After last week’s crazy list of medical things, this week has had its own round of ups and downs and medical appointments. G still has daily dressings but I had to do it on Sunday and botched the job, which caused angst for both of us. I went with him to the nurse on Monday and realised what I’d done wrong, so I managed to get it right on Tuesday, but not without a bit of arguing between G and me as I was doing it, which wasn’t fun. On Monday, I got the results from my pelvic ultrasound back, and they need further investigation, so I have an appointment in a few weeks with a gyno. I share this to say that my life isn’t all good things (obviously, whose is?), and I’m not oblivious to the crazy chaos of the world that, if you go by the news, seems to be disintegrating around us.
Do you think the things that we need to read/hear/experience cross our paths just when we need them, or do you think we only notice them because we need them? I had the experience this week of words online speaking into the tension I was feeling between acknowledging the awfulness while truly celebrating the good when a post by Lisa Olivera came up on Substack: “Widening the heart’s window“
What do you say in a world that is so impossibly heartbreaking and heart-opening at the same time? What do you say when there is a constant hum of grief amid the most astounding beauty, the deepest orange sunset you’ve ever seen, the wordless love of your people? What do you say when you are experiencing your own personal momentum amid collective chaos? What do you say when you face a climate catastrophe alongside the bright dreams of joy and presence for your and every child’s future? What do you say when Othering seems more common than Belonging? What do you say when your “leaders” cannot lead with heart? …
I say it isn’t an act of care to minimize goodness; ignoring beauty to only stay with pain helps no one; bypassing joy isn’t an act of compassion. …
I say the world I envision for all of us — every single one — is so much more beautiful than this; at the same time, there is such an endless amount of beauty already here when I am patient enough to just look for it. It is right here. It is right here.
I say keep looking. Keep trying.
Lisa Olivera “Widening the heart’s window”
Yes, Yes and Yes! Her whole post is wonderful. I encourage you to click through. See on to this week’s good things …
Fri 28.6.2024
- I went to PT. I walked to the shop. I love getting back into normal activities. I hope to slowly increase the daily distance I can walk over the next weeks.
Sat 29.6.2024
- We arrived home from G’s dressing change to find the girls making themselves at home in our apartment.
- They arrived bearing gifts—a tray a cinnamon buns.
- Leftover takeaway Indian for lunch for everyone.
- It was raining and cold today, so an extended puzzling session was in order.
- Another of E’s friends came over in the afternoon. She stayed for dinner, and the three of them watched a movie. I think he’s over recovering from the operation, so this was a good mood lifter for him.
Sun 30.6.2024
- Today was a day of pottering around home, which I love: reading, writing, all good things.
- I went to church in the evening. We watched a snippet of old Billy Graham videos and had a good discussion and a challenge—tithing time.
Mon 1.7.2024
- A friend from church and I had been trying to meet up for months, and it finally happened this morning. We had a wonderful morning catching up and then praying together. It felt wonderful to care for each other like that. We promised to do it again soon, which I will make happen.
- I’d settled into my work in the afternoon when another friend (the one we went on the Three Capes Hike with) rang. A long phone catch-up followed. I happily pushed my work into the next few days; what a blessing to have the flexibility to do this. So, this day turned into a cup-filling delight.
- I get a lot of our meat from a free-range butcher in Brighton and we had roast pork for dinner tonight. It was so good.
Tues 2.7.2024
- I finally managed to get to the bank for an appointment to set up a new account. We have a lovely lady there who I just email for an appointment when we need something and she looks after everything. It makes it so much easier. Now I have done everything I can to help E with his plans to save up some money and the ball is in his court. He did come home and immediately transfer the $100 needed to make the account active so that was a win.
- Rice paper rolls. So easy and healthy. I made them with the leftover roast pork.
- There’s a number of soups I’d like to cook from this selection of Eight Chicken Soup Recipes for Wintry Days.
- A couple of good posts on personal writing: How to Keep a Writer’s Notebook and Why to Write.
Wed 3.7.2024
- Am I allowed to get excited about frost on the grass? Melbourne doesn’t get heaps of frosty mornings, and now that we’ve moved closer to the water, we rarely see frost on the grass, but today I was walking back from the gym (so not super early in the morning), and there were still some areas of frost that hadn’t melted. I love how pretty it is.
- The day is actually quite stunning, even if the temperature is a little low.
Thurs 4.7.2024
Today was our travel day. We left home at 8:45 am for our 10:20 am flight. All went smoothly, and we were waiting at the gate to board; they had even started loading people who needed extra assistance when they announced that the flight was delayed because of a faulty seat. We found a seat in an adjacent gate, and about 15 minutes later, our flight status changed to cancelled. So, we began the wait to see when we would be rebooked. The news was not great. We would now be leaving at 17:30, and our friend who was on our flight but not on our ticket was rebooked on a flight another hour later. GRRR! Luckily, G has platinum status, so he got her moved to our flight, and we settled in for our long wait. We finally arrived at our apartment on the Gold Coast at 9:45 pm. Good things:
- G’s platinum status. It’s come in pretty handy when flights get mucked up.
- Access to the lounge gave us comfy lounge chairs, all-day food and drinks and clean toilets.
- I used the time to work on my daughter’s photobook (18 months worth of photos done) and to read my current book.
- Some good tips in this article: Taking pictures of fireworks with your iPhone.
- Falling asleep to the sound of the surf.
How has your week been? Did you have a few good things?
Comments
16 responses to “Good Things Friday”
One of the biggest side perks of my husband being on the road so frequently is his flyer status. It really does make the travel experience so much nicer. Lounges! Early boarding! Cheap tickets! Extra attention on the plane! If/when he stops working internationally, I think I’ll struggle to go back to the old way of travelling without all those extra perks. That said, for him it is crucial to have all the supports; travelling as much as he does is hard on the mind and body and being able to spend hours in a comfortable lounge makes a long-delayed flight a lot more tolerable.
I can so relate, of course, to the juxtaposition of hard things against the good. That is the way of life, I suppose. Some people are naturally optimistic, glass-half-full kind of folks. For me, it takes real effort to pull the strings of hope and light out of the tangled mess that is life…but these Friday posts are one way I do that!
Re: being naturally pessimistic. SAME x2.
Yes the perks of the frequent flyer status are something but hardly compensation for having thme away so much.
It’s full on summer here, so it’s fun to think about frost on the grass on the other side of the world! Although, in Calgary, my old city, frost would frequently happen in June so it’s not really that foreign to me.
I can’t imagine living in a really cold place full time. I dont think I’d deal well with it.
The world is going to shits. Typical. Like Elisabeth above, I have to make a conscious effort to see the glimmers/good things. I am usually more mindful of negative things because: negativity bias, plus some trauma. Grateful to you for reminding us all of the good things. Oh and feels better, keep us updated! Hugs, Melissa 🙂
Yes, it’s hard sometimes to keep on looking for the good things. I try not to complain too much … but sometimes a bit of complaining can be cathratic.
You guys have made some major progress on that massive puzzle! Kudos to you! I hope your husband’s recovery continues to go well. I can picture to tension during the wound dressing situation. I moved in with my now husband on a Friday and have surgery to repair a torn labrum the following Monday. That was really trial by fire. He has to carry me into the house because I could not navigate the steps and simultaneously thought I might throw up from the anesthesia. But here we are 8 years later with 7 years of marriage under our belt.
I guess if you get some hard times through first, you’re a lot more sure you can make it through more hard times.
Yes, good things are all around us- we have to make an effort to focus on them. The politicians and the media will try to convince us that everything is terrible- it’s their job- but there’s just as much good out there. Not that there aren’t some major problems- but if you look back in history, there have been plenty of other rocky times. I just finished a book that took place (mostly) in the 1960s, and people were seriously terrified the world was going to end during the Cuban missile crisis. And there were so many assassinations- life must have felt very precarious. So, we have to keep things in perspective and actively seek out the good.
It’s sweltering here, so I love imagining frost on the grass (we never get that in Florida, even in the winter!) Glad your travel worked out- eventually- and I hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly.
That is a MASSIVE puzzle!!!
The rest of out trip went well thankfully.
I love the quote you posted, so thoughtful and just what we need when things seem to be falling apart. I hope you have a great vacation!
So wonderful you were able to connect not with one, but two friends today. It’s always a blessing. I am sorry you had a canceled flight and were stuck at the airport for a while, but hooray for G’s platinum status.
Thank you for sharing the post by Lisa Olivera. So full of truths.
Being able to spend time with family and good friends is truly the best good thing!
Yes, please share about frosty grass. Always up for that.
Sorry your flight got cancelled and you had to spend this much time in the airport. My husband would book this kind of vacation if he could. He loves airports and we often book a longer layover to wander around more.
I love the flexibility of a work schedule. Last summer a childhood friend called asking what I do during lunch (she lives in France) because she was in the neighborhood. I skipped work, went swimming and for dinner with her and her family. Best time spend is with friends making memories.
flexible work is the best, but does require a bit of discipline.