Thankful Thursday

Yesterday I cried when I heard that Heather Armstrong, the writer known as Dooce, died by suicide. She was 47, the same age as me.

Dooce was the first mega-popular mom blogger I (and many other people) had ever known. Unbeknownst to her, she likely inspired thousands of other women to tell their stories online. She was certainly an inspiration to me. She was gut-bustingly witty, brutally honest, beautiful, and apparently, in a lot of pain.

When I began reading her blog, I had no idea how much our lives would eventually have in common. I decided to write a post today (when it’s been aaaaages) in her honor.

Things I’m thankful for:

1) New and old friends

My schoolteacher friend took me to prom, and all I got was this car selfie! I didn’t get to go to prom when I was a teenager, so when a teacher friend asked me to accompany while he chaperoned, I was pretty thrilled.

Lately I’ve been spending time with one new and two old friends I reconnected with, and it’s sweet. They say friends are the family you choose, and it’s so true.

2) My part-time job

Do I love my job? No. Is it hard on me physically? Very much yes.

But every time I drive in to work, I feel such gratitude for decent health insurance. Recently, I got answers for some worrisome symptoms I’d been having (hence the heart monitor I’m wearing in this pic I snapped when I took my daughters to see The Breeders live. #longliveGenXmusic).

3) My therapist

Today is Thursday. Thursday is Therapy day. I’ve had this routine for about eighteen months now. Just when I think I can’t take it, when that’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more, it’s time for an appointment. I don’t think I’d be functioning without therapy. (Note: Therapy is so important for me, I spent $20,000 out of pocket on it last year for myself and my eldest daughter. I’m working on finding a new therapist covered by my insurance!)

4) My Bullet Journal

I don’t have a single clue what I’m doing, anytime, until I look at my beloved BuJo. I recently ordered a new one (this time, in red, my favorite color) because my current one is all used up.

My BuJo is my flexible, customizable yet simple calendar, journal, brain on paper, mental health buddy, money manager.

If you want to see how I use mine, go here: simple bullet journaling. Since I’m getting a new one, I’m spending time going through the current one deciding what pages I want to keep and which ones weren’t helpful or I didn’t follow through on.

Definite keepers:

*Monthly page
*Habit tracker
*Monthly spending/budget page
*Gratitude list

5) Public School

After what seems like a lifetime of homeschooling, all of my kids are in public school (or college). They’re thriving. And I’m so very, very grateful.

My children’s teachers are wonderful and I’m so impressed with the schools they attend. At this stage of my parenting, I’m deeply thankful for public education.

What are you grateful for right now? I’d love to hear more in the comments.