2) since thanksgiving, our mornings had started off with "christmas essentials" on apple music. since taking down all our holiday decorations, my mornings in the kitchen are silent, lifeless. i should have figured out sooner that music gets me out of my funks. so who else to turn to but bob marley's legend?! and after singing along to "three little birds", well i challenge anyone to still be down after the words "cuz every little ting gonna be alright!" come out of their mouth.
3) after a level 5 storm, and many days of uncertainty, coop and i spent a few hours at happy hollow. i always wonder if our next trip to this beloved local park will be his last in that he has outgrown this place that he had spent so many of his toddler days at. but after our ump-teenth time in line for the rollercoaster and our mutual joy for riding it (and more so what it meant to me symbolically), i realized that all the adults on the ride looked so happy. every grown up was grinning ear to ear and taking that in filled me with a warmth that i desperately needed.
4) one of the biggest culprits contributing to my anxiety this past week has been the major dental work that coopy will need. but i have to be thankful for the incredible health and dental insurance that is available thanks to ry and his job. hopefully that feeling remains the same after consultation and estimates!
5) pre new-year and struggling with being limited with what we could do during break due to the weather and ry's foot, i took a day or two to just lie in bed under the covers watching reruns of "the office". and although i discovered today during my therapy session that watching reruns is a way of coping with anxiety (total mind-blown moment by the way which makes complete sense now in why i find so much comfort in it), i also enjoyed episodes from seasons that i've completely missed. jim better not cheat on pam!
6) yesterday was coops' first day back at golf lessons since winter break and there were some worries going in (from both him and i). but he had "the funnest golf class" yet! and i got to catch up with kim who gave me the reassurance that i needed going forward with cooper's dental treatment. this is a pic of her helping coop with bazooka ball at emy's birthday. she literally has his back every step of the way! i feel extremely grateful for her friendship.
7) when we wrapped up coops' golf lesson, he was starving! ry mentioned that he put a grocery order in earlier that day for food for dinner. when we got home, he was already grilling up hotdogs and tater tots were baking in the oven! it was a great feeling knowing all of that was being taken care of.
8) i am trying to find my way back to...myself i guess. i am trying to find things that used to bring me joy. i can't even remember the last book i read, so i purchased "the dictionary of lost words" in december. it takes me some time to read (finding the time for one thing) but i'm about halfway through it and am really enjoying it, as well as getting some self-care time in.
9) dana had called me a few days ago, and much like marianne's call, my initial thought was "butt-dial". but i picked up, and she answered. at first i couldn't figure out where the conversation was going. she and i talked at emy's party about her father having some issues with swelling in his legs. which led to why she was calling. turns out that her parents had booked a trip to disneyland this sunday and their reservation - to THE disneyland hotel - was transferrable BUT non-refundable. she knew that coop had wanted to go for his birthday so offered us the room from sunday through tuesday! i was floored with her generous offer! again, another valued friendship to be grateful for.
10) it's been over a decade since i've entered anything on this blog. i have moved, had a child, changed jobs, changed life directions and somehow lost myself along the way. i'm making my way back though, and remembered how much i liked reflecting on these journal entries and taking the time in my day to stop and realize all the happy thoughts that surround me - both big and small.
