Isn’t it weird to think there may right now be people who won the lottery but don’t KNOW they’ve won the lottery? Like, they could still be asleep.
And when I was thinking about that, feeling kind of happy about how they were going to be SO SURPRISED AND HAPPY, I started thinking about all the BAD surprises we might not know about yet.
I continue to fly verrrrryyyyy lowwwwwww. This is the song my radio alarm woke me up with the other day, and it has felt very apt:
Pinch Me, by Barenaked Ladies.
Here, I know: let’s force this. I will say three good or happy things, not counting the big ones like that all of us are alive and safe and warm and fed, and not counting any of the ones where I have to list all the horrible things we’re lucky NOT to be going through.
1. After our last set of experiences, we tried a new lab for Edward’s bloodwork and it was ONE MILLION TIMES BETTER. Fast. Easy. Nearer to our house. No screw-ups. And I deleted the rest of this paragraph where I discussed how one experience was too soon to call it, and how we didn’t yet know if our insurance covered it.
2. The creepy, spidery-looking thing dangling under my chair turned out to be a little bit of fluff and not a spider.
3. Tacos for dinner tonight.
4. Oh, I thought of another one: I ordered some clearance Christmas chocolates and they’ll be here tomorrow.
This is a reason I don’t buy lottery tickets. I figure, if I think that I can beat the odds and win, then I am also acknowledging that I am open to all the bad things that are low probability. I can win the lottery? OK, then, I can be struck by lightning twice. It feels like tempting fate.
Good things:
I am spending a couple of weeks in my happy place…across the country, away from a lot of things that stress me, and my time is my own. AND this place is peaceful and beautiful. And really, I can come here almost any time I choose.
My husband enables me to do this thing.
I have a bunch of knitting projects and interesting books at my fingertips so I can not ever be bored.
My adult daughter is being brave and intentional about the direction of her life.
!!! I am now so glad I didn’t win! I never thought about it like that!!
Sad thing: i was curious about people on the other side of the political aisle from me and why they’re there. I thought I’d ask a friend who sits thereand she basically said there was no point to us having the conversation and she had more important things to do. Which trash my political beliefs but don’t tell me I’m not important.
Had to get that out
Good: it’s warmer today than yesterday. The museum of fine arts is free on Monday. I like the MFA and free. The whole family is going to Mardi Gras in 2 weeks and i think the children are going to DIE when they see a Mardi Gras parade. I’m also ruining them for parades for the rest of their lives but, what can you do?
I’m so sorry you’re feeling so low Swistle. But you actually perked up my morning by posting Pinch Me. That’s my favourite BNL song and, even though it’s about depression, it always makes me feel happy and “boppy” (for lack of a better term). So thank you! I think I’ll have a ‘listen to BNL on YouTube’ morning (skipping the sad songs). As a friend used to say, be good to yourself today.
This seems fitting: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sw9Fh6uk4Q (Odds Are by BNL)
Excellent medicine. <3
It is a work from home day so I am in my kitchen with the laptop and coffee and no one is whining anywhere near me.
The $6/pr socks I bought for Ann Marie were 100% worth it and the quality of my life has vastly, vastly improved now that it doesn’t take 30 minutes and three tantrums to put on her socks.
Ann Marie has not yelled at me, at least not significantly, in three days. Up till 3 days ago she spent at least 25% of her time yelling at me about things that were clearly my fault – her socks didn’t feel right, she doesn’t want to go to school, she hates that story, she wants X thing that doesn’t exist, etc. etc. – and I am starting to hope we are over some kind of developmental hump and that maybe I’ll get some peace for a while.
The days are getting longer.
I found a copy of _Rolling Thunder, Hear My Cry_ on the street on the way home from school yesterday, and it was marked up like a school library book. The public schools had a half day, but normally I see middle schoolers walking down the street while the kids and I are walking up the street because I live basically next door to a middle school. So I guessed that this book was dropped by one of those kids, and I picked it up and put it on our radiator to dry and this morning I brought it to the school after dropping off AM at her school. And I was right, it was from the “library” of one of the teachers, and the admin in the office was so pleased that I brought it by, and I was so pleased myself to think of what a nice surprise it will be for the teacher that a stranger went to this trouble. (Hopefully also a nice surprise for the student who hopefully didn’t “lose” it on purpose.)
I woke up to find out that a) I hadn’t won the Powerball and b) Alan Rickman died. Plus, last night I found out I screwed up our dental insurance & have now spent 100% of my health care spending account money for the entire year and we haven’t even gotten to the end of January! In happier news, it’s above zero today in MN.
Let’s see…it finally snowed enough for my kids to go outside and play happily!
It is sunny today and I can see the blue sky!
And……*thinking thinking thinking*
I don’t have any appointments today so I can enjoy the beautiful, sunny day with snow on the ground from the comfort of my warm, cozy house!
Oh, and I’ve been reading through my Twitter favorites, which have been making me laugh or smile, depending!
I hadn’t thought about that song in a good while, and hadn’t ever heard Odds Are, so thanks to both you and Trudee! (…and think about us all watching BNL videos together and nodding/smiling contentedly.) xo
Coffee
New perfume from Xmas
Monday holiday coming up
Also, I hate to be demanding at a time like this, but I’ve been feeling for some time now that it’s been FAR too long since you did a See’s Candies post, and I’m CERTAIN that would be a happy thing for many of us, so….would you mind doing those again? And I can’t exactly remember which ones you’ve reviewed already, and it would be too much of a bother for either of us to look them up, so maybe you could just start over from the beginning?
Actually, it might be a good idea to just PLAN on repeating those posts every January/February so we can see if there are any long-term trends. Consistency of results is very important for scientific purposes, and we are all about being good examples for our daughters of women interested in and using science!
FOR SCIENCE
*raises glass (of milk) for a toast*
FOR SCIENCE!
Just chiming in to say that discount Christmas chocolates are the epitome of happiness. I myself just polished off all the leftover peppermint bark – and there was a LOT of leftovers – in an I-don’t-care calorie-blowing bonanza. It was GLORIOUS. If you need me, I’ll be skipping around the house.
Also: totally behind Dr. Maureen’s comment about the days getting longer. Even five minutes extra at this time of year feels like a windfall. It’s like visual hope. The Sun, she LIVES!
We had tacos last night and it was just fabulous. Enjoy dinner :)
Perhaps I will make tacos tonight too! My 2yo thinks quesadillas are tacos. Either is delicious.
My seven year old has taken to carrying his Christmas stocking calculator around in his pocket, “in case of emergency”
I got invited to participate on a hiring committee at work, which I am assuming means my boss likes me more than I thought she did.
I am off tomorrow and I am going to take my child to the used book store.
Welp. Now I just want to spend the whole day watching BNL and Alan Rickman on YouTube.
Me, too. My favorite is clips from “Truly, Madly, Deeply” because I hope he will come back as a ghost and comfort me by playing the cello in my office.
My Nana is 96 today and I got to talk to her, and it was delightful. She told me the same story twice in the span of five minutes, but that’s okay because it’s a story about how her doctor told her she would live to be 100.
My son told me I was his best friend this morning. He’s eight.
I have a big lineup of terrific books I want to read.
My doctor didn’t mention my weight when I went to my appointment yesterday.
Those are all good, but the last one? wow. Mine did. As if I”m not aware of it. I can also hike miles with a 30 lb. child on either my back or front, so regardless of weight, I think I’m ahead of most people, but sure person with the MD, focus on that.
Lots of new freelance opportunities have emerged without me having to seek them out.
A relative who needs a fresh start moved to a new city and is fresh starting.
It’s not pouring rain!
I splurged on some good coffee (like $20 a bag, fancy coffee) and it is totally worth it.
We’re cooking turkey dinner for friends this weekend, which will be exhausting in the best way, as there are now six children under 5 among us.
I finally took the down comforter off my bed this morning after weeks of waking up drenched in sweat. There is no rule I have to wait until May.
I am going to New York with my firstborn this weekend (and he is willing to go to an art museum with me, albeit briefly).
I am good at something at work that other people are not so good at, and I am being acknowledged for it.
I tried something new for dinner last night, and everyone in my family liked it, or at least ate it without complaining (pork belly with Vietnamese caramel glaze, and I thought the fish sauce might get it vetoed, but no).
I’m sorry you are low…I can relate. Winter seems to do me in a little more every year.
Three good things? Hmmmm….
It looks like we FINALLY found a house AND the sale is looking to actually go through this time.
Two of my orchids look like they may re-bloom
That tomorrow is Friday…it’s not much but after this week, I will be happy to see the end of it.
Hey Swistle, have you read One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, by Robert Maurer? It reminded me so much of some of the things you talk about, like drops in the bucket, and asking yourself what will make things better.
One of my happy things: when you asked for work lunch suggestions a while ago, someone linked to this recipe for quesadillas: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/. I finally got around to trying it and not only was it delicious, it was also easy to make and froze well, thus meeting my trifecta of requirements for lunches.
And I have six days off next week! Hurrah!
Good things.
We are trying a fun new recipe tonight.
I don’t have to go into the office tomorrow.
My daughter is currently making me pretend pizza which is quite charming.
January is NOT IDEAL, let’s all remember that. I blame January for our collective lowness.
We have enough food in the house to last us a week* and my husband’s a little more empathetic (and informed) about the managerial work of meal planning.
*I don’t mean this in the feelgood way, I mean “so I don’t have to go grocery shopping while he works 65 hours in 6 days and I do literally everything else.” And next week his work will be more spread out.
Some of my relatives may be sane after all? At any rate they are caring for Dying Great-Aunt very well, and that is a comfort. And I finally found someone I can call for updates on Dying Great-Aunt, since the first 4 people I tried are all feuding and haven’t spoken in years. I keep forgetting we’re Appalachian.
A friend brought me chocolate and a baby. Admittedly the baby peed on everything but the snuggling was still good for my heart.
Happy thing: whenever I see you’ve posted, I think Yay It’s Swistle, just like you decided to drop by for a coffee.
Also happy: tomorrow is Friday, which is the Day of Wine. And I have a bunch of peppermint Lindts I’ve been saving.
It has been an extremely rough start to the year…so 3 good things…
1. We finally got some snow, because without it-I feel like global warming and a huge fire season in the summer are imminent.
2. My daughter seems to be excited about the new semester at University.
3. My older cat (we lost one of the younger ones a week ago) is going strong and doesn’t seem to be devastated by the loss of his brother of 16 years. I don’t think I could have handled it if he was keening, or not eating or drinking. I am very grateful for this.
I like this, I’ll play along!
I really am liking the grad program I’ve chosen. For real liking it.
My kids are 8.5yo and 10.5yo and I genuinely like them right now. Not just love them, but like them.
We’re planning vacations for both this summer, and next summer, and all the planning has me hopeful for happy times. And that hopefulness is good for my sad heart.
3 good things:
1. I couldn’t find our new cat, and feared she had gotten out. I searched the neighborhood for an hour, and when I got back, she was hanging out in the dining room wondering what all the fuss was about.
2. My sister had an interview today!
3. We just hosted guests, so the house is pretty clean.
I am presently traveling to my grandpa’s funeral without my 4 small children. (Last week was my dad’s funeral and we all DROVE. Across COUNTRY.)
My little brother just bought me a fro yo and a diet dr. pepper.
It’s quiet and I have a book.