How about a few things I’m grateful for right now?
1. Instant Pot – I used my moms’ digital pressure cooker while we were home in Illinois over the holidays. Then, I was hooked. Through a compilation of gift cards, mine showed up today. I’ve made applesauce – in 8 minutes!!! – and macaroni and cheese with broccoli. I had to cut the children off. There’s only so much cheese and broccoli a body should consume in one sitting. I’m legitimately excited to keep making things. We’re having orange “chicken” later this week. To not have to monitor the brown rice feels like its own gift.
2. Misfits Market – They take the produce grocery stores won’t stock because of physical imperfections and sell it at a discount. We’re two weekly shipments in and I’m pretty happy. It’s increased our fruits and veg in the house, and it’s diversified them. Kale chips, potato soup, the aforementioned applesauce. Plus, it’s fun to have the kids help me build our box each week. I dare say they’re more willing to try the things they helped pick. Who knew choice and control were important?
3. Running – I mentioned I’d be giving it a go a few posts back. Well, I’ve gotten 5 lunchtime runs totaling 11.5 miles since then. My word has it improved my mood and sense of self. Those 11.5 miles are more than I totaled all of 2020. Here’s to more miles and shedding some of the meat suit I feel like I’ve been wearing.
4. People are reading – I have been pretty constantly surprised and humbled by reactions from folx reading these posts. In the same way running has helped me feel connected to myself, writing and seeing responses has connected me beyond the 9 and 11 year olds I spend most of my time with.
5. Pokémon – Each night, after dinner and before books and bed, the three of us watch one or two episodes of Pokémon. With more than 1,100 episodes, we should be set for a few years. While the bulk of the content is episodic, from time to time, a character or scene from an earlier episode will be the focus of a later episode. Listening to the kids recognize this through line of the plot and characters always makes me smile. They are able to do and remember more about the world every day. They’re letting down the defenses that kept that from being able to do that. Keep ’em coming, Ash.
What are your gratefuls?