How are you today? I'm trapped in a low mood, if I'm honest. I've been battling acute arthritis pain in my spine for the past week or so and I'm getting increasingly fed up with not being able to move without the devil's minions stabbing me with their pitchforks.
I've always found on days like this, nothing helps more than taking stock of the good I'm blessed to have in my life. So, that's what I thought I'd do dear ones. Far more helpful than allowing those minions to set the pace of my day.
So, today is day sixteen of Blogtober and today I'm counting my blessings...
Be mindful of what you tolerate..
It's so easy for life's day to day problems to overshadow everything that would normally make us smile honeys, and we simply can't allow that to happen. Nothing, and no one, else should ever set the narrative of our happiness for us.
The world isn't always kind, even when you are dear ones, so taking stock of our lives now and again, appreciating, and being thankful for the good we find and taking note of any troubling issues is so important. We need to be mindful of what we tolerate in our lives.
That in no way means cutting people and things out of our lives just because our relationship with them might require a little effort on our part. It does mean though that we should never allow ourselves to be abused or bullied or pressured, no matter how much we care for the person doing it.
Life really is short, the years pass far too quickly and you owe yourself the same care and kindness as you treat others with. For over twenty five years, through school years and beyond, I had two friends who were less than kind at times. I was reminded almost constantly how unattractive I was, how stupid, how.. well less than I was.
Why did you put up with it, I hear you ask. I don't know what to say honeys except it never occurred to me not to. I've always been a solitary person. I'm happy with my own company and maybe I was happy to have a friends? I'm not sure. Whatever the reason, they weren't always unkind but they were more often unkind than not. Be kind and understanding in your dealings with the world dear ones, but do try to be mindful of what you tolerate.
Counting my blessings...
Here they are then honeys, my blessings, my smiles 💖
My Sweet Hubby & Our Furbaby Jade 💗
Whenever I think of the good in my life dear ones, Hubby and our furbaby will always be first 💖 Our furbaby is the sweetest, loveliest Staffy cross with the gentlest nature. She adores walks with her Dad and snuggling with her Mum on the sofa, napping under one of her blankets.
Every day she makes me smile and she's my constant companion when Hubby is at work. Currently, she's trying to make friends with a little squirrel who visits our garden 😊 This has been an ongoing project all through this summer, bless her.
One afternoon, while pegging out laundry, Jade ran past me across the grass and I turned to see the squirrel run away from her and scoot up the fence and into the tree immediately behind the fence. Jade stopped at the fence and sat down, staring up into the tree where the squirrel sat looking down at her. After a minute or two, Jade went back across our patio to fetch one of her favourite toys, one of her tennis balls, and took it back to the fence where she dropped it and backed away and sat down again, wagging her tail
She so desperately wants to be friends with the little squirrel, and who knows, maybe one day the squirrel will want to be friends too.💖
Hubby and I met in a queue outside the cinema and got chatting. It felt as if I'd always known him honeys but even if Hubby & I had been born on opposite sides of the world from each other the fates would have found a way for us to meet. I know that in the marrow of my bones.
We were absolutely destined to be together. We are so alike! I can remember in our dating days, when we both still lived at home, I sent a card to him once and his Mother, my beloved and much missed Mother in law, commented that when she picked up the post she wondered why he'd written himself a letter because our handwriting was so similar 😊
You know those matching salt & pepper shakers that look very odd on their own but look so right when side by side? That, dear ones describes Hubby & I to a tee and I'm fine with that. Our natures, our hobbies, thoughts, and interests are so in sync. Even after all these years, over thirty, we can, and often do, laugh and talk for hours. He is a constant support in everything I want to do, from trying out recipes, to organising our home, whatever I want to do, he's right by my side saying that sounds like fun honey, let's do it. He is a part of me, my other half 💑 I am blessed.
Our Home
It's not fancy and you won't find it in a magazine but our little semi detached house with the apple tree in the back garden and the much loved roses in the tiny front garden is my safe place away from the noise and the bustle of the world.
Mobility and health issues mean that I rarely venture outside anymore honeys, but when I do, either to my two shifts each week or to doctors or hospital appointments, our home hugs me as I walk though the door. It's my happy place and it's where Hubby & Jade are 💖
My Job
I know honeys, who counts their job among their blessings, right? I work two days a week, in retail, on a checkout. My shifts are quite long and cover hours that not everyone would want to work, but for us that's fine. Hubby works in an office all week and my shifts being on a late Friday and late into Saturday means that our furbaby Jade doesn't ever have to be on her own.
Jade came to us from a rescue, she was young but had already been badly treated, bless her, and as a result she has anxiety issues and doesn't cope well with being on her own. I feel blessed that I am still able to work and that my job allows me to be with Jade when her dad is at work, while Hubby is with Jade when I'm at work.
More than allowing us to work our rotas around caring for our furbaby honeys, my little job is (even if it's only a tiny bit) helping us to pay our mortgage and bills and is also a vital connection to the outside world. I look forward to seeing regular customers and co-workers who have become friends. I love my job and you know the old saying dear ones, a man who loves his job never does a day's work.
It isn't always fun, shifts can be exhausting and leave me in pain but my little job is helping our little family and it's helping me by keeping me a part of the world. For all these reasons, it's one of my blessings.
This Little Blog
Just like my job, this little blog is my connection with the world outside our home. It allows me to have a voice and it allows me to write. I've always written dear ones, even as a child. When I started this blog I intended it to be a place to keep a record of our organising projects in our home and over the past few years it's evolved into what it is now, a little collection of my thoughts, hobbies, recipes and day to day life.
My blog is very important to me and, at some point, I'd like to give it the attention it's importance in my life means it deserves. Initially, I think I'll try to figure out how to move to a self hosted platform. I adore my little blog honeys, thank you so much for visiting, and for making this little piece of the internet less lonely. It means more to me than I can say 💖
Our Garden
I can't imagine not having our garden honeys. It's home to our little apple tree, which gives us lots of lovely bramley apples to bake with every year, it's home to our much loves roses, planted in honour of my beloved Gramma and Mother in law.
Our garden is visited by precious guests all year long. Jade's favourite squirrel of course, so many beautiful birds as well as ladybirds, butterflies (sadly so rare now) and of course my much loved buzzy friends too...
I know how precious the gift of having a garden, a window on nature, is and I'm deeply thankful for it honeys.
What are your blessings dear ones? What makes you smile? I hope you're having the best week and looking forward to a wonderful weekend 💖 Till next time, smile lots and hug even more, hugs always x
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