Beach Picnics, CBD Oil, Socks: My Tuesday Gratitudes

Project 365, Day 97/365

We made it to Tuesday! Always an accomplishment, considering Monday comes right before it. Who invented Mondays anyway, huh? Who continues giving money to “Big Monday” so that it keeps persisting? I’m (mostly) kidding, as of course, I’m grateful for a Monday, because it means I have a job to show up to, but you know…Mondays…

Thanks for tuning in to my post yesterday, whoever was here. I went back and read it, and I think I had a case of the Mondays, or the Sunday Blues, but also, I did mean it all. As I’ll share my gratitude for below, Sunday brought an impromptu friend date that couldn’t have felt better. Charles and I had planned on attempting to go to the beach for a lunch picnic, the first time on the sand in well over a year. A local friend serendipitously texted about dropping off some stuff she was holding for me, and I said “hey, want to join us for an Easter beach picnic?” I haven’t seen said friend since February 2020, and while we’ve talked plenty over FaceTime and text and email, it was a totally different experience to see her in the human flesh before my eyes. The energy was so needed for my soul. She’s fully vaccinated, we’d be outside by the breezy ocean, and I knew she’d respect and uphold my desire to be in a mask (yes, even at the beach) when I wasn’t noshing. It was glorious, and at the end of the two hours we were there, when both of our meters expired, it felt simply too short. It could have been 24 hours, and it would have felt too short.

Wow have I missed human interaction. We have a set of friends we feel extremely comfortable seeing outside often, so we haven’t been starved of it, but I think the combination of being at the ocean, in the presence of someone I haven’t seen in so long, and feeling just a touch more free was magical. A silver lining. Anyhow, we sat and talked about our dreams, my writing, what it could turn into, and when it came time to write that night’s blog post, I was full of all the feels.

Anyhow, let’s get into some Tuesday gratitudes, and, as always, I invite you to share your own if you want. If you’ve never commented, or you’ve never shared your own TGs (not sure I’m making that a thing…), I’d love it if you did! I respect the lurkers, greatly, because I myself usually am one, but I get SO excited when a new name pops up. I know you’re out there…

I’m grateful for yummy pastries and friends who think to share yummy pastries from a recent trip with you.

I’m grateful for warmth.

I’m grateful for other friends (who are vaccinated!) so we could feel comfortable sitting together on the beach on Easter, having a mostly distanced lunch on the sand.

I’m grateful for that same beach, the sound of the water, the sun on my skin, the soul-cleansing-ness of it (and that it’s just a short drive away).

I’m grateful that I felt the need to see my doctor, and I was able to get an appointment in just two days, instead of weeks (as it can be sometimes).

On that same hand, I’m grateful for my tender, sensitive physical therapist, who always has such patience with me, such care with my body and its crazy goings-on.

I’m grateful for a mom who reads my blog posts, and then sends me emails about them, sharing something about herself in the process. (Hi mom!)

I’m grateful for CBD oil that I’m trying (again) for some anxious feelings I haven’t been able to shake.

I’m grateful for socks. I mean…how comforting are socks, am I right?!?

I’m grateful for bubbly water.

I’m grateful for neighbors who water my avocado plants even when I forget.

I’m grateful for you, my readers.

See you tomorrow, FOAS.