Resilience

At the start of the new year I took a look back, counted up the good and the bad, and said goodbye to 2009. This was a good exercise. Being grateful just plain feels good. In terms of making yourself feel better on a blue day it's as fool-proof as skipping or the watching the Muppets. It wasn't meant to be a resolution for the new year, but I've formed a new habit of culturing gratitude every day. 

Some days are easier than others. On the hard days the background noise makes it harder to find those things that make you so glad to be alive. Then there are days when the bad so outweighs the good it's hard to know how that fits in with the overall scheme of things.

Can you tell? It's been a rough week. One more San Francisco-style donation, a message from the boss that made me and everyone I work with just feel icky inside, prolactinoma meds that make me feel like I've been hit by a train, and within one week Tim's cousin, my Mom's best friend and my Marge died. I was running home (literally) on Wednesday with so many feelings - some of them I don't even know the name for. I'm a fairly resilient person but weeks like this one slowly erode that part of my character. I don't get back up as quickly as I used to. So, I'll just get on with doing that thing that makes me feel better:

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Counting my blessings:

Mother's Day: Most women nowadays are looking for a break from the kids on this particular day. Not me. Sunday was a normal work day for me. The hospital was slow - I suppose that most people were spending time with their families. Then, out of nowhere, the head tech asked if I wanted to go home early? I was home by 5 o'clock, which gave me an extra 2.5 hours with Tim & Ada - a most unexpected and welcomed gift.

Running to work: Yup. Now that it's light out for much longer I'm back at it. Our nanny thinks I'm crazy and she wags her finger at me liberally. But I like it: less stressful, burn some calories and some frustration, no money on gas and wear on the car. I figure that at least if I get stabbed and beaten that there is a small chance they will find my body by the extended daylight.

Ada sprouting 2 new teeth: The upper ones just on either side of her two front teeth. It looks like she has a few Chiklets tucked away in there. She simply won't let me take a picture...

Will & Trust: 1.5 years and $2400 later it is finally signed and complete.

I have a plan: For the first time in a long time.

Date tonight!! Dinner at Perbacco and since Moira is graciously babysitting the evening won't cost us an extra $100 like our last date did (that was in February, in case you wondered).

Planting things: I've been aching to get my fingers back in the dirt. Last weekend we got some soil and some seedlings. Lili & I braved what proved to be the start of summer in San Francisco (e.g. in the afternoon the temperature drops precipitously and the fog rolls in off the Pacific) and got some things planted. I'm anxious to see how this little experiment works out. Ada isn't so interested in letting me out there to finish the job of getting seedlings in the dirt....

It was so foggy, windy, and cool today that I didn't even want to go outside to take a pictured of the plantings so far (the containers in the blue circle). I hope the weather warms soon or this isn't going to go very well.


Homemade Granola: I could eat granola, plain yogurt, and blueberries every single day of my life. I love it so much. As such, I try granola wherever I go. Not to toot my own horn or anything but of all the granola I've tried I still like my homemade granola the very best. The recipe is out of the standard Fannie Farmer cookbook.