Ten Things of Thankful: Black Friday edition

It’s easy for me to list the bad things that happened this week: my son was ill and I had to take him to the doctor, something that makes him more miserable; howling high winds kept me up awake earlier in the week; I got a black eye; I unwittingly entered into a power struggle with a colleague at work.  All of these things could put my spiritual accounts in the red.

But it’s Black Friday. While I’m not a fan of  consumerism, I can still follow the example of retailers by getting my emotional accounts running in the black. There’s no better way to do that and to reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday than by creating another Ten Things of Thankful list.

Let’s tally up the good things in life from this past week. I’m thankful that:

1. The public library offers a diverse selection of DVDs. We don’t make it out to the theaters, so we wait for new releases via Netflix and the library.  The beauty of the library and the chance to say, “I’m glad I didn’t pay to see THAT.”

2. Philip’s snow bibs from last year still fit. This saved us some money and allowed us to play outside last weekend.

3. I had to pee very early Monday morning, so I was awake and heard Philip throw up. Since I discovered this right away, I avoided an even bigger mess. I still had two loads of laundry to do before going to work later that morning but . . .

4. I’m grateful that my job gave me the flexibility to go in late and leave early on Monday. I was also able to leave early on Tuesday to take care of Philip and grab a nap for myself.

5. My house didn’t blow down. Okay, so gusts of 50 mph wouldn’t knock over our house, but I was worried the wind would rip off shingles as they had last winter. The gutters rattled through the night, but remained attached.

6. Philip isn’t missing as much school as he might have if this hadn’t been a holiday week. This allows him extra time to recover.

7. I had a paid day off from work to be with family and catch up on my sleep.

8. We were able to host my sisters-in-law for Thanksgiving. Peter helpfully suggested prepping some of the side dishes on Wednesday. I wasn’t really in the mood for this after my collision with Philip, but it did make things so much easier on Thanksgiving Day.

8. Philip showed signs of improvement by Thanksgiving Day. His appetite hasn’t fully returned, but he hate more than he had all week and took a nap in the afternoon without tossing and turning.

9. I worked the day after Thanksgiving. Sure, an extended weekend would have been nice, but I was the only one in my department to come to work today. It meant I could finish one of those projects that are best completed without interruptions. Plus, during my distraction-free lunch break, I knocked out the majority of my holiday cards.

10. NaBloPoMo is almost over! I didn’t get as many stories completed as I hoped I would this month, but I did finish some pieces that had been languishing in my drafts folder for far too long. I also worked through a few drafts that I had been neglecting that I might finally have ready by next month.