JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's been a whirlwind of a week for me, what with my travel and Virginia's travel and other stuff, so I thought it would be good to start into the weekend with a little round of gratitude journaling. If you've been with us for a few years, you'll know all of the Reds, in one form or another, make it a habit to be mindful of the things we're grateful for - the little stuff like homemade chocolate chip cookies and big things like bestselling books and globetrotting travel.
So what am I grateful for this week? Several things, many of them linked like a chain of happiness.
I got a good bill of health from my dentist! I'm old enough to have friends who are dealing with implants and bridges and the dreaded periodontal disease, so Dr. Feinberg (who is about 25 years old and much, much nicer than Dr. Del Debbio) admire my teeth feels like a big win.
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| Natural-colored teeth look weird! |
I'm thankful Virginia and the $15,000 Cat are safe and sound in The Hague. Despite some suggestions on my part, the cat is not being charged with crimes against humanity. We had a lovely 24 hours between me arriving back in Portland and leaving Virginia at the international terminal at Logan. And now she had best successfully finish her grad degree and stay in Europe, because I never want to deal with that cat again.
Going through Dutch customs, zonked on Gabapetine
Our trip to Boston was courtesy of our own Celia Wakefield, who loaned me her extremely comfy RAV4 because my own vehicle had a broken exhaust pipe, nearly bald tires, rusted-through rockers (I don't know what they are but it doesn't sound good) and various other ailments. Also, way overdue on inspection and should have been registered in February! Celia, thank you for keeping me out of the clutches of the Massachusetts State Police.
However, I no longer have to worry about that, because yesterday, I picked up my new (to me) Honda Accord EX-L! Yes, my previous car, also a Honda EX-L, went to a nice farm upstate, where she will have a happy retirement frolicking in the fields with other good cars.
Like a lot of New Englanders, I drive my cars into the dirt, and in the last few years, you get so used to the wipers that only work at one speed or the door you have to jiggle to open that having a new(er) vehicle with NO PROBLEMS feels like winning some sort of luxury cruise.
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| It's dark blue with toasty beige seats - very snazzy! |
On a serious note, I'm very aware of how privileged I am to have good dental and health insurance, and the funds to pay for vet bills and airline tickets and cars. (And when I'm temporarily out of pocket, I have good friends and supportive family to help me out.) There are so many people in this country who have to worry about the one big bill that might wipe them out.
Finally: Shih Tzus. No further explanation needed.
How about you, dear readers? What are you grateful for?
