Day Eleven

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THEATER

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BRAINS THAT WORK WELL WITH MY BRAIN

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ICED VANILLA LATTE

| THEATER | BRAINS THAT WORK WELL WITH MY BRAIN | ICED VANILLA LATTE

Today’s Vibe:

Another work-combined-with-theater day today. Worked on some graphics and social media for clients earlier in the day and then started pulling everything together we needed to create our lobby display that we were building this afternoon. The show is an Agatha Christie and a fellow board member came up with the idea of a police crime board. We put most of it together this afternoon and although we think it’s needs a few finishing touches, it looks pretty good. Then I went over and helped on costumes and little bit this evening. The kids are looking great and the show is coming together - good job really as it opens tomorrow night!

Bit of a rant here about how much I love theater and the theater community. Tech week is always insane - the wheels are falling off in all directions, the kids are exhausted, nothing’s ready, someone invariably doesn't know their lines - then there’s always a last minute drama. I produced several shows a few years back and some of our dramas included a bat in the auditorium, a missing kid who had actually not been picked up by the person who was supposed to grab him so instead ran several miles to the theater, arrived looking like he’d been hit like a train and went into shock right before the show, a leading lady vomiting right before the show and her very underprepared understudy wigging out because it looked like she would have to go on and then at the last minute the original actress stepped on the stage (no one was more surprised than me!). There are more. There is ALWAYS something. But then, opening night just... happens, and everyone is euphoric and all the stress is forgotten. Gotta love the theater.

The other thing I love about it is the collaborative spirit - all the parent volunteers pulling together to do all the behind the scenes stuff. I have made so many amazing memories over the years within the theater community. You really can’t beat it.

So…

Today I am grateful for:

Theater - it’s provides a safe place and a home for kids from all walks of life and they are always accepting of and kind to one another. Plus, nothing beats the high of pulling off a great opening night in front of a live audience - whether you’re on the stage or behind the scenes.

Brains that work well with my brain - there’s a particular board member I’ve known for slightly more than a year at this point and we just work well together - ideas spark and things get DONE. It feels good. There are other brains that I’ve been working with that just sync with mine too. It is a great feeling to be working towards a common goal with people who you’re in tune with. Brains are awesome.

Iced vanilla lattes - because… coffee. This one’s a bit desperate - I couldn’t really think of a third one. But I did rock up to Starbies today and meet up with my husband and daughter who had already bought me my coffee and it was a nice moment - so I’m including it!!

Day Ten

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DEMOCRACY

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GEN Z

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AMAZON PRIME

| DEMOCRACY | GEN Z | AMAZON PRIME

Today’s Vibe:

Ten days down, 355 to go! It’s hard to know if this experiment/ exercise is working yet. I mean, it is still early days. What I do know though is that I was out of the house working on those theater costumes again tonight - and I just finished dinner at 8:30pm I feel that without this blog I wouldn't be stopping to think about what’s been good in my day, I’d just be crashing out in front of a medical drama. So, the blog is forcing me to pause today and think about my day - which seems like it might be a good thing…

Today was Election Day! I still get quite excited about Election Day because I spent the first 12 years I lived over here unable to vote. I could actually still vote in the the UK but it was a whole PROCESS - so despite being really quite a politically interested person, I had only voted on key issues - like Brexit - I made sure I voted on that one.

So today in my town we were just voting for local officials - Board of Ed, Board of Finance, First Select Person (I hate they still call the role selectman - especially when the current incumbent is female and the only person running in this election is also a woman. It’s ridiculous). I have kids in the school system and there’s been a whole thing in town lately about Board of Education budgets and town budgets etc - so I made sure I was pretty well informed going in to those. But then there was also planning and zoning… erm… and something else… eek. Urgh, I have to confess I was kind of cross with myself. I firmly believe it’s a voter’s responsibility to educate themselves on the candidates and their positions etc - and we have an amazing local online newspaper in this town that goes to a lot of time and energy to make sure we have all the information we need in and that it’s easily accessible - but, I guess maybe because those things haven’t really come up for me yet - the whole planning and zoning thing, I just haven’t really formed opinions. So, I left those ones blank - because I just didn’t know enough - and then I felt AWFUL. I mean, people literally died so I could have the vote. Admittedly, Emmeline Pankhurst probably wasn't too concerned about two acre zoning, but, it’s the principle of the thing. I vow to do better next time and to make sure I have opinions and am making rational choices about every race on the ballot. You can’t really complain if you don’t vote - and I dooo like to complain!

Today, one of the kids in the show I’m working on who has just turned 18 got to vote for the first time - and that made me feel pretty happy. I still remember the thrill of my first general election vote - 1997 in the UK - we all thought we were ushering in a new future. It was before I got old and cynical and it felt so full of promise. Even though today was just a local election, I hope that 18 year old got that thrill today and the excitement of being able to take part and to have a voice. We all need to remember how important that right is and not take it for granted.

Lots of show related stress and busyness this week as I knew there would be. Our costumer was pretty sick last week so that has left a LOT still to do and we’re pretty much frantically throwing random items at the kids and telling them “it’ll do for now”. I’ve been involved in theater for about 10 years at this point so I know it pretty much always comes together on the night (or at least by night two), but tech week isn’t nicknamed “hell week” for nothing. It’s been a long day.

OK time for the list…

Today I’m grateful for:

Democracy - I think. I mean, it seems pretty messed up and I really feel that if the Founding Fathers had meant the constitution to be interpreted completely literally for the next ten thousand years they should have thought things though a little more. Is it really constitutionally possible to have a sitting president who is incarcerated or who can pardon themselves? It seems so. “That’ll never happen Jefferson, can we just focus on what percentage of a person this slave chap is?”. Anyway - it’s EMPOWERING to have the opportunity to vote and have a voice and it’s important that young people are engaged and are voting. They are just honestly SO much cooler than us and they tend to be so much more inclusive and rational and are not yet horribly jaded and haven't given up. So yay for democracy and for 18 year olds being able to vote.

Gen Z - similar theme. I really feel this generation - that my kids are a part of, have dealt with so much and been handed such a mess an it has made them such activists and engaged citizens. The fact that one day soon they will be running this place gives me so much hope for the future.

Amazon Prime - Oh God I feel awful writing that. But when you’re trying to costume around 35 - 40 kids and the show opens in two nights Amazon Prime is ESSENTIAL - plus, such easy returns - am I right?!

Gratitude Cloud?

So I’m thinking maybe people aren’t loving the whole gratitude cloud idea. At least, I’m not really getting enough responses to make a fun cloud some days. So let’s treat this is as kind of vote - which is kind of in keeping with today’s blog! If you like the gratitude cloud and want it to stay then please fill out the form below (just check no for the email thing - I have to have that on there but you can just say no). But if you feel kind of “Meh” about it and I don’t get many responses, I’ll let it go. But just do me one favor, try to at least pause and think of three things you’re grateful for each day - I think it’s a good exercise! Here’s the latest cloud.

Day Nine

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NAKED GREENS CHILLI

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SOUL MATE

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LITLE PINK TYPEWRITER ORNAMENT

| NAKED GREENS CHILLI | SOUL MATE | LITLE PINK TYPEWRITER ORNAMENT

Today’s vibe:

Today, I just felt a little…flat. I needed to leave my desk mid-morning to buy something from Michaels (arts and crafts shop for the non-Americans reading this) for the lobby display for the show that opens this week. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but one of my volunteer roles is President of our local high school Theater Arts Association. Anyway, Michaels was FULL of Christmas! As in it looked, and smelled sooo Christmassy. So much so that they actually had their Xmas trees on 40% off - which seems a little premature. So, I had a browse around and picked up a tacky ornament for the tree (pink typewriter - fab, eh?) and then just got hit by a wave of “I miss my big kids” sadness. Which is strange, because they will be home for Christmas, so really I should have been getting an excited wave of Christmas-being-soon-and-getting-to-see-them-ness, but instead it just hit home that they’re not here. And I was pretty sad for a couple of hours to be honest. Which is silly really, because they are both doing exactly what they should be doing and what we wanted them to do. But sometimes, emotions just overcome the rationality and you just miss them.

To cheer myself up, I popped into TJ Maxx and bought myself a coat (reduced from $199 to $69 - total bargain!) and then I texted my other half to see if he wanted lunch, and went to our favorite local lunch time place, Naked Greens, where I bought some nice comforting chili which I came home and ate at my desk.

The afternoon featured some work and then some volunteering working on costumes for the show (lots of theater stuff this week with the show opening on Thursday).

I dunno, sometimes when you’re just not really feeling it you just have to look after yourself. When I’ve finished this I’m planning to change into my comfies and curl up on the sofa with a nice cup of tea and a hot water bottle.

Today, I am grateful for:

Naked Greens Chilli - it really is NOM and very comforting and warming too.

Soul mates - I married mine 22 years ago and although he can drive me crazy he also totally KNOWS me and always has my back. There’s no one else I’d rather whinge to about feeling flat and having a crappy day.

The little pink typewriter ornament - I’m looking forward to the big kids unwrapping all the silly ornaments I’ve been buying this year and putting them on the tree when they get home.

Gratitude Cloud:

Share the three (or more) things you’re grateful for today to be part of our Gratitude Cloud! Just fill in the form below. The latest cloud is here.

Day Eight

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THE NYC MARATHON

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TREE LINED AVENUES

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HEARING

| THE NYC MARATHON | TREE LINED AVENUES | HEARING

Today’s Vibe:

I spent the bulk of today standing on the corner of 120th and Mount Morris in Harlem, cheering on people who were running in the New York City Marathon. What a fantastic example of humanity at its best! So many people putting in so much effort, having trained for MONTHS just for this day. They were achieving personal goals, raising money for charities they are passionate about, being cheered on by thousands of people (and their dogs, there were a lot of dogs). If only we could bottle all the good will and positivity of the day and somehow disseminate it all over the world right now. This is what it’s about - people, able-bodied and with disabilities, from all walks of life, all ages, all states, all political parties, all countries, running together and supporting one another. It was a great day. I even briefly thought “Hey, maybe I should run a marathon!” before getting a grip and realizing my talents are much better spent cheering on other people and posting about it on social media!

Anyway, if you ran the NYC marathon today - HUGE congratulations to you - what an incredible feat!

Today also happened to be a beautiful day - not too hot, not too cold, lots of sunshine. I live in Connecticut and it has rained every weekend for about 9 weeks - so having a dry weekend was a real bonus. I also got to explore Harlem a little but - which I’ve never done before. There was one absolutely beautiful tree lined street with classic New York brownstones along it, funky Halloween directions and kids playing in the street. Gorgeous. Then we stopped for lunch and there was a jazz trio playing outside the next restaurant over, so very funky vibes. I love living out in the countryside but I also absolutely love the city - most cities actually - I love all the different people going about their lives and the bustle and the noise and even the traffic and the smells (probably because I don’t actually have a very strong sense of smell!). We stepped over a dead rodent today - I think it was a mouse not a rat because it was quite small. And I know that’s not nice, but it’s INTERESTING and cool - and all part of being in the city.

Anyway, right now it’s time for a cup of tea and to think about dinner. But all in all, a good day full of some very positive vibes (and a dead mouse).

Today I am grateful for:

The NYC Marathon - for bringing people together in an amazing way

Tree lined avenues - that look like they’re out of a movie

Hearing - Being able to hear - the sounds of today - from the cheers and the cowbells to the music being pumped out of a nearby tent to dogs barking, children ringing their bike bells and that jazz band. I’m so grateful for the richness being able to hear brings me ( big musician so I’m very tuned in to hearing things!)

Gratitude Cloud Time

If you’re new to the blog then you mightn’t know that every day I ask people to share the things that they’re grateful for today - and then I pop them into a Gratitude Cloud (aka word cloud) so that we can all share and see what other people are happy about and grateful for. Please join in by filling out the form and look out for tomorrow’s cloud. Here’s the one from this weekend. Thanks everyone for sharing!

Day Seven

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BARNES & NOBLE

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LONDON

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HERCULE POIROT JIGSAW

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NYT SPELLING BEE

| BARNES & NOBLE | LONDON | HERCULE POIROT JIGSAW | NYT SPELLING BEE

Today’s Vibe:

Some days, the thing that takes the longest about this blog is not the writing, or the layout, or picking the photos, it’s focusing on the things to be grateful for. And then I feel crazy - because I have so much to be grateful for, but, I suppose some days nothing really stands out.

Unless there’s been a really obvious highlight - one of those things they call a glimmer - I usually start by going through my day. What did I do first? How did I feel when I had that first cup of tea? Did I go out anywhere fun? Who did I speak to today? How did they make me feel? Etc etc…

Today didn't start off that well. My youngest, who was supposed to be out all day at a big deal tech rehearsal, vomited. Never fun - obviously far worse for her than for me. Then we had the whole “Is it a stomach bug or just a morning thing because you haven’t eaten?” thing to figure out. Which is also never fun. As a parent I feel you can never win. Pre covid, if my kids could physically make it into school, they went. I had the attitude that it was really bad to miss a school day or a commitment and that unless they were really sick, they should soldier on. But things are a little trickier these days. The last family you want to be is the one who brings a stomach bug to rehearsal 5 days before opening night. So, she stayed home, and she’s basically been fine all day apart from a little tired. So, probably not the right call from an illness point of view - but on the bright side she got some much needed rest and we didn’t put the rest of the cast at risk. So, I think, between us, we made a good call???

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed - some paper work - 36 minutes on the phone to my UK bank trying to get my security info reset. The little calcualtor do dah I was supposed to use to log on and that I hadn't used in about a decade had run out of battery, I got two of my security questions wrong - which is odd because I really thought I knew who my best friend was at school , and so I got a big “Call Us” message. Once I called them they couldn't verify I was me because I had no voice recognition set up (did it even exist the last time I accessed the account?), and I couldn't remember my old UK phone number (haven’t lived there for 14 years). So then they said they were transferring me to the digital team to send me a new calculator do dah - and…. they hung up. So I guess I won’t be accessing that 136 GBP (or however much it is) in a hurry then.

Had a little excursion to Barnes and Noble with my other half - probably our family’s favorite shop, where I browsed books and looked at little stocking-filler-knick-knacks and had an iced coffee (I have only been grown up enough to drink coffee this year and even now they have to be sweet and iced), then came home, did a bit of my Hercule Poirot jigsaw (love me a good jigsaw), texted my middle child who is having a blast in London this weekend with some of her American friends who are also at uni in Europe and who flew in to meet her (sounds fancier than it is - they probably flew Ryan Air and they’re staying in a dorm in a youth hostel) and this evening I will probably do some laundry and watch the latest episode of a rather random program I’m watching on TV with my husband - Bodies. The show is set in four time periods and is about how this body keeps turning up - the same body mind you - in exactly the same place. So in 18 something, 1943, 2023 and then again in the future. It’s far fetched and not very good, but when my husband and I watch TV together we have to COMPROMISE!! Sometimes that actually means we end up watching some quite good stuff in a genre we wouldn't usually watch on our own, but sometimes it means we watch utter rubbish - like this! Past “successes” have been, Invasion - aliens invade earth but some people have a way of kind of resisting them - why??? Also Silo, in the future people live in this underground bunker thing and sometimes people go crazy and go outside to “clean” and they die - or do they? What’s outside the silo, what came before the silo etc etc. That one was actually really quite good to be fair - Rebecca Ferguson’s in it and she’s awesome.

Anyway, once we’ve both endured Bodies, he will likely go off to play on his computer and I will probably watch Eastenders - the good old British soap opera I’ve watched for 30+ years. Unless my youngest is downstairs - because she “strongly dislikes” Eastenders and anyway, we’re watching Gray’s Anatomy from the beginning together - something I’m pretty sure she wouldn't be watching if she weren't watching with me! TV is like a metaphor for peaceful living it seems - it’s all about compromise!

OK it’s time for the gratitude bit…

Today, I am grateful for:

Barnes and Noble - I know it’s a big bookseller and don’t get me wrong, I love small, independent bookshops too, but I love the layout, the variety, the little extras they sell and the Starbucks that’s attached. A trip to Barnes and Noble is always a good idea - even if it does stress me out because I want to buy more books and I keep thinking back to the huge stack I have beside my bed that are still unread.

London - Slight sense of homesickness today looking at all the pics of my middle enjoying herself in my old stomping ground with her friends. But also so much gratitude for a wonderful city and for the fact my girl is there making memories in it. I love London.

My Hercule Poirot jigsaw - I wasn’t a jigsaw person until about a year ago. I just didn’t get it. What is the point in spending all that time creating a picture when you already know what it looks like and you’re just going to break it up afterwards?! It’s kind of the definition of a waste of time. But I don’t know if it’s an age thing - like they say that you hit a certain age and start bird watching (not there yet, thank God!), or just… no, I think it must be an age thing. Anyway, I am kind of OBSESSED with jigsaws these days - especially this one particular brand that comes with a poster and are things like “World of Shakespeare” “World of the Brontes” “World of Frankenstein”. OBSESSED. Loving my Poirot jigsaw right now. Sorry if that makes me a bit sad!

NYT Spelling Bee - Other fads have come and gone - Wordle, Quordle, Heardle, Words with Friends etc, but Spelling Bee has remained. There is something sooooo satisfying about attaining Queen Bee status - which I don’t do that often, but when I do I feel sooooo smug I email the screenshot to my whole family and they dutifully replay with “Nice, mum” “Great job” etc. I don’t think they’re at all impressed but it keeps me happy so…. (confession, the photo above of Queen Bee is not from anytime in the past month!).

Word Cloud?

Guys, worst Gratitude Cloud EVER yesterday. I don’t know if it’s because everyone was not feeling remotely grateful or if it was just that everyone was soooo happy it was Friday night that everyone just crashed out and didn’t do it. Hopefully the latter and you were all feeling soooo happy and grateful you just didn’t feel the need! Anyway, I won’t update the word cloud today - I’ll wait to get some more responses and maybe just update the cloud on Sunday nights over the weekend. So, if you fancy taking part, fill out the form below:

Day Six

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DAY-TIME PAJAMAS

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PIZZA

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THEATER KIDS

| DAY-TIME PAJAMAS | PIZZA | THEATER KIDS

Today’s Vibe:

Everyone, I know you’ll be excited for me when I tell you that…the heat is on!! I spent a significant amount time in the kitchen attaching fabric to foam boards today for a theater project and just decided that it was ridiculous to be wearing a coat and flexing my fingers to stop them stiffening up while I was doing it - so, I hit the magic switch. Bliss! The house is nice and toasty and it feels very decadent but VERY lovely. I also, as promised, wore that new super soft outfit I found yesterday and so have been basically surreptitiously wearing pajamas all day so, yeah, today has been cosy and warm and lovely.

I spent the morning working, lunchtime attaching that fabric to those foam boards, and this afternoon I’ve been at the high school helping take photos for the lobby display for our fall show that opens next Thursday (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - should be good!). And now, it’s Friday night so I have a nice glass of wine at my side and a pizza on its way.

Fridays have always been pizza and a movie night around here - honestly probably for about 12 years. That’s a lot of pizza when you stop to think about it. My husband has spent the entire 12 years perfecting his craft. Initially I made pizzas with dough from the store, but I lack his patience so my pizzas were usually kind of rectangular with holes in them. He took over pretty quickly and it’s been his thing ever since. Over the years he has learnt to make the perfect pizza - with home made, hand-spun pizza bases, a perfected tomato sauce, varied and delicious toppings (who knew avocado worked so well on pizza?!) and, since we bought him a pizza oven for Christmas last year, the most delicious, crispy, wood fired bases. Pizza nights are pretty good.

Or, at least, they were. But here’s that half empty nest thing again. In the summer when we had all three kids at home and various other kids and partners popping in for dinner, pizza night was fun. But tonight, two are at uni and the third is on their way out to a party, so it's just the two of us, and you have to ask, is it really worth going through all that drama just for pizza for the two of us?! It seems not. We’re ordering in! Maybe we’ll get the pizza oven out next Friday…

So, pizza is calling so I’m making this brief tonight.

Today, I am grateful for:

My day-time pajamas- I have been seriously comfortable all day

Pizza - home made or delivered, nothing says Friday like pizza

Theater kids - I just spent quite a bit of time with them this afternoon, making them all put various random costume pieces on so they could be photographed, and they are just a LOVELY bunch of kids. The theater community has been a safe place for my kids and actually my whole family over the years. So 100% grateful for those kids and that community.

It’s time for the Gratitude Cloud!

You can find yesterday’s cloud here. Please share the things you’re grateful for this Friday below and I’ll make sure they make it to the cloud tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Day Five

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STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

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TARGET

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TIK TOK

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LEAVES

| STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING | TARGET | TIK TOK | LEAVES

Today’s Vibe:

We woke up this morning to frost! FROST?! You may remember when I started this blog, a mere five days ago, it was 27C! Temps hovering around zero and still no heating in the bulk of the house means that it was absolutely bloody knobbling when I first came downstairs! We may have to give in and turn it on soon you know…

Despite the weird white crispy stuff, it was very pretty everywhere so I had a good sing in the shower (check today’s vibe for what I was singing) and I had a glorious early morning drive in Meep (the mini) to a town about 20 mins away to pick up some Sticky Toffee Puddings. I realize that sounds a little random so I’ll explain - we had a fundraiser for our local high school theater department last month - a murder mystery (so fun!). The caterer provided Sticky Toffee Pudding as one of the desserts and it was a ALL people could talk about after the event - they were all obsessed - so we ran a little fundraiser selling a few extras, and today I picked them up and drove them back to distribute. We bought two for ourselves and I’m looking forward to enjoying a helping with some custard a little later - perfect cold weather comfort food!

When I was there talking to the caterer in her driveway, one of her trees started majorly shedding leaves - we’re at that point in the season where the leaves are coming down thick and fast. They were gorgeous and yellow against the blue and they were just kind of dancing around, and I couldn't resist - I reached a casual hand out to try and catch one. I was pretty chill about it, so I didn’t look too insane - and I explained myself and she said that she would try too - and then we both started running around trying to catch leaves for a good few minutes. Then she caught one and seemed to get a hold of herself and realized we looked a bit silly and said she must get on and went inside. But it was a fun few minutes just being a bit crazy with a virtual stranger! She’ll most likely never cater one of our events ever again…

Then (fun day today, I did do bits of work in-between my excursions), I went to Target! If you’re reading this and you’re not in the US you may not know about Target, but, suffice it to say, it’s a fun place to go. You can get everything from food to plates to beanbags to clothing, stationary, toys, iPhones, soda streams - you name it, Target has it. And it’s nicely laid out and branded and not remotely snooty and upmarket - but not basic either. Honestly, Target’s great - go there if you get the chance! Anyway, my reason for going to Target - was that my middle child (daughter at uni in the UK) had sent me a TikTok of all the crazy Christmas ornaments they have there - they have a prawn cocktail, a glass lump of bacon, a glass stick of butter - all kinds of crazy, so I thought we definitely needed some of those today. And when I was there I also found a very snuggly soft outfit that kind of looks smart, especially if you pair it with a long coat/jacket/ cardi, but is actually basically PAJAMAS!!!!!! So I’m going to definitely wear that outfit to work from home tomorrow. So all in all a pretty productive shopping excursion. So….

Today I am grateful for:

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Because those little delicious containers of joy brought people together and led to my crazy leaf catching adventure, and because I get to eat some in a bit - NOM!

Target - I mean, what’s not to love?

Tik Tok - This is a weird one - sometimes I hate it - especially when I find myself sat on the loo with a cold tush because I’ve gone down a TikTok rabbit hole for twenty minutes. But I also love the way, when we see something funny/ relevant/ interesting, we share it within our little family. It’s another way to stay connected.

Leaves - even if they won’t let me catch them

Join the Gratitude Cloud!

Each day I’m creating a word cloud from the things that YOU are grateful for. The idea is that we can all look at it and see the things that other people are grateful for and maybe that will make us be grateful for those things our lives too - one big cloud of gratitude and positivity! Here’s the one from yesterday. If you’d like to join in today then fill out the form below.

Day Four

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HOT SHOWERS

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COMMUNITY

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MY LITTLE FAKE FIRE

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AMAZON MUSIC

| HOT SHOWERS | COMMUNITY | MY LITTLE FAKE FIRE | AMAZON MUSIC

Today’s Vibe:

Day four and November already! Where does the time go? Another busy day working away today. Lots of work for a non-profit I work for, a little bit of marketing work, an online course and a fair amount of voluntary work too. In addition to running my creative consultancy, I’m pretty heavily involved in music and theater in the town I live in so that keeps me out of trouble.

Today I was creating graphics and writing emails to encourage people to join our music boosters organization, as well as working behind the scenes on a future fundraiser for our school theater booster club, and it just struck me how GREAT our community is. We are a small town full of hard-working, busy people (for the most part) and sometimes people can feel overwhelmed by the busyness of life and miss things. But when you draw people’s attention to what’s needed and what they can do to help - be it a $5 - $30 donation, buying a ticket, volunteering to create something for a display or help make and source costumes, this community seriously steps up. It’s great. And it’s worth focusing on it really, because when I look out beyond the town I live in it can sometimes seem a bit as though we’ve all lost our humanity. Sometimes it’s good to just focus on the good things, even if they’re small in the grand scheme of things!

Before you say it, I do recognize that the reason people in this community are able to step up is because they are in the fortunate position to have either the time, money, or energy to help, because life for most people and for the most part around here is pretty stable. But I’m also involved in several other communities through work where people are not so fortunate and have suffered deeply. And seeing the community those people have and the support they offer one another also makes me feel hopeful. So, community. That’s definitely something I’m grateful for today.

It’s been the chilliest day so far this fall today. And for some unknown reason we’re trying not to put the heating on in the downstairs of the house (and only in the upstairs for when we get out of bed). It’s kind of nonsensical - it’s freezing. And it’s not like we were trying to get to November 1st or anything - we’re just… not putting it on. Of course it’s better for the environment - saving the polar bears as I like to say - and it’s saving us money, but I actually don’t think we’re doing it for either of those reasons - it’s more to prove our toughness or something?! Actually, I’m not trying to prove my toughness at all. My study is slap bang in the middle of the house and I have shut all the doors and put on my little fake electric fire. People tease me about it and say it’s naff but I love it. I know it’s fake and obviously so, but something about fake moving orange flames just makes me feel warmer (even without the actual heater on I have found!). It’s odd the way we can trick our brains - like imagining you’re laying on a beach and you can hear the waves and feel the sand between your toes - try it - it works!

OK, so the things I’m grateful for today are:

Hot showers - I was late getting my shower this morning as I spent over an hour on FaceTime to my daughter in the UK (5 hours ahead) helping her book train tickets and when I got to the shower the heating hadn't been on upstairs for a while (just writing this I’m thinking, turn the heating on you crazy woman!) and when I got in that hot shower it was bloody BLISSSS! So much so that I think I’m going to have another one when I’ve finished this!

Community - Because it’s great to feel part of one and to feel other people care about the things you care about and have your back.

My little fake fire - it may not be sophisticated, but it makes me happy!

Amazon Music - because it’s just on in the background and playing some epic tunes as I write this. Love how it always seems to know my mood! Islands in the Stream, people - channeling the Beckhams tonight!

It’s a Gratitude Cloud

Fancy taking part in this exercise and sharing the things you’re grateful for each day so you can be part of our Gratitude Cloud (like a word cloud, but more grateful!)? Just fill out the form below. Each day I’m posting a word cloud here.

Day Three

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HALLOWEEN

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EARPLUGS

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PERRY THE PLATYPUS

| HALLOWEEN | EARPLUGS | PERRY THE PLATYPUS

Today’s vibe:

For some totally random reason I was much more at peace with the world today. A good night’s sleep may have helped, combined with the fact that when I woke up the sun was just starting to shine on the tops of the trees out of the bedroom window. The weather really does have a huge impact on my mood and today was an undeniably beautiful fall day in Connecticut.

My other half was not so cheerful. He was already up at 7am, but not with a spring in his step. Apparently he’d been awake at 3am, 4am, and then had finally given up and got out of bed around 6am. He said something about “bloody cats” and then commented on my snoring (rude!). The cats are a pain in the backside to be fair (glossing over the snoring bit). We have five (I know, we’re crazy). Two of them live pretty much full-time in the basement. They’re very sweet and don’t cause too much trouble -just roll over and let you tickle their tummies when you go down, and meow for food periodically. Then we have Apollo, the Prince of Cats , basically everything a cat should be - majestic, slightly aloof but will succumb to a cuddle - likes to go out and put critters in their place but doesn’t rub it in your face. Then there’s Romeo, the youngest, slightly paranoid cat who the others all seem to hate. He pounces on them and pretends to be tough but then they turn on him and he gets all neurotic and pees all over the sofas. That’s bad enough - but then, we have Loki. Loki started life as a male kitten but we soon discovered she was actually female - we thought the name was actually surprisingly spot on so we stuck with it. Initially she was sweet as anything. She spent most of her life asleep on our bed stretching out in the rays of sunshine and letting you bury your nose in her lovely long, soft, fur. We’d even have conversations about whether we ought to encourage her to be a bit more active and how she didn’t do much compared to the others. Flash forward about 18 months and that cat has had a COMPLETE personality change. She went from never having stepped outside to becoming a crazy huntress. It started with mice and baby bunnies and last week she caught a squirrel, ate it’s face off - just it’s face, mind you - and left the rest of it in the screen porch for us to clean up. Nasty. Additionally, she is INCREDIBLY demanding. I’ve literally never heard a cat meow so loudly or so incessantly, and, she likes to go outside in the middle of the night - hence my husband’s disturbed sleep.

You may be wondering why all the cat shenanigans didn’t disturb my slumber. The answer - earplugs! I don’t know how anyone female going through perimenopause, menopause or just life generally lives without them! In fact, I’m not sure if this is something that everyone experiences, but over the past 2 years or so, getting to sleep at night has become quite a palaver.

To sleep I require:

• A very nice, tight, unbobbled fitted sheet with no crumbs or creases

• A single top sheet (my husband does not like sleeping under a top sheet, so this is only on my side of the bed). When it gets cold I can forgo this.

• A single duvet (we have two singles on our kingsized bed as I can’t abide drafts of cold air when other people turn over)

• Three pillows - one feather, one some random make Chris bought for me that’s nice and firm and I have to take everywhere with me because it’s literally the only pillow I can sleep on - and one extra just to throw on the floor

• A top blanket folded over concertina style so I can pull it up in the night when I get cold

• March to September - a bed height fan pointed right at my face

• A mason glass “vase” of water - seriously, I just looked at it and it’s 800ml

• Earplugs

Honestly, even then, it’s hit or miss whether I actually can go to sleep. Bloody hormones.

Anyway, last night, I did sleep, and today the sun shone and I got lots of work done and felt like a productive member of society so everything was good. Also, it’s Halloween and we got to give the lovely little kids on our street candy, and my daughter went to school dressed a Perry the Platypus. So all in all, an uneventful but nice day.

So, today I am grateful for:

Halloween - it’s a bit of a rubbish holiday in the UK where I’m from but we do it in style in the US. Love seeing all the little kids having fun in their costumes (and the big kids!)

Earplugs - see above.

Perry the Platypus - because my youngest was having so much fun dressed up as him and dancing around today.

Word Cloud - Actually, I think I’ll start calling it a Gratitude Cloud

Each day I’m asking people to take part in helping to create a Gratitude Cloud. This way we can all see the things that other people are grateful for and perhaps we’ll think - “You know, I’m grateful for hot chocolate too!” and then we’ll all feel EVEN more grateful to be alive. So please take part if it appeals. I’ll update the cloud each day - you can find yesterdays’s here.

Day Two

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MEEP THE MINI

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GINGER KOMBUCHA

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BIRKENSTOCK CLOGS

| MEEP THE MINI | GINGER KOMBUCHA | BIRKENSTOCK CLOGS

Today’s Vibe:

Day two and I have to admit I’m really not feeling it today. As in, not feeling positive and grateful at all - which actually is exactly why I’m writing this blog and what I’m trying to overcome, so… I suppose it’s a good thing? See how I turned something around and made it positive?!

So what’s been going on today? Honestly, not a lot. Mondays are always slightly stressful work-wise as I catch up with clients and set expectations for the week. I got all the way to 2:45pm without leaving the house/ my desk which always drives me crazy. I operate best when I get out first thing for a walk, but… you remember the blister from Sunday? I still can’t get a shoe on my foot, so no stomping on the NVRT for me today.

2:45pm was school pick up - and my day got briefly exciting as the pick-up line coincided with a nice guy called Derrick from Crumbl Cookies calling trying to deliver cookies to my daughter’s boyfriend in Virginia. My daughter is in the UK and can’t take international calls and the cookies were a surprise so she had provided my number. I had zero idea where the cookies were supposed to be delivered and poor Derrick was getting very stressed, and THEN my youngest got in the car meaning I had to drive, so she had to take my phone and talk to Derrick….and suffice it to say it all got a little confusing and the cookies were eventually left with someone random in a stock room in the Physics building. The good news is they did eventually find their intended recipient - or rather, he walked half a mile and found them - but all’s well that ends well.

I’ve just generally been feeling a little wallowy today. I’m really upset about Matthew Perry, probably more than I ought to be. The whole thing just makes me feel old. I hadn't realized Lisa Kudrow was 60. I remember like it was just yesterday an Easter break I stayed up at Keele (my uni)with my friend Jules in her house. We watched Friends every night and drank “Tony’s cocktails” (frozen mush). The same break my now husband came up to see me and we went out to a restaurant called Pinocchios and I ate snails (was I trying to impress him?!). I was at the same restaurant just a few weeks ago with my two oldest kids - because my son happens to go to the same uni I went to. The restaurant has changed hands now and it’s quite a nice Italian but it just really threw me that it had changed. In my mind it was frozen in time as the snail place. In my head I’m still that 20 year old doing a degree and watching Friends and drinking cheap frozen cocktails. Where has the time gone? How is Chandler Bing dead?

Then there’s the Middle East. Honestly I just don’t know what to think apart from “Make it stop” which, I know, isn’t super helpful. No matter how much I try to educate myself on what’s happening and on the history of the region I just can’t get to the bottom of what I should be thinking. Tonight in my town I read that loads of people had their Israeli flag lawn signs stolen last night, and in a neighboring town someone daubed paint - actually red handprints on one of the signs. I also heard that last week a Jewish child at our local high school had a swastika painted in their car parking space. On the flip side I’ve heard of Muslims being targeted too, and of teachers afraid to support Muslim students because of fear of being accused of being antisemitic. What an absolute mess, and we’re 5,600 miles away (I looked that up). I can’t even begin to imagine what life is like in Gaza right now or how October 7th and the aftermath have felt for those closely involved. The whole situation is totally depressing.

So, with all the above being my general mood today it’s super important I dig deep and find some things to be grateful for - and not just, “Thank God I don’t live in Gaza”. So here goes:

Today I am grateful for:

My car (Meep) - my “glimmer” today - that moment when you feel a flash of happiness, was when my youngest was driving me in my lovely, happy blue Mini Cooper to an appointment, and suddenly we were at the top of a dip in the road, everything opened up and we accelerated just a wee bit and everything just looked so beautiful and felt so good for a second.

Kombucha - I drink a bottle a day and this afternoon I really needed a Kevita ginger kombucha pick me up!

My Birkenstock clogs - because I still can’t get a proper shoe on and they have kept my feet warm on this chilly day!

FYI:

Meep the Mini actually has an IG account. Because… why not? You can follow them @miniadventureswithmeep

Word Cloud

Yesterday I invited people to send in the things they were grateful for so we could all feel all the lovely things we’re all grateful for. I created a word cloud here. I’m going to do one each day so if you’d like to join in please fill out the form below with the three things you’re grateful for today.

Day One

FLIPFLOPS

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TECHNOLOGY

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FALL IN CONNECTICUT

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SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

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FLIPFLOPS | TECHNOLOGY | FALL IN CONNECTICUT | SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE |

Today’s Vibe:

I had the idea to start this blog yesterday. I was walking in the Town Forest, about 200 acres of gorgeousness in the town in New England I live in. It was a beautiful fall day - 25C at the end of October (you’re going to have to get used to my Britishisms, I can’t figure out Fahrenheit). The sky was that brilliant blue I like to call “Connecticut Blue” - just so damn deep and perfect and intense. The river was babbling gently - just making this soothing trickling noise - I watched as it parted over rocks and as beautiful fall leaves swirled around in little gentle eddies as they meandered downstream. But it was far from perfect. I hadn't done a serious stomp for a while (more on that later) and the paths were over-leaved - like overgrown but actually just buried by all the fallen leaves - so it was impossible to figure out where the millions of rocks and tree roots were - so I was kind of picking my way through the forest, stumble trip, stumble trip - like in the Bear Hunt book. I was actually saying that to myself as I stumbled around looking far from graceful. I don’t know what was going on with the sock in my right shoe but by the time I was about a quarter of the way around the trail, so after about 15 mins with another 45 to go, I had a HUGE blister on the back of my heel, making every step painful. But then I stopped, out of breath and a bit disheveled, and felt the not-too-hot-not-too-cold-just-perfect breeze waft over me and looked at the gorgeous yellow leaves dancing in the breeze as they fell from a tree in front of me, and heard that beautiful babble and saw that blue, blue sky and thought DAMN ,GIRL (I’ve started saying girl a lot in the past 6 months thanks to my daughters) why are you not just GRATEFUL?

So then I decided that I would be.

The plan, the experiment, is to write every day - and I know it will be a challenge for me to sustain this. I want to be real and honest and talk about all the blisters and the crying and the hot flashes and the disappointments and the great moments and the music and the laughter and the failures and the paranoid feelings and the euphoria and pride and exhaustion and the delicious meals and tricky conversations and EVERYTHING. And then, no matter what that day has thrown my way, I want to seek out the positives, find the things to be grateful for, pick a tune that represents the day (music’s kinda my thing) and… I don’t know.. .sleep soundly? Feel as though I made the most out of that day and therefore of my life? We’ll see where this takes me….

So each day: a blog - I accept that some days it might be really, really short, a list of at least three things I’m grateful for, and.. a song!

I guess all that was actually day zero. So here’s…

So…Day One

Sunday October 29. Today I woke up a bit too late. I do that quite a lot at the weekend if I’m honest and I’m always sooo conflicted about it. I love the coziness of bed, scrolling on my phone and having a nice cup of tea in bed (if I’m lucky enough to have one brought to me) but I hate when I do eventually get up and it’s after 9:30am and I haven’t DONE anything yet. Anyway, I woke up and it was POURINGGGG - and about 12C - which was a bit of a shocker after yesterday - and no one brought me tea (sob!) . My middle child is at uni in the UK and she wanted to FaceTime so I popped to the loo, went downstairs and we chatted for ages which was LOVELY. But I was doing that thing where I had the phone propped kind of below me and my face was all puffy from sleep and I kept pulling it taut and yelling “facelift” - which at least made her laugh even if I was kinda being serious - not that I would actually have a face lift, just that someone could make a lot of money giving me one!

Then a little later I was driving to the grocery store and I was listening to something random on NPR about gratitude (freaky, right?) and they were talking about how we don’t really place a great amount of value on what we have, but on what we don’t have (keeping up with the Joneses) - how if you buy a new car and your neighbor gets a new car on the same day and their car is better than yours, it’s hard for you to feel happy and grateful. And also how we should view the ability to feel gratitude as a TALENT - so something that yes, some people are better at that others, but that everyone can try to learn. Anyway, I didn’t listen to the whole thing because I had to go and buy food for the week but nonetheless I thought it was INTERESTING and it made me wonder about the solution - is it best to try to compare ourselves daily to people who are less fortunate - who have a crappy car? Is “comparison the thief of joy” as Teddy Roosevelt said (didn’t know that was his quote until today by the way) or do you just have to compare in the right direction? Does comparing in the opposite direction make you feel grateful or just make you feel awful for other people? Not people with crappy cars, obviously, I’m thinking more people in the Middle East right now, or the 5 remaining Friends who, as I’m writing, have yet to release statements on the death of Matthew Perry and who must be beside themselves with grief. Honestly, isn’t it a bit of a shitty thing to do to make yourself feel better by thinking about others’ misfortune? Answers on a postcard….

Anyway, today I am grateful for:

Flipflops - because my blister is HUGE and there’s no way I’m putting a shoe on

Technology - for connecting me to my family who are all in the UK (including two of my kids)

Fall in Connecticut - because even in the rain it’s beautiful outside

Spaghetti Bolognese - because my husband cooks it every Sunday night and it’s the perfect way to end the weekend.

Idea!!!

If you would like to share with me the three things that you’re grateful for today then I can make daily word clouds that I can share with you all so we can ALL feel all the happy, grateful feels!