Last week, one of my work colleagues was on vacation – and it was no vacation for me. I didn’t realize how much I needed her around to help keep me sane, but now that I know…I will likely sabotage any leave request she ever submits.
I’m thankful for co-workers who are hard working and fun – a rare combination.
Amendments. They can improve upon life’s “whoops, we need to correct that” moments.
As I cast my ballot today, I am thankful for the 19th Amendment. I can’t imagine living in a country where women are prohibited from voting, and God willing – I’ll never have to.
I’m thankful for my immediate family only being an hour away from where I live. (And that they aren’t 5 minutes from where I live. I mean, a little absence makes the heart grow fonder…on both our accounts.)
Last year, I gave myself a little Thanksgiving project. I wrote down one thing I was thankful for every day in November, with the intent of posting the entire list on my blog at the end. Turns out, my “thankful list” was a bit too personal (even for me) to post. This year, I’ve decided to keep my “thankfuls” a little more light-hearted…and share them with you daily.
December will be back to normal on this blog, but for November, I present to you: The Thanksgiving Project
Happy Halloween from Wallace! My humiliated, (but oh so cute) clown-dog. (He drew the line at wearing the red nose. He put it in his mouth and ran from me.)
Let me ask you a question (and it won’t apply to you “big city” folks, so I apologize): Let’s say you’re in the grocery store and you run into someone you know. You speak to one another, and go about your shopping. How awkward is it when you keep running into them during that same shopping trip? Is it just me, or do you feel like you have to say a little something each time? I try to make the awkward feeling better by saying things like “Just grabbing some coffee. Gotta have that!” or “Love these pre-mixed salads!”
Next time it happens, I’m hiding out in the magazine aisle until they leave. At least I’ll be all caught up on “Diet Secrets of the Stars.”
A few random things:
A while back, I posted about some good news I received. That news was made public today, and I’m bursting with pride. I’m proud of the city officials involved, proud of the people who made donations, wrote letters or helped the cause in any way – large or small.
At the end of March, a friend of mine was killed on his motorcycle when a driver made a u-turn in a ridiculous place to make a u-turn. A Facebook page was started a few days later, with the goal of organizing a memorial ride to raise awareness about motorcycle safety – and to raise money to go towards efforts of getting a barrier placed where the u-turn occurred.
Well, 900 Facebook fans, one memorial ride, and lots of calls and letters to elected officials later…and the goal has been achieved. And, we even get to donate the money raised to charity.
Today is a good day. A day that reminds me that if you believe in something enough, stay dedicated (and are persistent as all-get-out), you might just change a few things that need changing.
If you are lucky enough to not know someone who is (or has been) in an unhappy relationship, I need to come live on the planet you’re on. Maybe it’s because I’m a known relationship failure (that sounded a lot more harsh than I meant for it to), but people talk to me all the time about their relationship woes. And, while no relationship between two people will ever be perfect, sometimes we all need to stop talking about why we’re unhappy and start doing something about it.
A few years ago, it took me a long time to come to that simple realization. To stop talking, thinking, wishing, hoping…and to start doing something about my unhappiness. (And about our unhappiness as a couple.) For me, working with a therapist helped. (Hey, this post is full of honesty, remember?) Having someone other than the well-meaning and supportive, but totally biased people in my life to talk to was key. I worked through the sadness, the guilt, the disappointment – and moved in the direction that was right for me. A direction that was right for both of us.
If you can relate to this post at all (I’m hoping that most of you can’t), your direction may be different than the one I chose. What’s important is that you’re honest with yourself, and that you have a direction towards happiness.
“Why does anyone stay in an unhappy relationship? Because people do. They do it all the time. And the truth is, when you’re in it, when you’re up to your neck in the everyday part of life with another human being, sometimes you don’t exactly notice how bad things really are. It’s not always as apparent as it would seem. Unhappiness, when it involves another person, can be like that line from The Sun Also Rises about going bankrupt, how it happens two ways: gradually, and then suddenly.”
— Sarah Dunn (The Big Love)
My “placement” in the Junior League (don’t you dare make a gagging noise) involves our new members. We train them on how to be the best little volunteers they can be during our monthly meetings. My friend Cecilia does, rather. I get to come up with fun ways for them to get to know each other. My placement kicks her placement’s a**.
Here are the questions I got them to answer last week, with my answers filled in. (Because it’s Monday, and I got nothin’ else, y’all.)
*Click on the image to enlarge it.
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