Thursday, February 27, 2014

Finding the good

I have been very distracted lately and not posting here as much as I want to.  I’m still dealing with the drama that has been happening between The Boy, his father and his step-mother and feel a bit like a lion tamer trying to tame lions that haven’t been fed in a while – stressed.  We’re talking about three hard-headed people, none of whom will bend enough to admit they are part of the problem.  Sometimes I just want to knock their heads together and see if one will crack……. a girl can dream……



Anyway, I didn’t come here to whine about that (okay, maybe a little bit); I want to talk about the good things.  Because of what I’m dealing with on that front, I’ve done my best to reduce stress elsewhere in my life.  I unfortunately, dropped out of the online class that I had signed up for because the deadlines of the assignments and tests were a pressure that I just didn’t need.  I still want to watch the lessons though and perhaps learn something.

One thing that I’ve learned this month is that when parts of your life are going to hell, to remember and experience the good things in life.  They never really go away but can sometimes be overshadowed.   Here some good things in my life:

-I finally got up the courage to watch The Walking Dead on Netflix.  I’ve wanted to dive into that show for a while but was afraid that I wouldn’t sleep at night.  It turns out that there’s nothing like binge-watching zombies chowing down on people to make you forget your troubles for a little while.  I’ve watched the first three seasons and eagerly anticipate Season 4 hitting Netflix.

-I’m not a big greeting card buyer but went out and bought my kids Valentine’s cards (and a small treat) to brighten our week.  My kids’ smiles when they got them brightened my day.  I even bought one and mailed it to my SIL, who has been a bright point in my life even if I haven’t been calling her enough lately.  Hopefully she’ll forgive me my quiet period.

-I’ve read a couple of good books lately that I plan to review here in the near future.  Reading is such a wonderful way to escape from life’s troubles for a little while.  It lets you escape to a different world and has a great calming effect on me. 

-I’ve even gotten out a couple times.  I know, shocking!  A couple of weeks ago, a group of us from work and a few others all went out for dinner in honour of a co-worker/friend who is going for surgery to remove a cancerous growth.  His outlook is good (caught quickly) and he has been overwhelmed with the well-wishes that have been coming to him.  It felt good to be a part of that.  We also went, this past Saturday, to The Boy’s girlfriend’s sweet-sixteen party.  Yep, he’s dating an older woman (seven months)!  It was really nice to get out, socialize and feel normal for a while.

-Last weekend when my balcony was clear of snow and ice and completely dry for the first time in a few months, I got out there and cooked on my BBQ.  Oh how I have missed grilled meat! 

-The days are getting longer.  I now leave for work and head home in daylight and boy what a difference it makes.  The good news is that I have managed to get through the darkest part of the year without sinking as low as I did last year.  That is certainly something to be grateful for.

-This past Saturday I put up a post participating in JC Little’s book blog tour.  Anyone who hasn’t already seen it and commented, get on over there!  We are giving away a copy of the book along with some other cool swag.  I’ve never done anything like this before and it has certainly given me something to be excited about.  I’m so glad that I took the plunge and volunteered for it when she put out the call last month because it gave me the nudge I needed to keep at the blog when I might have just wallowed in my misery and let it go.

-No list of good things in my life will ever be complete without my kids.  They can always make me smile and are the light in my life even when things seem their darkest.  Their love lets me know that I’m doing something right

What life lessons have you learned lately?

Mama’s Losin’ It


Kat

8 comments:

  1. Love your list! I love the longer days too.

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    1. That extra daylight just adds a certain extra spring to your step :)

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  2. Coming by from MAMA KATS...
    your list of good things is great...positivity breeds more positivity...I there should be a Hallmark card that says that...or maybe I'll just make my own.
    In February I learned that I hate winter...Not that I didn't already KNOW that, but I re-learned it when the heat pump started working at 1/2 capacity ( as in it is dying) on a day when the high outside was 16...it was 54 in my house with a fire roaring in the fireplace and a pot of water steaming on the stove:(
    Then I learned that I really hate winter when the heatpump goes up AND black mold is found in it so it MUST BE REPLACED instead of merely repaired.
    Luckily the last few years of paying down debt I learned paid off when the bank gave us a loan to purchase the new heatpump system...but now we're back in debt but can't have black mold spores killing the kids or grandkids so...
    February was a learning month that I am happy to see end.
    stop by my blogs sometime...
    dawneing.blogspot.com
    colormethin.blogspot.com
    colormecrafting.blogspot.com

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  3. It sucks that you had to replace the whole thing. At least your financial efforts paid off in getting that loan; it must feel good to get that far.

    I don't generally mind winter but I imagine that I'd change my mind with no heat in this place. Stay warm Dawn; it's almost spring!

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  4. I agree... reading is good for you! Have a great March!

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    Replies
    1. Sunshine, new books, spring cleaning….. I think it will be pretty good :)

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  5. Winter will end eventually...looking forward to all the sunshine! I hope everything works out for you. All of the stress from those other relationships is no good. :(

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    1. I agree! This is why I'm doing my best to keep the rest of my life as simple as possible and trying to remember to stop and breathe - it's all about balance.

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