It’s been a rough year.
We’ve lost four friends, three of them to cancer, and most recently, one who passed away in the middle of the night unexpectedly.
So many other bad things have happened, both large and small, that I started a list called The Time of Shit, to chronicle them, and to reassure myself that I wasn’t going crazy.
And yet, life goes on.
So it’s time for a little counter programming. My optimistic side won’t be held down for long. I give you seven good things in my life (from the serious to the seriously goofy) that still make it worth living.
- My husband Mark. This year we’ll celebrate thirty-three years together in April. He is my constant, my rock, the guy I wake up for in the morning and the one who snuggles with me at night and helps me sleep. When things are bleak, somehow he finds a way to smile for me, and nothing else matters. Love you, Mark.
- My writer friends. I put out a call for folks to help me promote my new release last week, and a hundred author friends answered the call. A HUNDRED! I am in awe of this, and the love they sent my way with their posts, newsletters, and wonderful words of support.
- Girl Scout Cookies. You didn’t think this whole list was going to be emotional and maudlin, did you? ‘Tis the season for those little morsels of sweet goodness, and our freezer is full of Thin Minds, Savannahs, Lemonades, Shortbread Cookies, and more. And there may be a few leftover cookies from the QSAC reading last Friday in there, too.
- The feeling of sunshine on my face. Yesterday morning we were outside talking to a good friend, and it was an unexpectedly gorgeous day. The sun warmed my upturned face – all of me, really – and just for a moment, I felt like everything was okay.
- The return of Girls 5eva. Just when I needed it most, this silly, crazy, beautiful show is back. Give me a little Dawn, Summer, Gloria and Wickie to brighten my day and laugh my ass off. Oh and rewatching Kim’s Convenience works here too.
- Hello Panda Mochi. Seriously, I’m now addicted to these little bits of gooey of chocolate wrapped in a hard cookie shell. I hate you, Allison. It’s all your fault.
- Writing. It always comes back to this. I’m not happy when I’m not writing. And when I am, I get to forget about the rest of the world for a while. It’s been harder of late to stay focused on it, but slipping into the story is aloe for my soul.
That’s today’s list. Tomorrow’s might be longer or shorter, filled with some of the same things and a few new ones. Maybe, just maybe, it will be one of those increasingly rare things – a good day.
Until then, I’ll try to remember all the things that make my heart sing.