Some idle thoughts

I'm trying to get out of the house every day, even on days like today when it's dreary and chilly (I say that, but it's in the mid-60s, which is warmer than the average last month) and I just want to huddle under a blanket. Today, I went shopping.

(I think I count that walk around the grocery store - it's one of the big superstores, so in addition to groceries they have electronics and clothing and sporting goods, which is convenient when I need both ground beef and windshield washer fluid - as my five-minute walk for today; heck, just getting from the checkout to the car might have counted before I got a handicapped plate.)

Now that I have some extra money each month, I try to not just make a given shopping trip about essentials; instead of just buying the things I'm going to need to make food, I try to get something on each trip that's going to make Future Me's life a little easier. Today it was some Scotch tape and some yard-waste bags; the Scotch tape is because mine keeps wandering off my desk and not coming back, and it's inexpensive enough that I can just replace it instead of digging around the house for it, and the yard-waste bags are because they actually make pretty great containers for household recycling, given that my curbside service does single-stream recycling. I can just dump the whole thing, paper bag and all, into the outdoor recycling bin and then open up a new one.

I did also get groceries, of course. I'm making chili tonight. (I should go soak the beans.)

Today I'm expressing gratitude for:

• The understanding that my friends extend to me.
• Therapists past and future, who have not only helped me figure out things about myself but given me a framework to ask the right questions.
• Scented candles. I know a lot of people don't like them, but the flicker of the flame and that I get to choose how the environment around me smells really helps me find my balance.
• Glasses cleaner. Anyone who wears glasses knows why.
• My Hobonichi journal, which helps me record my thoughts on the day and lets me go back and see how things have been going. Also, it's decorated with seahorses.