Gratitude Journal 2020 #5
Last week I was sick. I spent most of the weekend curled up on a recliner or in bed, generally able to keep my eyes open for about an hour at a time and then falling asleep. I did manage to watch the Super Bowl, but I was so exhausted when it was over that I went right to bed, and did not even spare a thought for my gratitude post. But, I was grateful for things last week, and I am again this week. So here we go.
Gratitude Item #9 – Game night with friends
We ended up planning a last-minute game night last weekend. We made the plan on Friday for Saturday night. After spending most of Saturday drowsing in the recliner, I knew that if I skipped game night, C would as well. So I got dressed and went along. I love seeing our friends. We had a wonderful dinner and conversation. When it was time for games, I knew I was not up to it. So, I moved into a nearby recliner with a cozy blanket and listened to everyone play. While I would have enjoyed playing myself, it was still fun, and we stayed a lot later than we had planned.
Gratitude Item #10 – My television
About 4-5 years ago, when we moved into the house before this one, we bought a lovely new television. It was not 4K, but it was OLED. (At the time, you could not get a TV that was both.) I still love this television. It is curved, and no matter where you are sitting in the room, the picture is great. The OLED technology means it is perfect for watching sports (like the Super Bowl). Plus, it’s a smart TV, so I just press a few buttons, and I am watching Amazon Prime or Netflix without needing another device. I am certain that it will only be a few more years before my TV is obsolete, but I love it.
Gratitude Item #11 – Feeling better
As mentioned, I was sick last weekend and stayed home on Monday. Monday night, C started getting sick, and I made it in to work on Tuesday with only 4 hours of sleep. It was a rough start to the week. But I am now feeling almost completely better as is C. And seriously, no one likes getting sick, but I am definitely very grateful for getting better.
Gratitude Item #12 – Taxes are done, and we’re getting a refund
This is something I mostly control. Once all the paperwork arrives, I am the one who does our taxes. Last year, I put them off for a very long time because we owed a lot of money, and I knew we owed. But this year, there was no cashing out a retirement plan for earnest money on a house. All of our withholdings were filed correctly. And so today, I sat down with Credit Karma’s free tax software and did our taxes. We are getting a little over $200 back. And for me, that is about perfect. I do not need the government to be a forced savings account, so I do not want huge refunds, but I also do not like having to pay. Getting a couple hundred back gives us the nice little extra bit of money without making me feel like I could have been using the money for a better purpose.
