“Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Gautama Buddha

This was one of those weeks that I can’t categorize as wholly “good” or “bad” because it was full of ups and downs. I have been making myself get out of the house more often and be social which has been great, but it creates a sharper contrast of how alone I really am most of the time. I am also acutely feeling the changing of the seasons and getting nervous about not being able to spend as much time outside this winter, so I just need to be intentional about it, right? Anyway…there were still some very bright spots to my week despite the sun going down so early.

1. New window seat for cats. If you have pets, you know the feeling of buying something you are sure they are going to love, only for them to fully ignore it and never use it. Both of our cats love sitting in the window, but our window sills aren’t very wide. So I saw a cat bed that is basically an extension of the window sill. I bought it and for almost a week the cats were leaping over it to get to the tiny portion of the original window sill that was still exposed. So I figured it was a failure. Then all of a sudden this week Buzz has figured out that if he uses the new window seat he can lay down and look out the window. So now he spends a couple hours in the morning and evenings enjoying his new spot. As I type this he is just taking a little snooze there and it makes me so happy!
2. Writing coach. A couple months ago at a silent auction I bid on a session with a writing coach and I won it. So this week I actually met with her and she was encouraging, insightful, and delightful. She gave me some great tips to overcome some mental challenges I’ve been having and it was also great just talking with another writer for a bit. I probably can’t afford to meet with her super regularly, but hoping to get a few more one-on-one sessions as I continue working through my first draft.
3. Walks with Bama. Every day Bama and I walk for at least 1 mile around the neighborhood. I haven’t been hiking much recently, but these walks definitely fill that same need I have for daily movement and spending time outside. We skipped our walk on Wednesday because Bama wasn’t feeling well and we were both up quite a bit the night before. And while she snoozed on the couch, I decided not to go for a walk by myself because it was really windy. Man! I didn’t realize how important those walks are for my mental well being until I skipped that one and just felt off all day. So Thursday I made it a priority to go and I’m hoping we can (mostly) keep up the practice for the rest of the fall and into the winter months.
4. Cozy socks. Something happened over the last couple years and I feel like all my friends started getting into cozy socks in their late-thirties, myself included. Tall thick warm socks that you can pull up over the cuff of your sweatpants or leggings. It’s not terribly fashionable, but man it’s comfy. I treated myself to a six pack of really soft ones from Costco recently and I wore the heck out of them this past week as it’s been chilly in the mornings. It’s like we’re all turning into Dumbledore (IYKYK).
5. Hunger Games movies. Even though there are a million and two new shows and movies on my To Watch list, this week I decided to start the Hunger Games movies even though I’ve already seen them at least a couple times each. I kind of had forgotten how good they are! Very much enjoying the rewatch.

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill

Last night I learned that an old coworker and dear friend died this week after a long battle with cancer. She was the kindest and sweetest soul, but could also be incredibly feisty. I learned a lot about what it means to set personal boundaries and advocate for myself at work from her. I hadn’t seen her or spoken to her in a few years but I miss her like it was just yesterday that we were having dinner together. Squeeze your loved ones tight and remind them you love them. And in the midst of it all, don’t forget to find joy also.

1. Drinks with a friend. This week I was running errands south of Denver and decided to see if a friend was available to grab a drink. Then what started as a planned one hour happy hour turned into almost four hours of sharing, reminiscing, and laughing. It was very much needed for my sanity! I spend most of my time alone at home talking to the cats and dog, so it was good to be around people.
2. Applying for jobs. I have been thinking about getting back to work part-time for a few months and this week I finally pulled the trigger on applying to a couple! TBD if anything works out, but it feels good to be acting on it. Would love to start working with people and feeling like I’m contributing to society again.
3. Cooler weather. It’s finally feeling (a little bit) like fall! The afternoons are still pretty hot, but the mornings are cool enough to wear a jacket. This morning I had an early appointment for my car and I had to pull a fleece on over my t-shirt! No leaves changing around me yet, but I think next week I’ll get some mums for my front stoop.
4. Football! I know I mentioned going to a college football game a couple weeks ago, but I’m also so happy that now my Saturdays and Sundays are full of the familiar sounds of football on the tv. It’s rare that I sit still and just watch a whole game, but I love having it on in the background while I’m writing or cleaning or cooking. It’s a cozy and comforting sound to me.
5. Booksmart. I know I’m a couple years late to the party on this one, but I recently watched the movie Booksmart and omg, I loved it. It is rated R with a lot of F-bombs and sex-references and drug use…but it was really a heartwarming movie about two best friends just trying to have fun and support each other! The premise is that these two girls only focused on schoolwork and didn’t have any “fun” but then they realize they could have been doing both and try to cram four years worth of fun into the night before high school graduation. It was really reminiscent of Can’t Hardly Wait in a way. I laughed, I cringed, and I cried.