Thanksgiving Time

Well, it is Thanksgiving again. Personally, I will be grateful that it is over and all the food that I really do not want but absolutely adore will be put away and I will be back at work. I discovered years ago that I vastly prefer to be at work rather than at home with my family and all the expectations that are never ever met.

I know that this is not an uncommon phenomena. Movies have been made about it after all. It still is astonishing how so many people will go out of their way to have the "perfect holiday season." Truthfully, every year my "perfect holiday" becomes simpler and more isolated. Right now, I would prefer to be alone in a warm, comfy suite or cabin. Have my cats and a stash of juicy romance novels (& maybe a few fantasy & bios for something approaching weighty), and some wine with various bath products waiting to be consumed. No one else, just me. No big meals, just fruit & veggie trays with cheese and veggie burgers, yogurt and juice, maybe even various teas. No real dishes, just quiet relaxation. Oh, and a decent CD player and a TV/DVD player so I can watch movies when I tire of reading and lounging in the tub.

Oh well. I do have a lot to be thankful for. I am reasonably healthy. I am active. I have a good, working car. I have my own room with my own bed and access to all of my books. I am reasonably thin and have started eating right and have been losing inches. My cats are healthy and have made it abundantly clear how much they love me. I have good friends who give a serious damn about me. I am single and childless - a major blessing in my book. My family is alive and kicking with all the recent deaths being of the expected variety. There are twins on the way and several weddings coming up. My friends are all doing well in their lives on all the levels I know of. The world has yet to blow itself up, and that means the running hot & cold water still works. There are lots of good writers out there I am learning about and getting to read. My practicing of yoga has reached the point where I am FINALLY ready to go to the next level. I am no longer working at the Effingham Library and have a job that I enjoy, despite the lack of hours and benefits. :-~ And the list goes on. And it is a pretty damn good list.

All the items I want to improve will fall in to place and I am working on taking the necessary steps to make the positive changes I want to make. I have managed to locate several websites dedicated to the type of jobs I want. I have updated and massively improved my resume. My cover letter has never looked so good and there are people willing to be a reference. All that is left is holding on and trusting that there is a plan and that it includes me getting 1 of the positions I am applying for.

Life is good. And while I am not happy or excited, I am at peace and definitely enjoying a level of contentment I am surprised to recognize. Yes, there are issues with my family, but they are based on my need/desire to be alone. Yes, there are negative factors, but I can do nothing but what I am doing until I start earning a better pay check. As it is, financially, I am doing better than I have in a long time. A fact that adds to my sense of peacefulness that I only recently starting to acknowledge and am trying to develop further. So while I was fired in February of this year, I would have to say that I am honestly grateful for that dismissal. If I had not been fired, I doubt if I would have made any of the changes I have made and learned any of the lessons I have learned, and gained this level of contentment and peace.