in the world. But you know what? I love being with the animals. I loved hearing the roosters and the chickens cooing as I took care of them, and especially when their feed bowls were replenished. One of the other volunteers said “ohhh they sound happy….”  This morning, Fancy, the beautiful horse, came right up to me when she saw me (they had kept her in the barn overnight due to the weather). She put her head next to mine and I got to pet her face and give her a kiss. I was like “yep, this is where I want to be right now.”

I’m grateful for having taken the Scribie transcription test last week and having passed it! Now I can start to do transcribing on my own time and make some extra money for emergencies, etc. It will also make me keep my listening skills strong, and that’s never a bad thing.

What kinds of things are you thankful for this week and this holiday?

 

 

 

Little Things for Which I am Thankful: Weekend Edition!

Terri
Mr. Billy Goat and his shy female friend. She's just beautiful up close.
Mr. Billy Goat and his shy female friend. She’s just beautiful up close.

I’m not going to put this in list order like I usually do, because, well, I’m just not in the mood and I feel like sometimes that breaks up the flow of my thoughts.

I have had a great weekend so far! Yesterday started out bright and early, about 5:30. I spent the morning with the barn animals at the Animal Rescue League from about 7:40-9:30 a.m. I learned how they take care of the pigs, pigeons, chickens and the outside animals too (goats, sheep, and horse.) And yes, I honestly had no problem dealing with animal poop! Maybe having the herd of my own to look after at home, it doesn’t phase me anymore. (Now, ask me to change a baby’s diaper and the thought terrifies me! LOL). When we were all done, I had about 45 minutes during which I could spend a little time socializing with the animals. This is exactly what it sounds like – getting them to feel more comfortable around humans. Read more →

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

Hi everyone, sorry I didn’t get this regular post out last week. I started writing it and then had to get ready to go to a wedding, so yeah, that’s on my list!

1.  Went to a wedding of some good friends last week. Very cool, and all different types of music was played as well as Billy Idol’s White Wedding, which the DJ played as the bride and groom and their bridal party exited the ceremony! Gotta love it.

2. Some of you already know this, but yesterday was my Birthday!! Yes, my “something schmunthing| annivesary of 29. At least that’s what I sometimes call it.  But honestly, I’m not embarrassed by my age. It’s 42. Yep. Over the big 4-0. i have to be honest. Once you get past 40, it really doesn’t bother you as much. Well, maybe I can only speak for myself, but there you have it.

3. i am so grateful that Netflix finally got the fourth season of episodes of The Walking Dead. There aren’t  many shows that I will binge watch, but that is one of them. I watched it yesterday while it was raining and cold outside, and had a few animals snuggled up next to me. It was a really nice, relaxing day. I didn’t have anything planned on a schedule, just the way I wanted it. 🙂

4. I talked to the adoption supervisor for the animal shelter with whom I have volunteered in the past, the Animal Rescue League of Boston. This time, it was with the Dedham location. I’m hoping to start volunteering very soon with their barn animals or livestock animals. I’ll only be able to go once per week, but I’ll be able to help clean out their stalls/pens, as well as learn  how to groom them. I can’t wait! I seriously should have become a vet or a farmer if I hadn’t so stupidly gone to law school!

5. A gentleman just stopped into my office this afternoon and we have a mutual acquaintance/friend in common. It was great to discuss our mutual friend as we both have a huge respect for him. He told me that one of our Brazilian students had recommended he come by to meet me while he was in town. Wow, such a compliment. This same student told me that the mutual friend had asked the Brazilian students if they had met with me yet (he was in town pretty recently and took them all out to dinner.) He told them that if they hadn’t, or didn’t, they would regret it! This is a HUGE compliment for him to have given me, given his stature in his home country. But again, that’s just how he is. 🙂

6. I am so thankful for the advice and thoughts many of you left on my last post, about defining (and choosing) priorities. You’ve given me so much food for thought. I thank you very much.

7. Lastly, I am so thankful it’s FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!

If you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe! Thanks for reading.

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

photo 1 (4)

I know these posts usually come out on a Friday, but I wanted to be able to write this post from a place of gratitude, you know? And that’s how I am feeling today. Yesterday, well, in the words of someone who commented on my blog recently, I was just “waiting until Friday.”

1. I was lamenting with a colleague how it seems like libraries have changed so much over the past few years. To me, they seem to have become very corporatized (well, some of them, anyway) and I look at my own library and see how it’s changed. When I started there, I was by far, the most inexperienced person. And I mean, BY YEARS, I was the least experienced. And knowledgeable. Now, I’m the one who has been in the department the longest. It’s scary, and it’s sad.

But, someone decided to make my day yesterday, and it came in the form of one of the reference librarians with whom I worked in the very beginning. Naomi came into the library yesterday for the first time since she had retired, back in 2006. She’s the only librarian in our library who has a plaque dedicated to her near the reference desk. At first when she walked in with her family, I asked “are you here for the reunion?” and then I looked at her and was like “oh my God, Naomi!!” and immediately ran at her.

That woman has probably forgotten more than I will ever learn in my life. She reminded me of a time in my job when I was always, always learning. You’d think you had exhausted every avenue you knew of, and every resource, and you’d go to one of the more senior librarians and ask, “is there anything I’m missing?” and inevitably they would come up with something. (I still have that today in a colleague or two, but it’s just not the same. When you add up all the years of experience in my department these days, we probably add up to about 1 to 1.75 of the library reference librarians’ experience before, and that was a big department of about 7.

When she left, her husband turned to me and said “you made her day,” and I said “no, she made mine.”  We just kept giving each other hugs.

2. I may be dating myself by bringing up this movie, but does anyone out there remember the movie, Legends of the Fall? Back from around 1994? You may remember it had Aidan Quinn and Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins? Well, there was a line in the movie where the old Native American says something about Brad Pitt’s character, Tristan, coming into the “quiet stage” of his life. That’s kind of how I felt earlier this week when we had all that rain, and the shortness of the daylight seemed to be strikingly obvious to me, much more so than normal. It made me really start to think about things and get some things sorted out in my mind. And I have felt kind of “quiet.” It’s kind of like the feeling that comes over me when all I can hear in the apartment is the sound of the bubbling pet water fountain and maybe a snoring animal or two. Like right now, as I sit here typing this, every single furball in this place is sound asleep. It’s a feeling of contentment, of just feeling like everything is right as it should be, right now.

3. I am grateful for having good friends and for having good friends who give me good advice. Not necessarily what I want to hear, but good advice in that it comes from a good place inside of them and because it’s honest.  One of them told me to think of my dreams or life as a sentence that you diagram – think about the big picture, and then see the parts that make up the whole. Think of what you want the end result to be, and then you’ll figure out how to get there.

4.  I am grateful that the weather today is absolutely gorgeous. The sun is out, and lots of people are walking and running around the reservoir out back. It’s one of those days where I wish we could just freeze the calendar and not move forward.

5. I am grateful for quiet, peaceful days like today, where there is nothing on the schedule unless I want it to be. So, I’m going to the movies tonight with my best friend and her husband. We’re a movie watching trio – Gone Girl is what we will be seeing. I’ve read the book, so I can’t wait to see how it translates to the big screen. Definitely one of those books that is hard to put down.

6. I am grateful for young adult fiction about vampires. Yes, I said it. There, I admit it!! It’s what I like to read! It allows me to escape into another world and reminds me of what I loved about reading as a child. I used to lose myself in books, and now I”m doing it again.

7. I am grateful for views like those pictured above. And for coming home and seeing my two boys, Max and Sebastian, curled up on the loveseat (see below.)  I wanted to sit there, but I don’t have heart to make them move. Could you??

Sleepy boys...
Sleepy boys…

What are you thankful for this week? Please drop me a line below. And if you’ve liked this post, please hit like or subscribe! Thanks for reading.

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri
Doesn't my baby girl Osito look like she's smirking?? :-)
Doesn’t my baby girl Osito look like she’s smirking?? 🙂

You know how it feels when you wake up one morning and you feel a little tickle in your throat that wasn’t there the night before? Yep…happened to me on Tuesday. I went to work anyway, thinking, ok, maybe I can get through this without it becoming worse. We have all this leftover candy in one of my colleague’s office (from an event) so I felt like a 70 year old Wilford Brimley, sucking on Worthers’ Originals all day long.  (If you don’t know what I’m referring to here, well, please don’t tell me and make me feel old…) While they tasted good, they didn’t do squat to fight a cold. So…I took the next two days off while the cold went into my chest and then into my head. I still have it now, but it’s much more manageable. Nothing that a lot of cold medicine and sleep can’t  help!

Here’s just a sampling of what I am thankful for this week:

1. I am so thankful that I had over 60 days of sick time saved up so I was able to be paid for those days off. Not everyone can. At least my head doesn’t feel like it wants to explode from the pressure today, anymore.

2. You know how animals always know when something is off with their human (slave?) Mine are no exception. As Mom needed to sleep, they burrowed in next to me both days. I felt very loved.

Don't worry, Mom, snuggles will make you feel better.
Don’t worry, Mom, snuggles will make you feel better.

3. How well my building is maintained. When I got sick, I finally got the energy up to take a shower, only to find that I had no hot water. The guys in my  building figured out the problem pretty quickly, and wow, did the hot steam from the shower make me feel a ton better!

4.Still thankful that October is a 3 paycheck month!! I have paid about $1167 on my student loan this month so far, and I would like to pay a bit more if I can! Just seeing the balance go down to the $13K range feels freaking awesome!

5. This weekend is the pretty famous Head of the Charles Regatta, where crew teams from all over compete. I was able to sit and watch them practice yesterday for a few hours. If you have never seen how powerful the big 8-man/woman boats appear to be when watching a really good team work together, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s pretty inspiring. They are one of my favorite parts about Boston – whenever I run around the Charles on morning runs, seeing them row by always gives me a little boost of motivation to keep on going.

6. Being home sick and not having a TV, what’s a girl to watch, other than Netflix and YouTube? I ended up watching several videos of people talking about minimalism and budgeting, and I’m even more jazzed than ever at keeping a lid on my expenses and seeing just how low can I go.

So, this morning, I woke up, and really wanted to make a smoothie to use up some food in my fridge. Problem is, I don’t have a blender anymore. I found that I didn’t really use the large blender that often, like I had used my single serving blenders in the past. (Unfortunately, both were on the cheaper side and lasted less than one year.) So, this morning, I ordered the Nutribullet through Target, and it’s ready and waiting for me to pick it up later today. Hello, healthier-eating-me! Hello, less wasting of food! Hello, green smoothies! (It’s a bit more expensive but it seems to have a lot more power than the others did, so here’s hoping…)

7. I heard from my author the other day – she has more work for me to do! Not a ton, but hey, every little bit helps!  Working for her helps me to justify/rationalize the purchase of an Asus Transformer T100 which I should be receiving through Amazon this weekend, yay! (Quick explanation – my chromebook is not compatible with Microsoft Office, and I need some of the extra functionality of Word that Google Docs doesn’t give me.)  This is a purchase that I think will pay for itself over time, if I can get some online work to supplement any kind of workamping or physical work I will end up doing. For people like me living on a budget (or at least trying to), it gets good reviews.

A view of all the crew teams lined up, ready to practice on the Charles River, before the Head of the Charles Regatta.
A view of all the crew teams lined up, ready to practice on the Charles River, before the Head of the Charles Regatta.

What are you thankful for this week? Please drop me a line below! Also, hit like or subscribe if you’ve liked this post, and thanks for reading!