1. What about your upbringing are you most grateful for? 

Hmm, I guess I’ll say how my parents taught me to work hard and be self-reliant. I mean that in the best possible way; not that it is bad to ask for help but you should know that you are your first defense. I feel like so many people these days are looking for the bail out or hand out and I was brought up to know that success is almost solely dependent on you.

2. What are two or three things that bring you comfort? 

Being warm (blankets, heaters, sun, etc…); knowing work for the day is done (be it job, or in the kitchen, or having to do with family) and being able to sit down and feel unfettered; loud rock music when I’ve had a bad day (somehow it is a salve on my life; weird, I know.)

3. Something beautiful you saw today? (or yesterday depending on when it is you’re answering this question)

I guess I will say the sunny view out the window in the bathroom. I’m on the 15th floor and the past few days have been foggy or overcast. This morning, it was clear and sunny!

4. Have you ever used a typewriter? Tell us a memory associated with that.

Yes. When I went to college in 1997 I didn’t have a computer yet and while I could have used the labs on campus, my parents gave me a Brother word processor, which was a digital typewriter, the machine in between a manual typewriter and a computer. I typed my first few college papers on that thing but then got a real computer. I remember my parents had one of those moveable type ones when I was a kid but I never really used it.

5. Something you are grateful for today.

I’m going to say grocery delivery, since I did it yesterday in a pinch. I don’t like paying extra for it but going back to an office full time has made it difficult for those last minute items. I just don’t want to make the time after work to go because I would rather just get started cooking. I would, in all honesty, prefer to eat around 3 like we were before but alas, back to work!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

While my car seems to be making an intermittent whirring sound and is stressing me out, I am in a good mood today. I’m also sort of emotional about this whole full time work thing. It’s true that my kids are at school most of the day and wouldn’t see me anyway, there was something nice about being home when they got home. I guess I just haven’t adjusted to it just yet. As noted last week in this post, I worked these same hours for 13 years and my kids were much younger and needed me more. Somehow I made that work, along with the other extras we like to do like brewing and running. So what am I whining for? Was I so spoiled by at-home work and then covid stay-at-home that I can’t get back to the grind? I pride myself on being able to juggle a lot so what the heck am I doing?

Part of my good mood comes from my husband being supportive about this whole thing. For now anyway. I am sure there will be a stressful and trying day and we won’t have such a good evening. Yesterday, he left work and grabbed Dakota from piano then he got her going on homework then took her to dance. I left work at 4:15 to get Elliot from soccer then he and I went to the barber. I got home and started making taco salads then after everyone was settled and Dakota home from dance, we worked on the guest list for this year’s Christmas party and then we watched Barbarian, which is a crazy movie! It’s horror but sort of just weird and creepy; not what I thought it would be. I typically do not like movies like that and once we finished, we watched a good chunk of the first Thor, just to cleanse our collective palette. We went to bed a bit later than we wanted to and I woke up to remember I took the rest of my k-cups to the office and my Amazon delivery didn’t come yesterday so…no first thing in the morning coffee! But that has been fixed now, as I sit in the office with my cup. I actually have editing to do today; my boss is going to walk me through it around 10. So yeah, this was a very scattered random thought but happy Wednesday!