THANKFUL FRIDAY

Sunday

6 Likes, 2 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Sunday"

I have spent most of this week on the couch. Michael brought home some kind of virus from school and it has had me down for the count. I went to work on the third day and my supervisor sent me home. He sticks with that rule they use for kids now, something about fevers and twenty four hours. I used that time to delete hard drives of old MacBooks (yes, that's MacBooks plural) that I need to take in to be recycled. I started with Chris's computer and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Most of all the pictures had already been uploaded to clouds or where ever we send our files to be stored these days. Now all that's left is to take them into the Mac store. I was also home when they came and picked up our Bagster. It was very satisfying to watch a big crane pick up our big bag of garbage. 

I am back at work today and on the mend. I have been fever free for twenty four hours, though my supervisor did say that he was going to count the number of times I coughed today. It may seem really difficult to find gratitude in a week such as this one, but I am surprised to find that is is not. I am very fortunate. I have good health insurance and a decent amount of sick leave. I have a supervisor who would rather have me at home than in the office spreading my yuck virus. This is not the norm for many Americans. And it should be. I have never understood how some companies just cannot see the benefit in keeping their employees healthy. I still do not understand a government who doesn't insist on keeping it's citizens healthy. Today, I called my senator to beg him to not vote for the latest health care reform bill. I did this because I am grateful for my health care and others should be able to same the same. 

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

Call your senators today. Here's a link with a whole list of senators from every state. Health Care should be a basic right for every American. No one should ever have to choose between putting food on the table for their family or seeking health care that will prevent serious health issues. The new reform bill will increase the cost of reproductive health care for women. Reproductive health is more than just having babies. Tests and exams, such as mammograms and pap smears, are vital for detecting cancer and are all related to reproductive health. In fact, reproductive health are two very simple words for a very complex part of female anatomy, as every woman knows. Ovarian cysts. Sexually transmitted diseases. Pre-natal and post-natal care. These things fall under the category for reproductive health. Ask your senator why reproductive health care costs are not being increased for men.

I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for a voice that I can raise up against injustice. I am grateful for those who believe that Universal Health Care is a basic human right. 

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Please don't stand so close to me

See this Instagram photo by @elephant_soap * 6 likes

This week saw the rise of my inner activist. Now, I'll admit I didn't do much. I just posted something here and there and thanked my representative for his good work. The things I did post though sparked some really good discussion regarding both sides of the gun control issue. First of all, I want to thank those of you who got involved in that discussion for your kindness and respectful debate. No one started a shouting match. No one reverted to their inner five year old with an "I know you are but what am I?" You guys proved that people from opposite sides of an issue can have a meaningful discussion without resorting to media hype. These kinds of discussions are what we need on a grand scale. 

I feel like most of us all agree that some sort of gun control reform needs to happen. We just disagree on what that reform needs to be. Having calm, productive conversations on the issue brings us all a little bit closer to the center. This is why I urge all of us, Democrat, Liberal AND Republican, to contact their representatives and their senators. We need to encourage them to have the same kind of discussions because it is clear that they are not. Paul Ryan adjourned the House for the Fourth of July Holiday, that is more than a week away, as his way of ignoring the Democrats protest. I'm sure all of us wish we had that kind of vacation time. The thing is, we're paying these people to speak for us and right now I feel that both sides can say that there's a lot of Representatives not doing their job. It is up to us to hold them accountable. So again, I am really grateful for those of you who spoke up. I learned some things and I hope you learned some things too. 

This week I realized that I haven't peeled my lip off in at least two weeks. I don't know why. I don't know what I'm doing different. I've started eating avocados on toast twice a week for breakfast? I haven't eaten a potato in ten days? That's not true. We had red potatoes with green beans for dinner last Saturday. I have not clue, but for some reason my lip has no desire to come off. Not a flake or nothing. That's something to be thankful for. Earlier this week I listened to Tell Me I'm Fat on This American Life and it really made think hard about this body I'm always complaining about. Every night since then, before I go to sleep, I wrap my arms around the part of my body that disgusts me the most (my belly) and I tell that area "You are beautiful. I love you." over and over. It's my new nightly mantra. I am thankful that I almost believe that mantra.

I am thankful for fresh carrots that look like Bugs Bunny carrots. I am thankful for the time I spent on my mat every day this week. I am thankful for the promising results from an experiment I've been working on. I am thankful for good neighbors who tell us when our dog escapes the backyard. Those good neighbors get rewarded with eggs. I am thankful for scooter days. I am thankful for you.

Have a wonderful weekend and a super blessed Thankful Friday!