I've noticed a few friends posting things they're grateful for on Facebook and it got me to thinking- I don't have the one thing I REALLY want right now, but I've actually had a lot of good things happen to me this month. So, in honor of the first 10 days of November:
Ten Things I'm Thankful For
1. Unexpected Meals- After my surgery two great friends brought dinner for us. One of them was a fantastic Mexican cheese soup with tortilla chips, bread and brownies. It was the only thing I wanted to eat the night after my surgery. The second friend brought a fantastic meatloaf (seriously, my favorite) along with twice-baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese and sugar cookies. These meals were SO fantastic. Like, really really good food. And then not even a week later DH got a free meal from work. (He's in food sales.) The meal included two HUGE steaks, two potatoes, carrots, bread and two miniature chocolate lava cakes. The meal was so big we shared one portion and saved the other for later this week.
I'm very grateful for such good food that others provided for us.
2. Beautiful Scenery- Winter weather is definitely here, but we have some gorgeous colors right now. One of our trees is a Japanese Maple and its leaves are the brightest red right now. It's very pretty to see when you look out the guest bedroom window.
3. Family- I couldn't have done the lap without my DH and mom. They really took care of me and, what's more, made me feel incredibly loved. I think when you feel horrible there's something to be said about your need to feel the warm and fuzzies and these two made me feel very supported. And on that note
4. Milo- I love my little (actually very big) cat. Even though he's an ankle-biter he keeps me company when I'm home alone. I never really liked cats growing up and I'm surprised as much as anyone else that I have one, but from the moment he followed me up my apartment stairs as a tiny kitten he's been the exact opposite of what I thought cats were. I don't want to be a crazy cat lady so he's probably the only one we'll have but he's a good one. :)
5. My Students- These kids made me feel like a million bucks when I went back to work this week. The comments they made were so kind-hearted and their behavior while I was gone really showed me a genuine respect they have for me. Not all years are like this. (Two years ago would have been a whole different story) but these kids are just fantastic.
6. My OB- I had my post-op appointment this Friday instead of next Friday as was scheduled. When I woke up Friday morning my belly button looked blood red and totally freaked me out. His office got me within the hour and when I saw the doctor he was SO fantastically reassuring and willing to explain. (Apparently my surgical glue had torn my skin in the night. It was actually sort of ridiculous how bad it looked for what had happened.) While I was at this appointment the doctor just jumped right in to explaining everything he found. It was pretty much everything I had heard from DH and the post-op report but he was very patient in how he explained it. He was also very optimistic about my chances of getting pregnant but also said that he would be willing to see me again as soon as I want to come back in. Isn't this an incredible difference from most OBs who refuse to talk to their patients until they hit the one year mark of TTC? Such a charming and knowledgeable person. I feel very fortunate that I was able to start seeing him this year.
7. Things to Distract Me- I saw a movie with my SIL yesterday called "About Time". I really liked it and the only time it was a little less than distracting from the TTC stuff was when the characters were talking about getting pregnant (multiple times). Even so, I really liked it and lost myself in the story for a while. It had a good message. I've also read some good books this week and watched a few good movies on Netflix. It's conference week last week and part of this week and so that's been a good (albeit boring) distraction also.
8. Coworkers- I am lucky to have some really amazing friends to work with. They have really come through for me with my surgery and are just really good people in general. I feel so appreciative to have some "allies", you know? I think any good job requires partners in crime. :)
9. Three/Four Day Weekends- Technically this is a 3-day weekend for me, but because I had to leave work for my appointment on Friday, I basically had a 4-day weekend. It's crazy how much time I will be off this month between my surgery and the holidays.
10. A Happy Memory-My grandma died in 2006 and I have never felt any closure from her death. One Sunday the phone at my mom's rang and a moment before I answered it I literally felt something snap in me. I can't explain it but I knew it was for my grandma and I knew it was bad. My grandma had fallen and in the process hit her head on a doorknob and broke her neck. While her doctors were optimistic on that first day I sobbed to the point of getting physically sick because I knew. This invisible link between us had broken and I knew she was gone. A week later I stood by her as her body slipped away. Because of the way I lost her, I sometimes have a hard time remembering 18 years of good memories and can only focus on that last week. But this morning as I woke up in bed a very random memory of my grandmother came to mind. I used to waitress and because my grandma was my biggest fan in everything I did she had my grandpa drive her in to surprise me at work. That was so special to me. I lived on the other side of the city and she had trouble getting around at that point, but she was going to see me come hell or high water. She was just like that. I was "her baby". I don't know why that memory came to me today- I haven't thought about it in years- but after I remembered it I smiled and thought the thing I always hope she can hear: "Thank you for loving me so well."
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