Thankful

A while ago Sandy tagged me to post three things I'm thankful for, beyond the usual, i.e., husband, family, and so on.

Having returned to regular bloggering, I give you these:

1) A healed ankle. My right one twisted on a hike during Labor Day weekend. Afterward I kept jogging on my treadmill, until it became obvious I shouldn't've. For weeks I left off exercising, missing my slow-runner's high. Now the ankle's back; the buzz has resumed. I also feel less guilty munching malt balls bought from a neighborhood Girl Scout.

2) I can do Christmas cards the old fashioned way. Maybe not many, but I'll enjoy the process. Last weekend I started trying to figure out how people create those holiday newsletters brimming photographs from their year. Flailing around in Word and Picasa and Photoshop, I became smothered by my cyber-ineptitude. Ha! Now I have conquered by declaring a full retreat. I'll unearth my pen and write to people.

3) Too few people signed up for the community college writing class I was slated to instruct this fall, and it got canceled. After initial disappointment (it would have paid), I recognized more of an opportunity to work on my spiritual memoir. I began arising regularly at 5:30 and logging three hours on it every weekday and a couple on the weekends. Then daylight savings switched back to standard time, providing an easy transition to 4:30 awakenings and four hours' writing a day.

I'm loving my schedule. I'm halfway through my book! (30,000 words, for those NaNoWriMo inclined.) The path forward looks clear. I'd not have believed this possible three months ago. Now my class is offered again for winter term, and I'm ambivalent about whether I want enough students to enroll.

These sure are me-centered thankyous. They wouldn't exist without encouraging people in my life. You blogger friends aptly fit the category of builder uppers. Thanks.