Day #50

I'm at the halfway point in my #100HappyDays challenge.  I've not consistently posted to the blog every day, but I have done well personally taking a moment each day to think about what makes me happy and what I'm grateful for in my life.  I've done well sharing that each day on Facebook, which is good, because it gives me a record to catch up on here.

Honestly, some days it wasn't easy for me to even want to pay attention to something that brought me happiness.  My mom has recently returned to the hospital with dizzy spells.  They are going to monitor her for a while.  They think it might be her heart.  I had a nice chat with her today on the phone.  We laughed together.  One of her bedmates sings on and off all day.  I could hear him in the background.  Made me smile.  My dad had an operation on his prostate this month.  It didn't turn out the way he had hoped, but he's still optimistic.  I just talked with him on the phone and we shared a laugh as well.   My Aunt Lorna is in what we believe to be the last days of her life.  My cousin and her children will be by her side this week.  I've been seeing updates on her Facebook account.  My thoughts are with them during this very difficult time.  And then, of course, we're in the process of selling our house to move across the country, putting greater geographic distance between us and our family, leaving behind a home we've lived and loved in for the past nine years, friends we've gotten close to, and friends we're just starting to get to know. We're very much looking forward to the move and the new adventure that lies ahead of us, but it's a stressful process nonetheless.  Saying goodbye is never easy.

But, this #100HappyDays practice is helping me understand that a life well lived has a lot to do with the choices we make moment to moment, each and every day.  There will always be difficult times and/or challenges to overcome. But peppered into adversity are often breaths of relief—sometimes short, sometimes longer.  I'm learning to look for them and pay them their due respect.  I've noticed these past several years that my parents have gotten really good at finding those happy beacons, even during their most difficult times.  I hope in time, with more practice, I can cultivate more of that spirit for myself as well.  It's truly a gift to those we love if we can manage to do so.

Day #49

Comfortable contrasts, side by side.

Day #48

Pot of local beef and vegetable stew with my own homemade bone broth, set to be ready in 7 or 8 hours.

Day #47

Ice hands!

Day #46

Playing in the snow.

Day #45

Valentine's Day game of Swipe. Ethan showed us how to play.

Day #44

One of my favourite things to do is make a plate of snacks for someone I love. Something that makes the experience even better for me is using dishes we've made ourselves. Ethan made that little humus bowl in the upper right corner. The plate was a mistake plate I made from the series I've been working on and sharing with people. The little black bowl was one I made in the Cornell pottery studio when it was open. None of these dishes stack very well in our cupboards, and for that reason they would likely be a pain in the ass to anyone other than ourselves. But I love them.

Day #43

Evidence of a fun time in the pottery studio last night. A little bit of dried clay ain't gonna stop me from wearing my new favourite jeans a second time. That clay will be gone by the end of the day, but I'll let that happen in it's own time.

Day #42

Giant hills of snow to play on after ice skating with friends.

Day #41

Rolling Jacks.

Day #40

A fun game for my cat lover. For two cat lovers, actually.

Day #39

Banana, blueberry, chocolate chip muffins in the oven, and homemade chicken, rice and vegetable soup cooking on the stovetop.

Day #38

My family.

Day #37

Nothing to do today except enjoy the day.

Day #36

Another little visit with the cats at the SPCA.

Day #35

Sitting at the lake with Ethan, passing some time while the home inspection takes place. It's cold out there, but warm in the car. The view is peaceful. Thinking about how grateful I am for my brother who is taking care of our mom and dad right now with our dad in the hospital. (Dad should be home tomorrow.) We should know more about where we stand with our house soon. Ethan's content. It's a mixed bag of emotions right now, but I have so much to feel grateful for that this moment feels like today's #100HappyDays.

Cay #34

True to Ethan's way of thinking, after we made the clothespin shooter the other day, and after he shot it a couple of times, he turned it over and asked "Now...how can we modify this?" So today we're making a double barrel shooter, and plan to head out into the bounty of snow to shoot a few lit matches. If it works, I'll see if I can capture a little video.

I remember hearing "You're never satisfied" growing up. It was meant as a criticism, but now I see that it is often the condition of the creative and curious mind, and I love that Ethan isn't afraid to wonder (and has the courage to try to see) what things would be like if something was just a little different.

Day #33

Phew! That was some cold and heavy shoveling! But, round one is done! Right when I finished shoveling out the end of the driveway with all that heavy plowed in stuff, the dang plow came by and left me some more! Good thing it's easier to shovel before it settles. I think I'll listen for that beast, and head out every time it passes. It'll make the job easier in the long run. Loving seeing all this snow though. My body feels good too—like I've done some good hard work. My cheeks sting, but there's a smile on my face.

Day #32

Easy #100HappyDays for me. This sweet person brings me joy every day.

Day #31

These two hung out together at Doug's office all afternoon today, while I did some errands and went to the pottery studio for a bit. Made me smile to see them working side by side, happy to be together even though they couldn't be at home. Neither one of them wanted to leave home today. Both of them made the best of it nonetheless. I did too.

Day #30

A cup Ethan picked out for himself yesterday as we wandered around while people looked through our house. It's inconvenient having to leave the house, but there's a potential there that is kind of exciting too. Not sure where we'll end up today with all this snow. Maybe sledding!

Day #29

We had to be out of the house early (for us) this morning to accommodate an open house. We were all tired from not getting to sleep early enough last night. Still, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at Ithaca Bakery, took Doug to work, then went for a little drive to Myers Point to look at the lake from the warmth of our car. Grateful to have such easy going people in my life during this time of change.

Day #28

Three more completed plates, ready to be mailed.

Day #27

Oatmeal, chocolate chip, walnut, coconut, cranraisen cookies on a blustery day.

Day #26

Ethan: Hey dad! Want to play some Scratch?
Doug: Sure! I just need to take out the garbage and recycling.
Me: Want to help your dad and me?
Ethan: Sure!

Day #25

Feeling at home in a space I've made for myself and my family.