Feeling Good Friday-Now It's Really Cold Edition

Pup needs to be taken out. No longer can I just run out the door with him, I have to have something on my feet. Walks in the morning are cold and dark and I now start worrying about the slippery places where ice has formed but I can't see. I'm bound to have at least one fall this winter, but I hope not yet. With the exception of too many tastes for quality control of the Halloween candy, I'm getting myself back on track now that I'm back in normal mode post vacation. It's November, my sad month, but I'm going for mind over matter. It's the time of my week to list the five  most recent  positives to my physical and mental health and well being. 

• Normal eating again and my weight is starting to go in the right direction. I'm not back to my lowest weight since trying to change eating habits, but hope to be by end of month, and ready to keep working on it in December. I successfully avoided  simple carbs on a work meeting lunch buffet yesterday, loading my plate with steamed vegetables. There was a tomato and mozzarella salad-I couldn't be all good. Yum.

•  I'm still trying to get those short yoga, abs, and strength videos in-maybe 4 days a week I am successful.  

• My friend N, who received the job last spring that I had applied for, has an opportunity for an unbelievably important job. She wasn't looking-it found her. She asked me to be a reference, which I was on a call yesterday afternoon. I felt honored that she values me, our working relationship, and my expertise that I would be chosen to speak on her behalf.She won't know for another week or so if she is offered the position. 

•  My meal prep class was a lot of fun. We had a private kitchen area off the Hyvee restaurant. A waiter came and took drink orders and Wednesdays are 1/2 price bottles of wine. My two friends and I shared a bottle. We ended up being the only three-the dietician  didn't want to cancel the first class offered. Once we had loaded our car with our meals, we grabbed a table and had appetizers and finished our wine. You can't beat a night with good friends, conversation, food and wine, and five meals prepped and ready for a future day! 

• I worry a bit about my son, differently than my girls. As a child he was un-diagnosed with possible ADD,OCD,Opposition Defiance disorder, or possibly Aspergers or on the autism spectrum. In other words, he had a lot of cognitive, social, emotional, and behavior related challenges but nothing that fit in a neat little box. Through some behavior therapy as a child, grit and determination, he overcame most of his challenges, though some persist. (You do not want to get in a political discussion with him if you don't have a spare few hours. His little sister calls him the walking wikipedia because once he is on a subject, he dives deeper and deeper, with more information than anyone can absorb). There was a potential financial hick-up (long story of how I know), and I was waiting to hear from him needing help. The issue is resolved and he's just fine, thank you very much (his words.) I can be such a helicopter parent, but he's living job to job fee-lancing, so I can't help worry knowing his somewhat erratic nature. It's not the stable, safe, life I would hope for my kids. He though, seems quite content with his life right now. 

Life is quite ordinary right now and I like the sound of that. Now that November is here, I turn my attention to  planning for the Christmas holidays, including preparing for annual donations we make. The requests will come fast a furious in the mail now. It is hard to not give to all we'd like to support, but we have means for a few.