Thirty Days of Thanks

 

For years I have posted daily in November my "Thirty Days of Thanks."  This Fall, particularly, October and November, have been a LOT. Sitting down to write daily here on Romanskiville seemed more like a chore than enjoyable. 

I was going to forget about it this year. 

We stay home on Thanksgiving and have a low key, quiet day. This is by design because after Thanksgiving, Paul's hours get ridiculous and it won't be uncommon for him to roll in between 9-10pm. 

We were sitting at the table finishing our linner (lunch and dinner), when Kristen plucked the turkey headband she'd made in Sunday school off the gratitude jar in the middle of the table and said "Put this on and say what you are grateful for." I was here. for. THAT. First she went, then Brooke and Paul. 

"Come on, Mom. It's your turn"  I happily donned the turkey headband and listed a few things. 

As I was cleaning up the table and the kitchen, I kept thinking about the things that I was grateful for .. so, while it wasn't a daily installment, here is the 2021 Thirty Days of Thanks!

#1 - I am thankful that my kids are in school, 5 days a week. 

#2 - I am thankful that Paul's new UPS truck has heat vents that blow on his feet.

#3 - I am thankful for my Noxgear lighted vest for early morning or late night walks/runs. 

#4 - I am thankful to have a baby in the family again and that I am his Aunt.

#5 - I am thankful for my Yeti tumbler and the insane amount of time that it keeps things hot or cold.

#6 - I am thankful for flavored almond milk creamers.

#7 - I am thankful that my friend was not more seriously hurt in a summer cycling accident. 

#8 - I am thankful for the team of physical therapists who helped me "fix my feet." 

# 9 - I am thankful that my parents spent the week in Aruba with us and love our favorite place as much as we do.

#10 - I am thankful for my Apple Watch. 

#11 - I am thankful that our favorite spot for pizza and family dinners out survived being only available for takeout. 

#12 - I am thankful that we, all 4 of us,  survived Covid in February.

#13 - I am thankful that we were all able to be vaccinated. 

#14 - I am thankful for the customers on Paul's route who leave him snacks, drinks, and treat him with kindness.

#15 - I am thankful for my neighbor who so willingly chauffeured Brooke to track practice on her remote days.

#16 - I am thankful for the hibachi chicken fried rice at Mazhu. 

#17 - I am thankful for the neighbors who share carpool to NFA with us. 

#18 - I am thankful that my Mom recovered completely from Covid and that my Dad did not get it. 

#19 - I am thankful that my nephew goes to a high school where they make and sell beautiful seasonal flower arrangements.

#20 - I am thankful for the weeknights that Paul gets home early and we have dinner together. 

#21 - I am thankful for the 4 years I served my community AND that my service is over in 7 days. 

#22 - I am thankful for my Thirty-one business and my loyal customers.

#23 - I am thankful for my Audible subscription and being able to listen to books. 

#24 - I am thankful for my iPhone, it is old and tired, but it keeps showing up for me.

#25 - I am thankful for my friend who even after moving hours away, continues to send the girls their chocolate advent calendars every year. 

#26 - I am thankful for Sunday night bowling with the funniest teammates "that's what she said"

#27 - I am thankful for my friends, 2 particularly, that are always gifting us with food. Kathy and Casey can cook!

#28 - I am thankful for the coaches - business, personal development and speaking, that I have had the privilege to work with this last year. 

#29 - I am thankful for my zero turn lawnmower and the peace it brings when I am mowing. 

#30 - I am thankful for the constant support and belief Paul has for every crazy idea I have. 

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

 Earlier today, my sister tagged me in post on FB with this invitation. "maybe the girls would like to do this?"

It was almost 4pm when it caught my attention and for a few more days, that is "quitting time." Kristen was sitting at the dining room table, so I called her over and asked her to take a look. 

"Interested?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll do it. Let me go ask Brooke" a minute later she returns and announces "She says if I find her gloves, she'll go." 

We spend a few minutes finding boots, snow pants, hats and gloves. I think to grab a couple of carrots from the bag in the fridge and pluck some plastic berries from my winter arrangement box still sitting on my front porch. We load up into the Pathfinder and make our way there. When we arrive - there are NO other snowmen makers.

"Where do we go?" Brooke says looking concerned. 

"I don't know, I'll just call them and ask" 

I call, a lovely woman answers and she is not prepared for snowman creators. She puts me on hold, goes to speak to the director and comes back. 

"Do you have kids with you?" now she seems concerned. 

"Yes, I do!" 

"Oh that's great" She seems genuinely excited and directs me to the area where the windows are for the main dining room. 

We gather our few materials and off we go. Within a couple of minutes as we are just starting to build the base snowball, they clear a spot in front of the window and roll up woman in a wheelchair. I wave, she waves back and smiles the biggest smile - even under a mask - I knew that she was grinning from ear to ear. 

The director delivers the hot cocoa and cookies that were promised. He thanks us for coming. I tell him that my mother in law was their most dedicated volunteer, EVER. I say that she had been a patient as well. I say we live close and saw the post and it was the perfect excuse to get out and get some fresh air. He asks if he can take a picture when we are done. By now another patient has come to the dining room with her walker and another who has a room near where we are moves to get a better view. We place the berries on top of our snowman's head, collect rocks for the buttons and eyes and place the carrot for the nose. Brooke finds a branch to make the arms. 

When he returns to take the picture he says that he is happy we brought a carrot, the residents were about to send him hunting for one! We chatted for another minute, we took a couple of pictures and then I heard a knock on the window and turned to see the second woman that had joined in to watch applauding our finished product. We grinned from ear to ear, and waved back excitedly. 

We thanked him again for the hot chocolate and cookies and said goodbye. We climbed in the car and started home. I think we were all surprised that we were as happy to make the snowman as the residents were to watch. Brooke looked at the clock and said "we weren't even gone a half an hour"

"I know, that took no time at all and they were SO HAPPY. They have been so isolated, for so long I think it must have been nice to see visitors - even outside.  I had fun doing it, more than I was expecting to!" 

From the backseat, Kristen chimes in "I love old people, they're so cute. We should do this every time it snows the good snowman kinda snow, mom" 

The rest of the night we reminisced about visiting Moses the 2 times she was a patient. The time they remembered a few years ago and they time they didn't when she was recovering from a major surgery. I think Brooke was around 3 and Kristen was in a stroller, I'm not even sure if she was a year old. I would pick them up from daycare and then we'd go visit. We were superstars - the staff loved us, the patients in their chairs in the hall would all perk up when they saw Brooke bopping down the hallway, pigtails swinging, waving "hi" to whoever caught her attention. 

She would have been so proud of them today. I was so proud of them today.

We live in a strange, new world these days. It feels constrictive and isolating and so many things we took for granted aren't options right now.  

You can allow yourself to be swallowed up by it all or choose to find new creative ways to share love, kindness and joy. 

Today, we chose love. I hope when you are faced with a choice, you'll choose love too! 

For the Girls

Earlier today, I watched the inauguration. I've watched so many of them, even when my pick doesn't win. I was working today - typing away on one laptop and streaming the coverage on the other. 

I stopped for a few moments when Kamala Harris took the oath of office. I watched and listened closely, soaking it in. Her smile made me smile, she was beaming. I mean, why wouldn't she be? The first female vice president.

I've talked about this here and there with our girls. Hoping to get them to understand the significance of this to them. 

When Biden announced his pick,  I started to consider the possibility of a female VP and the impact that could have. I grew up in a house where we were encouraged to dream - about college, a career, a future. I was the proverbial "daddy's girl", there are a ton of pictures of me wearing his tool belt and hard hat. He taught me how to use tools, how to wax my car, and the importance of checking your oil. He taught me how to drive, a standard to boot! He also taught me to back up the ambulance using only the side mirrors - BLESS HIM!

My parents made me believe - with their words and by their example - that with hard work I could be anything, anything, I wanted to be.

My grandmother, my Mom's mother, retired as a Branch Manager of a bank in 1978. Women didn't generally have titles like that in the day. I can remember hearing the stories of her closing the bank, going home to prepare dinner, clean up and then returning to the bank later that night to finish writing a mortgage. 

My parents met at the firehouse in the late 1960's. When ambulances were made by Cadillac and all you needed was a basic first aid card. She randomly stopped at a car accident where the female victim had glass in her eyes and was distraught, she comforted her while they waited for help to arrive. The techs on the ambulance asked her if she would ride with them to the hospital since she had connected with their patient. That led to an invitation to join. The ironic part - she wasn't allowed in the building!!! When she arrived for a call, she had to wait outside, until a man arrived to pull the ambulance out of the building. When my dad was laid off, her salary supported our family. When the town's babysitting course instructor stopped teaching, she convinced her friend to take the instructor course with her and they ran the class several times. 

My sister is badass. She is not afraid to speak her mind or call people out when she sees wrong. She has worked in operating rooms, vet offices, and assisted doctors with in office procedures - without breaking a sweat. She has rallied Team Heather on more than one occasion. You should ask her about the traveler's check showdown in a store on a family vacation one year. Honestly, she was spot on and the store policy made no sense.

My girls are lucky to have lots of examples of strong women around them, but I think about all the little girls who don't. I think about all the women who don't have men like Paul and my dad on their side - encouraging, supporting and challenging us to stay the course. 

Today, maybe those girls saw Kamala Harris with her husband by her side, sworn in as the Vice President of the United States. Maybe they felt like that could be them one day. For me, that's worth celebrating.

So Much to be Grateful For

 

I'm sitting here Thanksgiving morning with an apple crumb pie in the oven and I can't believe that the date is November 26. In some ways, the month flew by and other days it seems like time dragged on. I always intend to sit down every day and post. There's just been so much going on and plans are constantly being rewritten. In year's past, I would have really agonized about not keeping up with things. In 2020, I decided that I deserve the grace that I am so quick to give others. So here's a little "catch-up" ......

#5 - I am thankful for warm sunny days in November

#6 - I am thankful for video conferencing software

#7 - I am thankful for weeknights without meetings

#8 - I am thankful for finding toilet paper on the grocery store shelves

#9 - I am thankful for clean sheets

#10 - I am thankful for cards and notes in the mailbox

#11 - I am thankful for online shopping

#12 - I am thankful for Brooke's love of baking

#13 - I am thankful for our zero turn lawnmower

#14 - I am thankful for noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones 

#15 - I am thankful for a really good cup of hot coffee

#16 - I am thankful for my large wraparound porch

#17 - I am thankful for new babies

#18 - I am thankful for good health insurance

#19 - I am thankful for my colleagues

#20 - I am thankful for hand sanitizer that smells nice

#21 - I am thankful for mornings when I am the only one up

#22 - I am thankful for takeout

#23 - I am thankful for my journal

#24 - I am thankful for Amazon Prime

#25 - I am thankful for an extra day off with pay

#26 - I am thankful that Thanksgiving is a holiday, even for UPS

Let's Get Physical

 

#4 - I am thankful for my basement gym

Paul and I workout 4-5 mornings a week together in our basement gym. We bought some foam floor tiles at Home Depot, a 40 inch tv and a Roku stick. We subscribed to Beachbody on Demand and picked used weights at the scrap yard, yard sales and on sale at Target. 

I don't have to leave the house to fit the workouts into my day and having a partner holding me accountable. 

#4 - I am thankful for my basement gym

Let There be Peace on Earth

 #3 - I am thankful for the right to vote

This is my standard "thankful" on election day. I woke up this morning, already having voted, thinking about what a privilege it is to have this right. I vote every time I get the opportunity. I vote in primaries, I vote in every race. I think it is THAT important. I often think about the fact that if I had been born in different time, I would not have been allowed to cast a ballot. Because I was A. WOMAN.

I'm not expecting to know who the "official" winner is tomorrow morning or maybe even this week. 

It is possible that my candidate does not win. 

My final prayer this morning, before my feet hit the floor and my daily routine started was "no matter how this ends, let there be peace" 

A girl can dream, right? 

 #3 - I am thankful for the right to vote

Thirty Days of Thanks

 

I haven't written in a LONG time. I should say published in a long time because I have actually written quite a bit since the last public post. I just haven't shared. Honestly, I'm not sure why.   Anyway, for lots of years I spent the month of November writing "Thirty Days of Thanks" - it isn't prolific text that will catch the eye of some publisher or win me any awards. I just like to write and I let it fall by the wayside too easily.

This has been a YEAR, this 2020. While there has been a lot of things that "suck" -- there has been some moments that I would not trade for anything. 

Yesterday, I was thinking about how I couldn't believe it was November. Later that night, I was thinking how much I had enjoyed a "quick" three mile walk with a friend that morning around the Lebanon Green. Then I remembered this tradition and decided I would write.

Some of you might have been looking for a post yesterday, so you'll be treated to Day 1 & 2 today. 

I hope that even in the midst of this crazy, chaotic, frustrating, stressful time, you stop each day - even if just for a moment - and find something that fills you with gratitude. #30daysofthanks

Without further delay .............

Day #1 - I am thankful for Sunday walks with a friend

Most Sundays, I meet a dear friend at the Lebanon Green and we walk. We make 2 trips around the large oval and my watch tells me that is just around 3 miles. We catch up on our busy week, talk about recipes, or family. I am grateful for the exercise and the time away from the chaos of home and work. I am grateful for just that little more than an hour away from an endless list of "things to do." I am grateful to spend time with a friend during these times when it is hard to be together. 

I am thankful for Sunday walks with a friend

Day #2 - I am thankful for Sunday Night Bowling

I can't even remember how long we've been bowling on Sunday nights, its been longer than 15 years because we joined this league before we were married. Even this year, with less teams, less socializing, and no french fries  ... I still look forward to it. It is a few hours away from home with people we really enjoy spending time with. We wear our masks, we fist bump instead of high five's and we're super careful about where we stand and what we touch. It isn't the same as it was but I'll take it. 

I am thankful for Sunday Night Bowling