Gratitude Journal // Twelve - Seventeen - Twenty

Gratitude Series: Sometimes, I let the bad in my day get the better of me. Other times, I get so caught up in my own little world that I forget to give thanks for all of the blessings in my life. I find myself taking things for granted over and over again. And that’s just not how I want to be anymore. So, right now, I’m choosing to give thanks for all of the things. 

• Work Bonus: Since changing job titles, and I’m assuming COVID-related issues, this year my bonus was significantly less than what it had been last year. And yet, still more than what I thought it would be. So, I’m really grateful for it. It covered all of the Christmas presents I wanted to get my family, one of my bills, and left over a bit to put into savings. I’m blessed. 

• My Abuela: She calls about twice a week to check in on us. One of the drawbacks of not living three miles away from my family is that I don’t get to see them every day the way I used to. This means that my time with my Abuela is very limited. And I definitely need to make sure that I start putting in an effort to call and check on her too. 

• Hallmark Channel(s): Yes, their movies are cheesy. Yes, every character is OVERLY nice. Yes, they do recycle stories. Yes, it’s basically a lot of the same actors. But you know what? I love them. I love that they are family-friendly. I love that each story has a happy ending. And I love that the biggest dilemma usually revolves around something not so complicated. Where will they get the perfect Christmas tree for the town's light festival?? Then, for the Christmas movies, there’s also a lot of snow, beautiful homes, and plenty of coffee. These movies serve as my break from all of the other stuff going on in the real world and I love them. 

• K: My partner’s mom has been wonderful. She helps with picking the little up from school every day. Always has them outside exploring. She treats Em like her granddaughter and even asks to be invited when Em has a performance. She’s welcomed us into her home since day one and she’s always up for helping whenever she can. 

• Our fireplace: I’ve always wanted to have a fireplace. I’ve wanted to decorate a mantle. I’ve wanted to have a fire going while drinking hot chocolate, cozied up on the couch with my family. And this year, I’ve been able to do just that. Now, the fireplace is a pain in the rear in regards to upkeep - which now I know. But there’s something really peaceful about hearing the logs crackle when the house is quiet at night. I’m really enjoying it on those cold nights. 

And that wraps up my gratitude post for this month. What are you grateful for today? This week? This month? What do you do to help bring some positivity back into your day if it's been a bad one? How do you make sure to stay grounded? And how will you be celebrating this Christmas season? I know it's been a minute since I've posted anything. Life at the end of the year gets pretty busy though. I hope every one of you is doing well though. Until the next post, I hope you have a wonderful day! Bye! 

“To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.” - Unknown 

❤

Wordless Wednesday

Currently // November 2020

We’ve already had a pretty packed November. This weekend will be another one filled with back to back events. And I can’ believe Thanksgiving is next week too! I mean, WHAT? I guess this is my sign to slow things down, huh? How is everyone else feeling about having six weeks left in the year? I'm a little mixed if I'm being honest. It kind of feels like we should get a redo or bonus points for something, right? Anywho, while you mull that over here let's get into the “currently” post for the month. 

Listening: Recently, Dermot Kennedy released a deluxe version of his album “Without Fear”, and it includes seven more tracks. Now, in case you couldn’t tell, I LOVE this man’s music. There’s just this feeling that I get whenever I listen to him and I can’t really describe it in one word. It’s kind of like this heady combination of wanderlust, happiness, longing, and love all rolled into one big heaping pile of emotion. And, in my opinion, his voice is just super relaxing. So, this has been my go-to when I head out for my meditative runs. You can find all of the streaming platforms that it's available to listen to, here. 

Reading: I started to read “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta”. I actually found this book at a thrift store of sorts in Mout Pleasant back in May. However, I was distracted and unmotivated to read much of anything so it sat on my bedside nightstand for months. And well, I recently decided to commit to reading a chapter or two each week. I’m doing it this way so I can really think about her writings. She’s the Saint that I chose for myself last year because I have always been drawn to her work. Her outlook on life, kindness, and love. I felt it was about time that I dive deeper. And boy has it been eye-opening. 

Watching: I’ve been watching a lot these days. Mainly because I have more time off than I normally do. Anywho, there are two shows that I just finished and equally loved. The first is "Emily in Paris" which follows a young woman’s adventures in France. It stars Lily Collins, which I think is a great actress. And newcomer (to me), Lucas Bravo who is pretty dreamy. And the accent? It’s real ladies. The second is a cute show about young love, set in New York City, at Christmas time called "Dash & Lily". It stars Austin Abrams, who I first saw in Euphoria, and I feel like we’re going to be seeing more of him which I look forward to. Both of these shows are over on Netflix. And bonus! They're 30-minutes or less for each episode. And they're each 10 episodes or less in length. So they’re super easy to breeze through. Enjoy!  

‘Casting: Whether you’re Catholic or not, I highly recommend giving the podcast, "Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church", a listen. It’s a really great piece of journalism. You get a complete breakdown of events and countless interviews from bishops, reporters, lawyers, and social workers. There are even a few survivors who tell their stories. Overall, it’s very informative. And they don’t hold back. 

And that concludes the “Currently” post for this month. If you have any suggestions, be sure to drop me a line either here or on any of my other social media pages. Links are all at the top. I'm always on the lookout for new artists, films, podcasts, or books too. So, I'm totally open to recommendations if you have them. Until the next post, Happy Tuesday, folks!