What Are You Thankful for Today?

It’s Thankful Tuesday.

"I'm thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could've gone the other way."
- Rick Springfield

This quote resonated loudly for me on this Thankful Tuesday, as my injured hand healed right up and I’m typing away as usual today.

I fell off a chair on an old wooden porch Friday night.  As we all shifted our chairs around to watch the fireworks (thunder on the mountain) around 9 that night, the leg of my chair caught on the old porch and I slid off breaking my fall with my right hand.  Things could have gone really wrong, but they went my way instead of the other way – a truly serendipitous moment.

• I could have fallen down the stairs – I did not.
• I could have broken my hand or something else – I did not.
• I could have shattered my glass as I usually have a real glass – I chose plastic so it did not.

I was helped to my feet, the chair righted, wine glass refilled and we all watched the gorgeous fireworks and celebrated the 4^th of July.  I stayed awhile and continued my long walk home via another friend’s house, and thought no more about it until Saturday morning when the hand was hurting and slightly swollen. 

It was not bruised and the pain did not feel like a break.  I kept it on ice the entire day and most of the night favoring it as I prepped food and did other minor chores – you have no idea just how much the right hand little finger does in a day.  I have new respect for that digit.

Fortunately, I had an ARC (advanced reading copy) of a book I promised to review for a friend loaded on my Tablet, so the enforced tenure on the couch with one hand on ice was not total torture.  I alternated between the ice-pack and tall glass of iced wine, which helped.  Did more of the same on Sunday, but not as intense and it was obviously healing.

I slept with then hand wrapped flat in a silk scarf Saturday and Sunday nights and today the swelling is pretty much gone and I’m just shy of making a perfect fist again.  

I am thankful for serendipitous moments where things that could have gone so wrong, went just right.

What are your grateful for?

Do You Map Your Week Out on Monday?

I’ve dubbed Monday, Monday Map Day.  The first thing I do Mondays is map out my week of To Do’s.  This is the beginning of the list that will probably grow as the week progresses.  

1. Pre-write and schedule Blogposts for the week. Very important as I’ve committed to blogging daily for the BlogHer July Challenge.
2. Outline or hand draft new essay/query for my Wednesday WriteNow 2-hour session at Lister Hill Library.
3. Finish reading/reviewing Theodora Goss’s ARC of her new book: Songs for Ophelia. Started it Saturday while icing my injured right hand.  Making notes was a challenge.
4. Paint.  Add new layer to paintings in progress. 
5. Add hangers to finished paintings, photograph and post to Etsy.  FU with Genie and Ree for 2 of them.
6. Research markets for essay WIPs
7. Polish 2 WriteNow projects and submit to magazines.
8. Take Mom to Doc and day out on Thursday.

Moving on to Tuesday and hoping this list doesn’t get too much longer. 

What’s the first thing you do on Monday?

Sabbat Sunday

Sabbat Sunday - At the most literal of definitions, we have:

1. A day of rest, and
2. The Day of the Sun.

Latin Sabbatum (literally a day or rest, religious connotations came later), Ancient Greek σάββατον (sábbaton),
 from Hebrew שַׁבָּת (shabát,), from Wicca (sabbat).

Originally ‘a day of rest’,  for most religions it is a day of fasts, of don’ts and other obligations.

For others it is a day of feast and celebration of the cycles of the earth and her peoples, and that is why I prefer Sabbat.

I prefer celebration to deprivation (I always fast on Mondays).  This day of the sun awaits, and I’m off to enjoy every minute of it.

Mañana y’all

Keep It Simple Saturday - KISS

It’s keep it simple Saturday – KISS.  I have no chores to do, no serious cooking to do.

Even when I had a husband, a child and a 5-day a week, 8-5 job, I always kept my weekends simplified down to point that I could:

• Do what I want when I want
• Go where I want or
• Do nothing at all 
• Hang out on the balcony reading and sipping wine

It just takes a little planning and a few rules of the road. Here are mine.

Chores posted on the kitchen calendar and now in my iPhone calendar.

1. Monday – Vacuum/Dust (usually evenings when I get home, dinners in oven on – I can produce a damned good meal in under 30 minutes)
2. Tuesday – Laundry (drop dry cleaning on way to work/wash clothes after work)
3. Wednesday – Clean and mop kitchen and bathroom
4. Thursday – Cook and freeze larger recipes in portions for weekend and following week’s dinners.
5. Friday – Cat box cleaned, Trash & Recycle to alley. (morning before 5-mile morning walk)

Rules to observe daily:

• Put it back – if you take it out, put it back in its place.
• Tidy it up – if the couch pillows are in disarray straighten them.
• Make the bed before leaving the bedroom. (when married, last one up makes bed)
• Put clothes away.  When you take off clothes, hang it up if clean, put dirty in hamper if dirty.
• Rinse and put dishes in dishwasher immediately on finishing meal. (I kept rinsing dishes, pots, utensils as I went in food prep, and we’d clear the table together

Different families have different needs, so you list will be different from mine.  My list is more manageable now that it’s just the cat and I, but I keep to it religiously.  I love my guilt-free weekends of  dolce far niente.

Do you have any shortcuts that make your life easier?