Gratitude Journal #36

I have no real excuse for why I didn’t write a post last weekend. I just never sat down and did it. Which is odd, because I knew exactly what I was going to be grateful for. But that’s okay. I am here now. And still grateful for the things I was grateful for last week, as well as this week.

Gratitude Entry #86 – Little victories
I track a lot of different things, because that’s the kind of person I am. (Note gratitude entry #84 – Excel.) Last week, I got to stop tracking something, and that was a minor little victory. Last week, we finally paid off the last of the 0% APR credit cards that we got to help manage finances during our difficult few years. Now, the only debt we have that is carrying forward is the mortgage and the washer/dryer (which are also on a 0% APR offer).
This is something I am grateful for from a financial standpoint, but also from an emotional standpoint. Each step forward moves us, well, forward, and further away from the worst years of our lives. And this one little victory marks that.

Gratitude Entry #87 – People who are willing to take a chance on someone else
C has not worked in almost 10 years. The last time he was employed, it was working on the 2010 census. That changed very quickly last week. He applied for a job on Monday. On Tuesday he went in for an “interview”. On Wednesday, they offered him a job. On Friday, he started the job. It is a part-time job, working in a warehouse, packaging products. So it is not the best job in the world. Nor does it pay really well, or have benefits (but I carry those, so not a big deal). But it is a job. It is something to put on his resume and show that he is working again. And that will make it easier for him to get another, better job, later. Or, since this is a small, growing company that appears to promote from within, maybe it means he will get a better job with them. Who knows? But in the meantime, I am grateful that they were willing to take a chance on someone with nearly a decade gap on their resume.

Gratitude Entry #88 – Voting by mail
First off, I am grateful just for the ability to vote. That is important, and not everyone, not even everyone in our country, has the opportunity. But that is one of the big things, I think. The little thing is the way Washington state handles voting. Everyone votes by mail. I get my voters’ pamphlet 5-6 weeks before the election. My ballot arrives at least 4 weeks before the election. I get to sit down with my pamphlet, my ballot, and the internet, and take my time reading about each issue as much as I need to before I vote. And then I mark my ballot right then and there.
No one in Washington misses their chance to vote because their job will not give them the time off. No one in Washington spends hours waiting in line at the polls only for some random person to tell them their name is not on the rolls. Your ballot gets mailed to you, and if it does not, you have the opportunity to fill out a provisional ballot, or to go online and get a ballot mailed to you.
And after you vote, you can walk to a ballot box, or just put your ballot back in the mail by the first Tuesday in November, and your vote will be counted. And starting this election, you do not even need to put a stamp on the ballot you place in the mail. 
I love how easy this makes voting.

Gratitude Entry #89 – CostCo Food Court
This really is one of the small things, but it is a small thing that makes me happy on nearly a weekly basis. We got to CostCo; we get pizza. Sometimes we get a frozen yogurt, too. But almost always, we get something for lunch. It is quick. It is inexpensive- $3.00 + tax for lunch for two. It is difficult to make lunch at home for less than that. Plus, it is super filling. (And way more calories than I need, but I accept that.)
It is just one of those things that makes shopping a little better, especially given the crowds at CostCo.