This day last year I had my last round of chemo. Crazy how a year can seem so close and yet so far away. It’s enough in the past to feel distant yet because my reconstruction isn’t finished, it feels like something I can’t forget yet.

Patrick suggested we celebrate being a year past, and I agreed that was a great idea. We went to a local vegan brewery. We aren’t vegan, but their beer is good and they have an outdoor patio. Plus the food is actually pretty yummy.

I’m thankful for this year of healing. And I’m thankful for Patrick wanting to celebrate with me. I’m also thankful that very soon, I will be able to let it all go.

I’m getting cranky. I have too much to do and too little time to do it in. It’s been raining and colder. And my moving furniture and junk may be good for some exercise, but it’s making my chest uncomfortable. I haven’t said it in a while, but rest assured, I cannot wait for my regular implants next month. The idea of my chest no longer feeling like blocks of wood sounds amazing.

I think I would need at least a month off work to get myself organized enough to feel relaxed again. Instead I’m working on it in 3 hour increments. That’s about all I can handle. Tonight I’m thankful that I got my new shelf and some furniture rearranged in my craft room. It’s giving me a better idea of what I want to keep in the room and what can go to my storage unit.

I’m thankful for the blue colors of these items I got at the flea market last weekend. They’re helping to inspire the changes I’m making in my craft room.

I’m thankful for getting some painting done after work—a wall in my craft room and the cabinet I got at the flea market. I had to stop because my back and my head were both hurting. The upside is that with all this physical activity lately, I don’t feel so bad not getting to the gym.

I’m still tired. Today was another busy day moving furniture around my craft room and planting more flowers in the front yard. My back is going to hurt tomorrow.

I started my day by having brunch with a friend I haven’t seen in months. It was great catching up, and we agreed we needed to get together more often.

I’m thankful for a good day to end my long weekend.

I’m so tired! We spent the day at the flea market—way longer than planned because I bought a shelf unit for my craft booth that was an inch too big for the vehicle. And not even our car. We ran into a friend there and that dang piece of furniture wouldn’t fit in the back of her truck. So we decided we would go home with our small stuff and rent a bigger truck to go back and pick up my furniture and hers.

This was the only truck available in town on a Saturday afternoon.

And since we were forced into the monster U-haul, we decided to go through the flea market one more time and get whatever we passed up the first go-round. I had some pretty good luck. I found quite a few wooden trunks and garden furniture for my booth. Sadly, all the items Gwen passed up earlier were already sold by the time we returned. We decided the next time we go to this flea market, we’re going to just rent a truck at the beginning.

The shelf that started it all. It cost me $15.00, a U-haul, and a lot of extra hours in the sun. But I’m grateful for a fun day with Patrick and my friend.

It might be Friday the 13th, but I wasn’t scared. I took the day off work and had a great day. It was hot. It was sunny. I slept in and then sat on the deck with my coffee and magazines I hadn’t gotten to read yet. Then I got a lot done. Bought flowers, went through my storage unit, planned how to rearrange my craft room. Washed winter blankets. Worked in the yard. Im thankful it was a good day!

I’m thankful today for flowers, the heat, driving with the windows down, wiggly puppy butts, and licorice.

I got yesterday’s date wrong on my post, and no one told me. I’m taking that as an indication of how many followers I have reading daily. I’m pretty sure even Patrick has dropped off. Haha!

But It doesn’t bother me. I said at the outset that I’m doing this because I need to. The daily practice of looking for something positive in a world of negativity is good for me. It’s grounding. And helps feed hope.

Tonight I’m thankful for good friends and honest conversations. I met a friend after work and during the course of our two-hour chat, we learned new things about each other. Real connection is what keeps us going. We all need that, and I’m grateful for these moments.