Infinite Happy Days - Gratitude and Joy Posts - Part 3
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 2,913
I'm thankful for my (boringly) reliable Subaru. On the first day of school, I was rear-ended at a stop light and shoved into the car in front of me. While I'm not grateful the driver behind me wasn't paying attention and didn't notice that every one she was coming up behind had been stopped for a while, I'm grateful that I wasn't hurt and that DS was at school and not in the car.
I'm also grateful that everything went smoothly with my insurance and the insurance of the driver who was at fault. The shop I found that could work on the car *now* (and not *next month*) turned out to be awesome. I now have my car back all shiny and fixed -- and CLEAN inside. (No more small remainder flecks of spilled oatmeal, french fry crumbs, honey in the interior door pull/handle (don't ask), or gravel and pine needles throughout the car.) AND the techs set my radio up to show what station, artist and song is playing. I know it always did that, I just never took the time to figure out how to turn that feature on.
I'm also grateful that everything went smoothly with my insurance and the insurance of the driver who was at fault. The shop I found that could work on the car *now* (and not *next month*) turned out to be awesome. I now have my car back all shiny and fixed -- and CLEAN inside. (No more small remainder flecks of spilled oatmeal, french fry crumbs, honey in the interior door pull/handle (don't ask), or gravel and pine needles throughout the car.) AND the techs set my radio up to show what station, artist and song is playing. I know it always did that, I just never took the time to figure out how to turn that feature on.
A work in progress
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
Hey, tu, I don't know if you read about my recent "happy accident" experience. Yeah, sucks having your car crunched, but the other driver in MY accident was super-nice, too, and I also had a smooth insurance experience.
Definitely could be worse! Glad nobody got hurt!
Definitely could be worse! Glad nobody got hurt!
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
I'm so grateful that I've gotten brave enough to do these seasonal 3-day detox's. The physical side of it is so minimal compared to the mental now that I've done it quite a few times. I don't have those flu-like symptoms so much, don't feel as physically spent during the fasting as I did at first.
This exercise has become so much more mental & emotional for me; as a recovering binge eater I can see how it is STILL my emotions that drive me the pantry, not my actual hunger. I slept like a baby & woke up feeling perfectly ok in every way. It's all very enlightening & healing at the same time.
This exercise has become so much more mental & emotional for me; as a recovering binge eater I can see how it is STILL my emotions that drive me the pantry, not my actual hunger. I slept like a baby & woke up feeling perfectly ok in every way. It's all very enlightening & healing at the same time.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 280
message of hope and joy
Well....so much has changed in the last few years, hard to look back right now and not be amazed!!
After my hellish divorce and few years following here is my report:
I take my own recovery seriously ...it's a life long process. But I'm a believer in results, and here is where I am:
1. Got married last Sunday to my best friend, who also takes his personal growth and development seriously. Had the MOST fabulous intimate, meaningful wedding...surrounded by our dearest loves.
2. Sold my business after 25 years!! Now I'm free to pursue another business I have great interest and passion in...and free of the binds that my former career had. Ecstatic about that!
3. My darling only son is getting married in October...and I love love love my new daughter in law to be: I'd eat her up with a big spoon.
4. My health has been generally excellent, however just discovered a mass on my thyroid. Going for a biopsy on the 28th, expect it to be inconsequential. If it turns out a different way....I can handle it with all the loving support I have.
5. We bought a new "tiny home" trailer to get out in the woods often...and find such joy in that! I live in the most beautiful state in the US....so many opportunities to get out and appreciate nature and each other....so FUN
6. My honey surprised me at the wedding with a honeymoon of a lifetime: he has been listening to my bucket list of travel places and put together an amazing trip: Paris (with dinner at the Eiffel!) the Louvre, and many other charming things there, then on to Florence, Tuscany and Rome....then on to London highlighted by front row seats at the Royal Albert Hall to see my favorite artists in the WORLD: Pink Martini!! ( on my birthday!!) He put together a whole book of the daily travels and itinerary. Took him months. How sweet is that???
7. and last but certainly not least: I'm happy. I'm content, I wake up joyful every day. I never thought I'd feel this way again...but I'm so happy.
Wishing true contentment for all my family here, too!
After my hellish divorce and few years following here is my report:
I take my own recovery seriously ...it's a life long process. But I'm a believer in results, and here is where I am:
1. Got married last Sunday to my best friend, who also takes his personal growth and development seriously. Had the MOST fabulous intimate, meaningful wedding...surrounded by our dearest loves.
2. Sold my business after 25 years!! Now I'm free to pursue another business I have great interest and passion in...and free of the binds that my former career had. Ecstatic about that!
3. My darling only son is getting married in October...and I love love love my new daughter in law to be: I'd eat her up with a big spoon.
4. My health has been generally excellent, however just discovered a mass on my thyroid. Going for a biopsy on the 28th, expect it to be inconsequential. If it turns out a different way....I can handle it with all the loving support I have.
5. We bought a new "tiny home" trailer to get out in the woods often...and find such joy in that! I live in the most beautiful state in the US....so many opportunities to get out and appreciate nature and each other....so FUN
6. My honey surprised me at the wedding with a honeymoon of a lifetime: he has been listening to my bucket list of travel places and put together an amazing trip: Paris (with dinner at the Eiffel!) the Louvre, and many other charming things there, then on to Florence, Tuscany and Rome....then on to London highlighted by front row seats at the Royal Albert Hall to see my favorite artists in the WORLD: Pink Martini!! ( on my birthday!!) He put together a whole book of the daily travels and itinerary. Took him months. How sweet is that???
7. and last but certainly not least: I'm happy. I'm content, I wake up joyful every day. I never thought I'd feel this way again...but I'm so happy.
Wishing true contentment for all my family here, too!
A work in progress
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
Talked to my older son today for his birthday--he just hit the big 3-0! Man, I think that makes me feel older than my own 6-0 this year.
Anyway, he informed me he decided to give himself a gift--he's decided to go back to school! He quit just one credit short of his Associate's degree about eight years ago, and it was sheer stubbornness, for the most part. He needed a math course, felt he hadn't gotten a decent math education in HS and felt it was "stupid" that he had to have a math credit.
We've discussed it from time to time since then, but he's always been adamant he didn't want to pursue it. It's his life, so I don't nag about it, though I have encouraged him to go back or at least keep an open mind about it.
He's done SO well with his current job. He started out as a driver for a medical lab company, did that for a couple of years, has gotten a couple of promotions and awards for the great job he's done since moving to the logistics side of the company. He's decided to get his Associate's degree (and, eventually, his Bachelor's) in medical technology. He's done a lot of research, and he won't be able to start for a year (there's only one school offering the kind of degree he wants). His company will help with the tuition but he's worried about taking out a loan. We discussed that a bit--I think he can afford to do it, and I think the financial responsibility would be good for him. He admits that the idea of borrowing money makes him nervous. He only recently finally got a credit card.
If it looks like he can't swing it any other way I'd consider loaning him money (at a reasonable interest rate). His dad and I agreed that he sort of blew his chance at getting everything paid for by us after a couple of semesters where he blew everything off and was failing classes. There were at least a couple of semesters where we basically wasted our money.
He's a different person now, though, very responsible. So a bit of a hand with a loan isn't out of the question, but I'd like to see him go the conventional route if he can. I reminded him that I took out loans and paid them, and that he won't be going to a very high-priced school, and that his degree will actually be marketable. I think it would be good for him to deal with this on his own if he possibly can.
Still, happy news that he's come such a long way in the last 10 years. I'm proud of him.
Anyway, he informed me he decided to give himself a gift--he's decided to go back to school! He quit just one credit short of his Associate's degree about eight years ago, and it was sheer stubbornness, for the most part. He needed a math course, felt he hadn't gotten a decent math education in HS and felt it was "stupid" that he had to have a math credit.
We've discussed it from time to time since then, but he's always been adamant he didn't want to pursue it. It's his life, so I don't nag about it, though I have encouraged him to go back or at least keep an open mind about it.
He's done SO well with his current job. He started out as a driver for a medical lab company, did that for a couple of years, has gotten a couple of promotions and awards for the great job he's done since moving to the logistics side of the company. He's decided to get his Associate's degree (and, eventually, his Bachelor's) in medical technology. He's done a lot of research, and he won't be able to start for a year (there's only one school offering the kind of degree he wants). His company will help with the tuition but he's worried about taking out a loan. We discussed that a bit--I think he can afford to do it, and I think the financial responsibility would be good for him. He admits that the idea of borrowing money makes him nervous. He only recently finally got a credit card.
If it looks like he can't swing it any other way I'd consider loaning him money (at a reasonable interest rate). His dad and I agreed that he sort of blew his chance at getting everything paid for by us after a couple of semesters where he blew everything off and was failing classes. There were at least a couple of semesters where we basically wasted our money.
He's a different person now, though, very responsible. So a bit of a hand with a loan isn't out of the question, but I'd like to see him go the conventional route if he can. I reminded him that I took out loans and paid them, and that he won't be going to a very high-priced school, and that his degree will actually be marketable. I think it would be good for him to deal with this on his own if he possibly can.
Still, happy news that he's come such a long way in the last 10 years. I'm proud of him.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,699
That's great Lexi - happy for him and you, proud mama!
Today I am grateful for a generally healthy family. The last couple years with dad being sick were hard, and the 911 with my brothers drinking and car wreck earlier this year were terrifying. TODAY, bro is sober since the wreck in April, questioning if hes an A, but sober, in counseling, and working on talking himself slowly into regular AA attendance. Denial is STRONG with us The rest of the family seems OK to good. Recovering from a rough first half of the year, doing their best, and in more open communication than we ever have been.
There have been a few surprising random young deaths in our small town lately. My brother, nephew and I went hunting the other night, and heard a gunshot not too far away (during bow season.) This morning I read that they found a developmentally disabled man (26) deceased not too far from where we were hunting, and we are pretty sure that's what we heard. Heartbreaking...but it makes me so, so thankful for how things are for the people I love today.
Today I am grateful for a generally healthy family. The last couple years with dad being sick were hard, and the 911 with my brothers drinking and car wreck earlier this year were terrifying. TODAY, bro is sober since the wreck in April, questioning if hes an A, but sober, in counseling, and working on talking himself slowly into regular AA attendance. Denial is STRONG with us
The rest of the family seems OK to good. Recovering from a rough first half of the year, doing their best, and in more open communication than we ever have been.There have been a few surprising random young deaths in our small town lately. My brother, nephew and I went hunting the other night, and heard a gunshot not too far away (during bow season.) This morning I read that they found a developmentally disabled man (26) deceased not too far from where we were hunting, and we are pretty sure that's what we heard. Heartbreaking...but it makes me so, so thankful for how things are for the people I love today.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Grateful for some astounding Robin Trower tunes I found on YouTube, featuring Robin circa 2005, sounding as good as he ever did 30 years before that! For some reason, I just found it very heartening to hear this guy play again...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0d1HilfLxA
(There's more out there, easily turned up by a quick search, if you're a fan.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0d1HilfLxA
(There's more out there, easily turned up by a quick search, if you're a fan.)
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
Grateful today for many things...... rainbows seem to be ever-present these days & always help me to remember that every rainy day ends eventually........ still getting great alone time at the office & feeling centered & accomplished....... BEYOND grateful that RAH seems like a completely new person since starting ADHD meds....... So grateful that I know where my side of the street ends & where the boundaries are, even if others still grapple with it around me (either they'll get it, or they won't)..... Publix organic salted caramel ice cream (droooool)....... the BEST acupuncture clinic ever, I seriously love those people, they feel like family..... the new fall season because I'm (finally) SO sick of all the old TV shows I've marathon'd over the last few months..... (but Mob Wives has a special new place in my heart, not gonna lie)....... grateful to be re-reading Rising Strong & feeling empowered by it...... grateful to have an actual date night planned with RAH this weekend...... have I been grateful for good risotto yet? YUM!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,699
Grateful for some more hunting time with my bro this weekend. And grateful for recovery friends here. And grateful for buckling down on finances and the retirement fund wake-up call that I'm not where I should be. And this very moment I am grateful for the blueberry muffins I baked last night. Happy Friday!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Grateful for an early out from work today and a windy, rainy day to absolve me from having to go outside and be productive in the yard!
Dinner is in the crockpot (soup), the bathroom is warming up prior to my taking a good long soak w/some Epsom salt and essential oils, and there is a pile of light brown Shetland wool waiting by my spinning wheel. The little "fake log fire" heater is going, just to take the dampness out of the air, and my 2 furry friends are resting near it. If I decide I want some sound besides the wind in the cedar trees and the rain on the roof, I have "The Finest Hours" on CD, a true story of a heroic Coast Guard rescue in the early 1950s (I love that inspiring true-life stuff!).
Aaaaaahhhhh....plenty to be grateful for, especially when I look back to where I was a year ago.
Dinner is in the crockpot (soup), the bathroom is warming up prior to my taking a good long soak w/some Epsom salt and essential oils, and there is a pile of light brown Shetland wool waiting by my spinning wheel. The little "fake log fire" heater is going, just to take the dampness out of the air, and my 2 furry friends are resting near it. If I decide I want some sound besides the wind in the cedar trees and the rain on the roof, I have "The Finest Hours" on CD, a true story of a heroic Coast Guard rescue in the early 1950s (I love that inspiring true-life stuff!).
Aaaaaahhhhh....plenty to be grateful for, especially when I look back to where I was a year ago.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,572
I am so very, very grateful for recovery friends--people who can take a long, hard look at my particular brand of crazy and tell me, unfiltered, what's working and what might not be working. It's feedback I truly cannot get anywhere else, because you really have to walk the road of loving an addict to really understand. I'm sorry we are all here with that experience, but grateful that we have each other.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Grateful for a trip to the Madison Farmer's Market yesterday w/my sis! It's a huge market all around the capitol square and needs 2 laps to do it properly--a reconnaissance lap to see what is all there, and then a shopping lap to buy the nicest/the best deal/the thing you MUST have.
I found, among other things, great deals on kale and a giant bucket of beets for $3! (I was less joyous about the beets after I'd carried them for a while; they are freaking heavy!). We split a delicious peach danish while walking and ate garden carrots and some apples on the ride back home.
I also got some pretty, very pale gray wool roving that I'm eager to spin, but I must exercise self-discipline and finish the light brown Shetland I'm working on. I think that's why they only give you a couple of bobbins w/your wheel, otherwise you'd have 45 different things started and nothing finished...
I found, among other things, great deals on kale and a giant bucket of beets for $3! (I was less joyous about the beets after I'd carried them for a while; they are freaking heavy!). We split a delicious peach danish while walking and ate garden carrots and some apples on the ride back home.
I also got some pretty, very pale gray wool roving that I'm eager to spin, but I must exercise self-discipline and finish the light brown Shetland I'm working on. I think that's why they only give you a couple of bobbins w/your wheel, otherwise you'd have 45 different things started and nothing finished...
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,572
Originally Posted by honeypig 
Grateful for a trip to the Madison Farmer's Market yesterday w/my sis! It's a huge market all around the capitol square and needs 2 laps to do it properly--a reconnaissance lap to see what is all there, and then a shopping lap to buy the nicest/the best deal/the thing you MUST have.
I am thankful for...seriously...STBXAH. Back on Friday I had an indicator light come on that research told me meant a strong likelihood of a problem with my alternator. STBXAH told me what to have checked and what to look for, then called me back a few hours later to basically insist that I bring my car to him to fix. I was not entirely comfortable with that arrangement, but I told him I would think about it and if my car wouldn't start after work that day, I would bring it straight to him.
My car started fine, so I drove the 12 miles to DS's school to pick him up, planning to drive the 5 or so miles back home. STBXAH lives about a mile from DS's school. We drove through McDonald's so DS could get a happy meal, and as I pulled out of the drive thru, my window barely rolled up and all of the lights and stuff started to dim. I could tell that the electrical system was losing power, so we drove the 8 or so blocks to STBXAH's house because I have enough experience with these things to know that if you drive a car with a bad alternator that is losing electrical power, eventually the power steering will go out and the entire car will shut down. I left my car there, and borrowed his spare vehicle. Less than 24 hours later he had fixed my car (he and DS made it a "project" and reportedly had a fun time doing it together).
There may very well come a day when he (as is typical for him) throws this back in my face, but for now, I am grateful to have my old reliable car back on the road.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
I am so happy for my new sneakers - happy that I can just order them when I need them instead of it becoming a major planning event for the budget. SO GLAD to be beyond those days!
I'm also happy that I NEED the sneakers to begin with - in the old days a pair would last me for a few years because they just didn't get a lot of wear & tear.... now that I walk & workout religiously, I've gone through about 5 pair in a year & a half. I have never worn my sneakers out before in my life!!! (& I've learned the quality of a good one vs. bad,.... ouch!
)
I'm also happy that I NEED the sneakers to begin with - in the old days a pair would last me for a few years because they just didn't get a lot of wear & tear.... now that I walk & workout religiously, I've gone through about 5 pair in a year & a half. I have never worn my sneakers out before in my life!!! (& I've learned the quality of a good one vs. bad,.... ouch!
)
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,572
I'm very grateful, once again, for my excellent health and dental benefits. DD16 is having her wisdom teeth out on Monday, and DD13 is getting braces on Tuesday. My out of pocket is a small percentage of the THOUSANDS of dollars this costs, which is such a tremendous relief.
I'm also grateful for my recovery, because my hard work to preserve my own serenity has made me a better mom, and better able to talk both girls through their respective anxieties about what's coming up. Especially DD16, who is a miniature Wisconsin through and through. She is very anxious about having her wisdom teeth out, and has a tremendous fear of things like anesthesia and painkillers. Her consultation with the oral surgeon over the summer set her mind at ease enough to consent to having some laughing gas during the procedure (something she has always flat-out refused).
I'm also grateful for my recovery, because my hard work to preserve my own serenity has made me a better mom, and better able to talk both girls through their respective anxieties about what's coming up. Especially DD16, who is a miniature Wisconsin through and through. She is very anxious about having her wisdom teeth out, and has a tremendous fear of things like anesthesia and painkillers. Her consultation with the oral surgeon over the summer set her mind at ease enough to consent to having some laughing gas during the procedure (something she has always flat-out refused).
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