THANKFUL FRIDAY
Cindy Maddera
It was pointed out to me on Monday by a coworker that we have Presidents' Day off. It never even dawned on me that this would be a holiday for us and the idea of it made me slightly giddy. I mean, I'm really surprised just how happy this news made me. There's so much that I want to get done this weekend, a lot of which involves brooms and mops and dust rags and bleaching the basement floor. My car is overdue for an oil change and Michael is in desperate need of new tires on his truck. We both need haircuts. Having Monday off means we can probably accomplish all of the things and still have lazy couch time. Season 2 of House of Cards comes out today. We are going to need our lazy couch time. I am always a little disappointed in myself when I let a Thankful Friday entry turn into a grocery list of things I need to do. Nobody wants to hear about my chore list. Just like no one cares what you had for dinner (except maybe that spaghetti squash dish I made this week...that was surprisingly delicious). Unfortunately, as much as I'd love for you to believe that all I really have to do everyday is dream of rainbows and unicorns and come up with things to say in this space, it's just not reality. Nor is it reality for any of us. We have chores and grocery lists. And dirty dirty basements. Life gets in the way of so much goof off time. The truth is by the end of the day, I'm usually scrambling to take a picture for my 365 Days of Happiness project. But I'm thankful that I do scramble for that photo because it's way to make me stop and slow down. It may only be a minute, but in that minute I am not worrying about the layers of dust in the house, the poop on the basement floor, or how I'm not really sure if I have all the things I need to file my taxes (Robin?). I am, at the very core, a worrier. My yoga practice and some what organized life helps to contain that worry to a minimum. The Happiness project and photography makes that worry vanish for tiny moment. I am thankful for those things.
I am also thankful for surviving this week. The middle of February has not been kind for either of us. I'd like to think we've helped to sooth each other's aches and pains from those memories. I know that I am grateful for Michael's presence in my life. I am thankful for the melting of the snow even if it is happening at a snail's pace. I am thankful for the sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures that are working to melt that snow. I am thankful for pipes that drain properly. I am thankful for tofu scramble. I am thankful for valentine cupcakes. And I am always, forever thankful for you.
Here's a blessed long weekend and a truly Thankful Friday.