Tag: family

Staying motivated, journalling, side hustling, and goal setting.

Staying motivated, journalling, side hustling, and goal setting.

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Do you feel inspired when you see a blank sheet of paper like in this photo above? Or does it stress you out?

I don’t know about a lot of you but I journal just about every day.  A blank page in a notebook is actually exciting to me because writing helps me to stay grounded and focus on what is going on in this befuddled brain of mine and put things in some semblance of order. Below is the abbreviated version of the thoughts rumbling around in my head for the past week or so.

Side hustling:

I haven’t been blogging as much over the past week or so because I’ve been doing a lot of transcribing for my friend Elaine.  Have to do the side hustle work when you can get it!  None of that time is wasted as I am continuing to learn about topics of which I knew almost nothing about beforehand. The day I stop learning is a day I never want to experience!

I am continuing to do the Proofread Anywhere class with the goal of eventually being able to do that as freelance income. It’s actually helping me to become a better writer.  I’m re-learning a lot of grammar rules that I forgot so long ago.  So while it may appear that by going through those exercises, I’m digressing from my other goals, I don’t see it that way.  I see them all melding together in a beneficial way.

Changes to finance goals:

With the new tax bill providing me with a whole $15 per pay check (note the sarcasm), I decided to increase my 401(k) contribution to 8% of my paycheck.  An additional $9 per paycheck, but as anyone knows when saving for long term goals, every little bit helps.  Plus, the government gets $1 less per paycheck this way if my calculations are correct.  Every extra dollar for me is a dollar less for them, so I’m okay with that!

I’ve learned that many of my coworkers (including my boss) don’t have a 401(k) set up yet and the thought of that scares the bejesus out of me, to be my age (45) and not have anything saved up.  That was the situation with my mom – never had a 401(k) and I REFUSE to let that become me.

I am starting to plan on paper for what I want to happen over the next 12 months, monetarily-wise.  That involves making some good headway on my auto loan, of which the balance is currently $4,079.12.  My monthly payment has been $141.42.  I plan on increasing that to about $155/month.  That way, I have made at least one extra payment on it by the end of the year.

I’m revamping my budget to see where things can be cut and how I can save more money on things like groceries.  Becoming a full vegan will help, as a lot of the junk foods that I used to eat would contain things like cheese or milk  chocolate, so I will be eating better as well. I’ve taken my lunch to work for years, but now it involves a salad pretty much every day and I’m learning ways to make the salad more filling (using tofu, adding peanuts, etc.) so I’m less likely to snack during the day or crave something that isn’t good for me.  And really – veggies and other produce don’t have to be expensive if you are careful.

I have decided I really need to live by a budget if I am going to get ahead.  A future post will lay it all out.  I need accountability partners for it!

Writing goals:

Due tomorrow for my Writing for Social Change class is a plan regarding what project I want to work on for the semester, with the goal of having something to publish.   I’ve decided to write a memoir, and I’m learning that it’s definitely different than writing your autobiography.  (That’s a good thing because my autobiography could probably be used by people who suffer from insomnia.  They wouldn’t need any sleep aid after that! LOL).

From all the memoirs I’ve read, I’ve learned something.  Also, I have realized that writing this blog is kind of like writing my memoir in a way.  With each of my posts, I hope to touch someone’s heart or soul and inspire.  That’s why I share as much as I do in my posts.  I want to give words or comfort to someone else who might have experienced the same as me or had the same thoughts as me, but who just can’t put those into words.

By tomorrow, I need to and shall have a schedule prepared for just how I plan to accomplish that over the next few months. It is going to involve a lot of my telling my inner editor to Shut the F Up! 🙂  I am not sure yet how it will all unfold but I do know that animals will probably play a prominent role in my writing of it. My pets and my love for animals are behind so many of my decisions.

Accountability Partner:

I have already asked my friend Dan if he would like to be a reader of mine for my memoir.  He knows me very well and will be able to tell if what I’ve written just doesn’t sound like something I would say, or if something is coming across to the reader in one way but is meant to be understood in a different way.  He’s always been blunt with me about things, and sometimes I even ask him to play devil’s advocate.  He’s the one who tells me to “Focus, focus, focus!!” when I start telling him about all of my goals and thoughts and they seem to be bouncing all over the place.  I need that, trust me!  By the way, if you want to follow him on youtube, he is known as Wander Dano.  After watching his recent video on why he chose his Class B, I have to say, he really has me thinking about saving up for one.

Thank you:

I wanted to thank those of you who have written comments or sent me messages about my dad.  He died on Sunday morning, ten years to the day that his younger brother died from early-onset Alzheimers.  It is for the best, and all of my siblings and I will be converging at Boston in the very beginning of March for his wake service.  He is being cremated so it can be pushed back until then.  Although the circumstances suck, it will be really good to see my friends again and to have all five of us together again.

Below is a picture of all of us at my brother’s wedding this past May.  In case you’re wondering, I’m the short girl standing next to the really tall guy in the suit!!

 

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We range in age from 44 (the groom) to 58 – if you ask me, I think we look pretty damn good for our ages!! My oldest brother, Mike, is on the right, and is currently overlanding through South America with his wife, Geneva.  (And yes, “overlanding” is a real word.)  You can read about their adventures at It’s Not a Slow Car, It’s a Fast House.  He will be flying to Boston from Nicaragua.  His wife, Geneva, writes most of the posts and she is a great writer, so please check out their blog.  You’ll learn a lot!  Living an unconventional life appears to agree with him, wouldn’t you say?

What kinds of activities do you do to ground yourself?  How do you make plans or do you make plans on a yearly basis, or longer or shorter?  Anyone out there willing to be an accountability partner with me about any of my goals?  Especially my financial ones??  Please comment below!!

This post has already become much longer than I planned, so as always, I thank you for reading.  Please share it if you think it will help someone else out, or resonate with someone.

 

 

 

 

Off the Prozac!!!!

Terri
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The pic of my beauties, Osito and Max, has nothing to do with Prozac of course, but what would a blog post be without some of my furballs??!!

That’s right, folks, as of yesterday, all the Prozac is out of my system! Gone! Finito! Out of here!!

Those of you who have read my blog for a long time know how important this is to me and what a long road it’s been. I know my last post on the subject said that i was going to stay on it. And at the time, I did. But about five weeks ago, I just decided, “you know what? Maybe my occasional down-ish feelings right now are just situational. Or, just normal down periods, like everyone has. I wonder how I would feel if I were to just stop taking it for a day, and then maybe two. You know, see where it goes?” So, I did.

You see, 20 mg is usually the starting dose that they have you take. I remember the difference in the beginning – how that one little pill would make a subtle (but noticeable to me) difference in my alertness. It was if things were a bit “sharper.” Maybe heightened is another word to use to describe it. At any rate, that’s the best way I can describe it.

So, when I started my new regimen of no Prozac on a daily basis, this time I didn’t say anything to anyone other than my friend Dan, and one person here in UT, my friend, M. Dan isn’t local but he knows my struggles with this in the past so he was there to check up on me since we text/facebook message almost every day and he would notice any mood swings, if they occurred.  Same thing for my friend here in Utah. They’re both people I trust a lot to tell me things straight up, No Bullshit. I think it’s important we all have at least one or two awesome people in our life like that, don’t you agree?

As I went for a run earlier today, I thought of how my life has changed in the past five years since I’ve been on Prozac. About how I’ve changed, internally, and what has gone on during that time, externally. It’s been quite the ride.

In five years, I’ve gotten divorced, and began volunteering with animals. I’ve had one serious long term and long distance relationship with someone who was completely different from my husband, and I learned I did have the capacity to love and be loved again. I was not completely broken and wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life alone, as I feared when I first began thinking of leaving my marriage.

Back in Boston, I met some wonderful women who quickly formed a great circle of friends, and whom I miss greatly now. There is one in particular who even became a sister to me, Sarita.  I call her family my “Massachusetts family.” While I knew I was lucky to have her and them in my life back then, as the saying goes, you never truly know what you have until you don’t have it anymore. I can keep up with all of them on facebook and the like, but it’s not the same when you can’t just call them up and say “hey, do you want to come over and hang out?” Sarita and I used to do that a lot – we just “got” each other, from the very beginning. I call her my sister by another mother. And I really miss her.

In those five years, I realized that working at a job that pays you well monetarily is not the end-all of life. I’ve given up a good paying job that just didn’t fulfill me anymore to move across the country to a place where I didn’t know a soul, and to where I could work with animals full-time. I thought that move was my dream come true, but have now realized, it wasn’t. I’m still figuring out why that is the case, but I’m confident in deciding it was not the place for me to stay, long term.

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Yep, another picture of Zion, this one taken last week while I went with a friend! Btw, there are absolutely no changes made to this pic – the sky was actually THAT blue!

And again, I’ve made one very good friend here who I know I will miss seeing on an almost-daily basis, M.  I’m using that initial for her first name and for the fact that many of us call her “Mom” at work. Seeing her makes me smile because she always tries to get through every day with a positive attitude. She is the one who taught me to start the day with a hug from someone who cares. I’m comforted by knowing she will only be 75 miles away or so, rather than the 2500+ distance that separates me and Sarita, but it’s scary to think of starting over again, you know? Once again, being the new person in town. However, while it’s scary, it’s also exciting. I get to see things again for the first time. And this time, I do have a friend who already lives in town, J.

These friendships have made me realize I was not really living and trying to be my authentic self when I was married. I was going through the motions of life, carrying out what I thought was supposed to be my dream life. Having a house and a dog and a husband to come home to every night. Having friends in the form of other couples (who were really his friends and not mine) to hang out with. Having a healthy(ier) bank account and less worries, knowing there was someone else to lean on. I didn’t work so hard to create friendships of my own. There were a few individuals I was friends with, but those friendships, while one or two may still continue on today, were not as strong  or intense as the ones I made afterward, while on my own.

 

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It was beautiful to see the Virgin River flowing and looking so clear, compared to how it looks in the summertime.

While I was running, I was also thinking, how I feel like I’m a different person, or a bit of a different person, than I was five years ago. It’s weird though- physically, I’m still the same (if not wanting to be in the same shape as I was in after the divorce) person, but mentally and philosophically, there have been many changes. And I think there are many more to come.

What is that saying – if something doesn’t scare you, then it’s not worth doing? Well, then I guess this move of location and job is worth doing.

 

 

 

 

 

A LOT Has Been Going On!

Terri

Sorry I’ve been silent the past few weeks but wow, it has been quite the whirlwind!

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Try to handle the cuteness in this picture if you can. I ❤ Bonkers and Osito.

I couldn’t say things publicly but I was in the midst of making some big changes. You may have remembered my musing at times about finding some workamping gigs and my planning on doing Amazon Camperforce in the fall months. Well, I interviewed for three different workamping gigs and was offered positions at all three! (For the curious, they were at Yellowstone National Park, Cedar Pass Lodge in the Badlands, and also Lake Powell Resort in AZ.)

I couldn’t believe that three different people so quickly wanted to hire me! I was extremely flattered, and I made sure to tell the two employers with whom I decided to not pursue employment that I was going to be taking a job elsewhere and my reasons why. I decided to go with Lake Powell for many reasons.

Lake Powell is only 75 miles from where I am currently located, and the weather would be nicest. I’ve been there many times, and I love the area (did I mention there is a huge, huge, HUGE lake there?) Plus, the pay was pretty good, the housing was very, very inexpensive, and last but not least, I already knew people who lived in the area, both in Page, and also my friends here in Kanab. I thought it would be a good way of easing myself into the workamping lifestyle, and it gave me a lot of options, RV-wise. I could easily move my current RV there (the big fifth wheel) by having someone transport it for me, and not have it cost an arm and a leg. To move the fifth wheel to either of the other locations would be HUGELY expensive. Or, I could sell my fifth wheel and look into buying a smaller rig, with a different tow vehicle, before I would move in a few months.

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I took this pic from the beach that is located just below the Wahweap RV & Campground at the Lake Powell Resort. The difference in the colors you see in the rocks across the water shows how high the water used to be in Lake Powell, compared to today.

So flash forward to a few weeks ago. A friend asked me if I might be interested in pursuing a full-time position as a campground supervisor at Lake Powell! So I went and interviewed with who will be my future boss, and spent a few hours there, meeting some of the employees and the outgoing supervisor. They wanted me to think about it over the weekend and I did (a lot) and then we talked that following Monday, and they wanted me to take the job!  There are three permanent employees, who are all in what they call Lead positions, and then the rest are temporary, seasonal workers, and I understand that some of them are returning. Hearing that makes me feel better – if you keep coming back year after year, there must be something good going on there.

I should mention – during that weekend while I thought about the job, I was also able to see a lot of family members that I haven’t seen a ton of over the years. My younger brother, (who long time readers will remember is an amazing runner who has done several marathons and (now) four ultra marathons!) traveled out to the Phoenix area to run another 100 mile trail race. I am so proud of him for having completed it in 21 hours, 27 minutes, and 32 seconds!! He was pretty amazing, as always. The course was a 20 mile loop that they ran 5 times. He led the race in first place for the first 80 miles (and that includes his first 20 mile lap at a pace of about 8:30/mile.) He was only overtaken at about mile 85. He came in third overall and set a PR for himself at this distance, beating his first two races by about 7 hours!!

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This pic was taken from higher up than the beach, toward where the employee campground and lodging location is. My phone camera just doesn’t show the elevation change well.

I must say, I don’t take this job switch lightly, and a few people very close to me have expressed guilt in thinking that they were, in some way, partly to blame for my looking to move on from my current situation. Here’s the thing. Yes, I do take their opinions seriously.  I also consider these folks to be very close to me and always have my best interests at heart. However, no one forced me to make the decision to uproot myself and move from a big northeastern city to a small town in Utah. That was my decision to make. And it’s not one that I regret. That’s because I think the decision to come here was one that I was meant to make. Every decision has moved me closer to where I am supposed to be, and who I am supposed to be, and what I am supposed to be in this world. I have faith in that being true.  It’s been a learning experience and those are not always easy and comfortable. Unfortunately, learning can sometimes be painful, in the moment, anyway.

I realized this town is too small for me, and it doesn’t have enough going on to keep me happy. The town I am moving to is not a huge city like Boston but it does have more amenities than where I am now, relying so much on the tourism industry. Not that I love what Walmart stands for, but it is a huge advantage to have a store like Walmart so that if something breaks past 6 p.m., I will know that there is a place where I can likely buy a replacement part. Or, if I need a prescription filled on a weekend sometime after 12 noon on a Saturday, I have a hope of getting it filled.  To me, small things like that give me a measure of comfort. It’s not that I want to be spending all of my time at the local Walmart, but the fact that I won’t have to drive for 75 miles to get there, gives me comfort.

I’ve also realized I need to have some body of water near me. Back in Boston, my building had a beautiful reservoir out back. Even if I wasn’t going for a run around it, it was there if I wanted to just sit and “be.” To be able to sit and listen to the lap of waves on the shore is a huge comfort to me, even if I can see land on the other side. (In fact, I think seeing land on the other side actually makes me feel more comforted than sitting by the ocean and realizing the closest land mass is thousands of miles away.)

However, I feel guilt when I think of the fact that now the people with whom I work at the sanctuary have to look again for another staff member, leaving them short staffed again. And I also feel guilt when I think of leaving the amazing animals at the sanctuary behind. I know they are extremely well cared for, but caring for animals is what made me move 2600 miles. It’s what made me take such a huge cut in salary. I can’t ever give up on animals.

I really, really thought that when I made this big move, that this was IT. I really did. So, yes, I’m disappointed. But I’ve also made a very good friend or two over the past six months, and these are people I really feel like I was meant to meet and have in my life. They’ve taught me a lot about the goodness in people, and for that I am thankful. Sometimes I hear about such wickedness and crap going on in the world and wonder what makes some people the way they are.

So, I’ve already contacted the animal shelter in the town where I will be, and I plan on volunteering there as much as possible once I’m settled in. I stopped in this past weekend and immediately several cats came right up to me for attention. I didn’t let myself go visit with the dogs as I didn’t want to get them all excited and then not be able to take them on walks. As it was, I wanted to take home so many of the cats!! It is a small shelter but it does incredible work with the resources it has.

So now I’m thinking…maybe this is the reason I moved to this part of the US. To help share the beauty of this part of the country with visitors through my job.  To have a living situation that will allow me to be able to make some headway on paying off my RV and my car (and yes, that pesky private student loan), while also providing some comfort to shelter animals that can really use it.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I’m sorry that I worried a few of you who wrote to me after not hearing from me on here for so long. I just had to focus my energies on things like job searching and stuff at certain times, so the blog had to step aside for a bit. Thanks for reading, as always.

 

 

 

 

Little Things for Which I am Thankful….wellll……

Terri

Yep, the “welll…..” says it all.  It’s been that kind of week.

Ok, first, a picture of my kitty cat, Bonkers, aka, the Bonk Man. He’s mentioned in number 6 below so having his picture here is not completely random. (And it occurs to me I may have used it before, but hey, he looks super cute in it, no?)

Don't you just love his ears???
Don’t you just love his ears???

Let’s start with the draft of a post I had started yesterday, but didn’t get a chance to finish due to my running from one job to the other:

“I’m feeling like I am in a bit of a funk this week, and I’m not sure why. This morning I started to try writing it out in my journal because sometimes that helps. But I’m just feeling, well…really, bleh. Meh. You know the feeling. You just don’t give a shit about much.

My apartment is a mess, and usually this would bother me enough to spur me into action. Today? Yeah, not so much. Was supposed to work out with my trainer this morning – my last of ten sessions. Decided I felt like crap and just couldn’t do it this morning, so I cancelled. Feeling exhausted, even though I went to bed last night around 8:30, and only got up around 4 a.m. this morning. That’s more sleep than I normally get during the week nights.  Been drinking more coffee during the daytime, and not liking the fact that I think I need it to make it through the day. Usually, I only drink it at home and then just toughen up during the daytime.”

  1. I am thankful today to not be in such a funk.  After I wrote that yesterday, I made myself kick my own ass into gear. It was hard, and definitely slow-moving, but I got moving nonetheless.
  2. A family member of mine ended a relationship this week. Without going into details, let’s just say if I ever come upon this other (now-ex) person in real life, they are going to get a good ass-kicking, because no one makes a sibling of mine feel the way my sibling did, NO ONE!! (Seriously, people, there is a reason some people refer to me as the Tasmanian Devil. Don’t get me pissed off!) (Just kidding…welllll…..) LOL (Really, I am very protective of my younger sibling, so when someone puts that sibling down, I get really upset.)
  3. It is finally Friday. I seem to be including that a lot in my lists lately….hmmmm
  4. I’ve felt really adrift lately, not exactly sure where I want to be next fall, but just knowing, not here. Been getting really down thinking of what the workamping salaries might be like. But I realized this morning, I can make it work, I just have to work really hard at also getting some sort of online thing going to create a bit of a buffer zone, financially speaking.
  5. The scooter – oh…the scooter…those of you who are friends with me on facebook know already – I just don’t feel comfortable riding it. In fact, I’m downright scared. Yes, after getting the motorcycle license and everything. I just get this feeling in my gut when I’m on it, that I shouldn’t be. So, now I’m trying to sell it, either via craigslist, or even possibly to a dealer.  Only thing I am grateful for is well, at least now I know what I DON’T LIKE, and what I DO LIKE.  For me, that’s the simplicity of my electric bike. ❤
  6. This morning, my Bonkers, my white cat with the funky ears that make him look like a teddy bear, came up to me and sat on my lap. Although he loves for me to pet him, and he purrs a lot, he’s never done that before. He got all snuggly this morning too. I hope it’s a forecast of more snuggles to come with him.

So anyway, there you have it, folks. I hope your week has been better than mine. But I do know that overall, I’ve got it good. I really can’t complain. Sometimes, the tired part of your brain just takes over and makes you whine. Which is annoying.

So anyway, if you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or drop me a line below. I especially appreciate the comments, as I really want to establish or help grow a community on here. I love talking with and (hopefully eventually) meeting with people that I feel like I really connect to.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

Wow, I am SO GLAD today is Friday. I’m just tired. Been a long week with lots to do and I’m feeling overwhelmed about a few things. I just have to keep chugging away.

First, I’m very thankful for my second job at the gym. I never see the money that comes in for it, other than to see my tiny home/motorhome fund growing every two weeks. I’ve become the go-to person, in a way, for extra shifts, because I can usually am able to take them, and I guess they realize I’m dependable. All a good thing. I’m opening up there next week, 6 out of 7 days.  Since I have a ton of time saved up at my full time job, I am taking some time off there so I don’t get completely burnt out.

How can you not fall in love with this adorable face?
How can you not fall in love with this adorable face?

Second, I just have to share this picture of little Osito with you. I was getting ready this morning at around 4 a.m. and she had woken up. She and the rest of the animals were looking at me through these little slits of tired looking eyes, and I thought to myself, “it’s even early for them!” I felt badly for waking them up, but I know what they are going to do while I’m gone today. (Yep, a hard day’s work of sleeping.)   Anyway, Osito just looked so super cute, and as I walked toward her, even though she’s blind, she knew I was approaching and her tail started wagging a mile a minute. On last night’s walk, I’m not kidding – she was practically running! It makes me so happy to see her so spritely moving, and knowing she has that youthful energy at times. She makes me smile so much, I honestly don’t think I could love that little one any more than I already do.

Third, I was able to make that extra payment of $400 on my  LAL student loan today as originally planned. This is in addition to the $167 payment that is regularly scheduled. While this won’t bring the balance below $16K, it will bring it closer, anyway. And I’m not done yet paying on it for the month!  Will keep you updated, as always!

Fourth, I’m going to a party/housewarming tonight and will get to see some folks that I don’t get to see often. It’s a  nice opportunity to just get together and relax.

Fifth, my marathon training is still ongoing. Thankful that my brother, who is also my coach, is going conservative with my mileage so I don’t ramp up too quickly.  It is super important to me to not get injured. And for the most part, I’ve been feeling good on my runs. I’m not fast, but I don’t care. To me, right now, it’s more about the fact that I am doing it.

Sixth, my little brother, the aforementioned running coach, took on a Penniless Challenge over the past two weeks. For one week, he didn’t spend a cent if it would benefit him. (Meaning the money he spent on flowers for my mom for Mom’s Day didn’t count.) He did really, really well, even though I know it was definitely hard for him. But you know what? He found he liked making his coffee at home much better than waiting in line at Starbucks! (This is saying a lot – my brother used to work for Starbucks back in the day and loves their coffee!)

Well, on to the day! If you have liked this post, please drop me a line below, hit “like” or subscribe! And, thank you!

 

 

 

 

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

I’m sure we have all made decisions in our lives that caused others pain, whether we intended it to or not. I sometimes find myself going back in time in my mind to some of those events. (The catalyst for the memories can be something as simple as sitting in the same park I found myself in a few years ago, on such a beautiful sunny day like today.  However, at the time I could only cry.)

For me, the most painful thing to remember is the day that I had to tell my then-husband at the time that I felt like I had to leave. It was in response to his question of “what do you want to do today?” which was asked very innocently. I think we both knew things were going on with me and that I was not happy but as long as we didn’t talk about it, we didn’t have to deal with it. Looking back, I just remember that look of hurt on his face, and knowing that I had put it there. It still rips me up inside sometimes if I let it. I never wanted to hurt another human being like that, ever, and I don’t ever want it to happen again. Luckily, today, there were no tears, just a bit of nostalgia or bittersweetness at what my life once was and what it is now. I acknowledged the feelings for being there and then made an active decision to keep moving forward with my day and realize it’s all in the past.

When my now-ex broke up with me last summer, it was over the phone, so at least he didn’t need to see the look on my face. At the time, parts of me felt that maybe this was happening to me to even the score for what I had done to my husband–that since I had hurt someone else, that I deserved to be hurt too. It was just a small part of me that felt that way – the healthier part of me knew that was  most likely not the case.

Around the time that I left my husband, with the help of a great therapist (she is actually a licensed social worker but she’s the best therapist I think I can and will ever have), I realized that I was clinically depressed. I derived a lot of my self worth from what others thought of me. Criticism was very hard for me to take. Someone saying or acting like they didn’t want to be friends with me really hurt. It made me feel like there was only something else wrong with me.  This was because I viewed myself as damaged goods. In my mind, everyone else had it “together” much more than I possibly ever could.   (If you’ve never felt that way, or had to suffer through depression, or some other kind of mental illness or biological/chemical imbalance, then consider yourself extremely lucky and don’t judge those who are, have, or will.)

So, where am I going with this and how does it relate to gratitude? Well, during a conversation with someone earlier this week, I realized I don’t let criticism or perceived criticism bother me as much as I used to allow it. For example, earlier this week, I told a family member of my plans to live in an RV.  I felt that the response was critical, sort of like incredulous at what I was thinking of doing and how could I possibly succeed or be happy living in a tiny home or motor home. I felt myself getting defensive, and for a day or two, I let it gnaw at me.  I even thought of calling this person or emailing them and saying “what gives? I don’t judge you, so don’t judge me. ”

And then I realized, you know what? That is my perception of what that other person thinks is what you need in life, and maybe he didn’t mean it to come out that way.  His idea of what he needs in life to be happy is so different than mine, and our lives are SO different. So, I decided to let it go.  So that’s the first thing I am grateful for – my getting better at letting criticism or perceived criticism rule my feelings and emotions, or at least not letting them do so for as long as I used to permit them.  Also, for knowing I was able to pull myself out of that dark place of depression from a few years ago. I know it’s still something to work on from time to time but I’m doing it. I’m doing it!

Second thing I’m grateful for:

My re-found love of running. I am feeling so much more like myself these days, having a plan of what to do at my workouts, or for at least part of them. Having a goal. Knowing it’s achievable. And feeling damn good (for the most part) while doing it!! I was even happy running on the treadmill today because I felt like I could keep going faster and faster and faster! And felt strong! (I even had my pace back in the 9 minute and under range, again!!! Now if only I could do that outside…)

Third thing I’m grateful for:

A friend of mine who unfortunately I’ve not spoken to in a while, but whose updates I see all the time on facebook, just posted a video yesterday of her little boy saying his first word. He was also actively using his right side of his body. Now, the first word alone is miraculous in itself. But you have to know this little boy’s medical past – he suffered a stroke basically during childbirth and then had a really big problem with seizures. He underwent surgery this past spring and it looks like what the neurosurgeons did was extremely successful, because he continues to impress and amaze us all. The first time I said to her “he’s gonna be president someday” I was half kidding. Now, I know there’s nothing this kid can’t accomplish.

Fourth thing I’m grateful for:

Except for the very gray weather we are having today, we have had a few really gorgeous days this past week. Days that remind you why the Northeast is really beautiful in the spring.  And I have my bike back from the Bike Doctor and it’s all ready to go!! Tune up done, new back tire, new light on the front. She’s looking beautiful!

I hope you all have many reasons to be grateful for today and for what’s going on in your lives right now.  Have a great weekend, and as always, if you have liked this post, please drop me a line, hit like below, or subscribe! Thank you!