Lauren

Twenty Days of Thankful #8

Day #8: A Humble Abode

This is not the first post expressing a backwards sort of gratitude for downsizing to an apartment. A couple years ago I bought a house, and a year later I moved out. Circumstances aside, “the house and the yard and the dog” are things that almost every person wants, and I most certainly was one of those people. But I was drowning in an unmanageable schedule, with an unmanageable commute, and an impossible financial situation. Taking a step backward (according to the writers of The American Dream), was actually a huge step forward for me personally. In downsizing to an apartment, I’ve managed to pay off two credit cards in the course of a year and get all my expenses under control. My bank account is black all of the time. My responsibilities have returned to a reasonable load. Everything is just – better.

I do hope that there will be a time when the house and the yard and the dog make sense for me, but right now is not that time. I’ve learned to value things that matter over, just, things. I love the courtyard view out our living room window. I love the sunshine pouring into our dining room each morning. I love my little kitchen and how I have everything I need. I LOVE that this is a space that can realistically be clean and organized *most* of the time.

It’s not fancy, and I don’t own it, but this is my home. And that, as they say, is where the heart is.

Twenty Days of Thankful #7

Day #7: Naps

I told my boss that I needed some time for self-care today. It’s been an intense week of very little sleep, and by self-care I pretty much meant playing continuous X-Files episodes on Hulu while napping all day.

I’m ok with it.

Twenty Days of Thankful #6

Day #6: Not the Vampire Slayer

Although, like Sarah Michelle Gellar she can do anything she puts her mind to.

It’s still Thursday, right? It is if I’m still awake, I suppose. This is Buffy the cat. She came into my life by accident, stayed in it by design, and is one of the silliest animals there every was. I’m pretty sure her mom had an affair with the milkman (milkdog?) because her temperament is definitely fido.

Twenty Days of Thankful #5

Day #5: Sun and skyscrapers

On my last morning commuting in from the suburbs, this was the view. Actually it was better than this, but sometimes pictures don’t do sunrises justice (at least not instgram pictures on my phone). The traffic was moving, the ipod was blaring, the coffee was hot and, in the words of the great Travis Tritt, “It’s a great day to be alive.”

Yeah, I went there.

Twenty Days of Thankful #4

Day #4: Millie the Dog

I’ll be happy to get back to my North Side life and four kitties tomorrow, but we’ve had some good times this week – me and Millie. Millie is a strange dog, but I think after spending some quality time together we are starting to understand one another. You see, she might live in my Mom’s house, but because she arrived after I left I never really formed an attachment to Millie. I’m starting to see what everyone sees in her.

Good dog.

Twenty Days of Thankful #3

Day #3: Sweats at Work

Working for a state-funded university presents some series challenges, but I always knew that I wanted a job that would allow me to wear sweatpants. My uncomfortable summers at Ravinia moving minivan seats in a sundress informed me at an early age that dressing up every day isn’t for me. It’s come in especially handy this week while I’ve been commuting from an unrealistically far distance while I dog-sit for Mom. Getting up at 4 has zero perks, but when you change from PJ pants to socially acceptable PJ pants, it’s a little easier to swallow.

Twenty Days of Thankful #2

Day 2: This Girl

I’ll just go ahead and get the sappy one out of the way. We are two independent lives that intersect amazingly from time to time. We value trust, autonomy, and breakfast. Today we had breakfast at the same table – the only opportunity there will be over the course of two weeks. Sometimes we are like passing breezes, but that makes our time together that much better.