Tuesday

I got to introduce one of my ministering sisters to "going cokin'" today. I've been thinking about her and how best to get some quality time in, and suddenly I realize that driving around drinking a soda pop is the perfect solution. She loves Dr. Pepper, I love Diet Coke. The two of us and Sonic are a match made in heaven! So I told her about how my Grandma and her friends used to do that and asked if she'd be interested, and she jumped all over it. Although she thought it was "coconuttin" instead of "goin' cokin." That's just cute. Spent a happy hour with her today admiring neighborhoods and chatting away. What a great human she is.

I think I'm going to really need to monitor my thoughts for awhile. I have noticed key things indicating a dip in my mental health. One is waking up feeling very anxious, like something disastrous is about to happen. That's been happening for awhile, and I try to be conscious of it and talk myself lovingly through it. What's been happening the last week or so but I just put my finger on it this morning is remembering obscure things from the past and feeling really angry about it and dwelling on it. Things that I'd already forgiven or that I didn't even take seriously at the time come back and feel like big offenses. Because all my reading the last few months indicates thoughts come in patterns, I'm going to put up a big fight on this one. I might chemically take a dip but I'm not going to relax into it and float along like I'm helpless in a lazyriver of misery. Where I am right now, I have a choice, and so I am going to keep fighting the good fight and practicing gratitude. Go take a flying leap, you stupid black dog. I am strong and I have many opportunities to grow and change for the better.

The Double B is in such a happy situation at work right now. He manages receiving and his little crew is just the perfect group for him. They love to laugh and joke together and he said today that it just feels like a family. I will never take a happy situation at work for granted!

Our computer took it's last electronic breath today. It has kicked the bucket. And that just makes me sad, because between the van, Benson's teeth, and this, I'm feeling a great deal poorer than I did two weeks ago. We'll work it out, and they do say that things like this come in threes. We'll probably wait just a minute and hope for a great Black Friday sale. Fingers crossed! Also... sniff.

Today marks a whole month where I have written a post every day. It is part of my Happiness Project. And darned if it hasn't given me feelings of happiness just as expected. Pat on the back, Gertrude.

Tonight I saw that Benson had drawn on the couch with pen again. When I told him, again, that this is something we should never do, he got a sad face. Then he said enthusiastically "Mom, there's something I have for you! I'll kiss you on the face!"
And then he ran up and laid a wet one on my lips. This is very not Benson. Apparently he was pretty desperate not to get in trouble.
It worked, too.