Kind of one of those days! I’m grateful for those sometimes. Moments, hours, days. We need it more than we think we do. I am in a lot of pain today though. A lot of sitting and I just can’t do that! How do you retrain someone to do deal with the urgent in the moment and forget about the superfluous stuff? I think I will wonder that for many years to come! Hoping to zip off and run a few errands though they will be limited with a chauffeur. Will still have to take lunch tomorrow!

Let’s get on to today’s prompts.

Gratitude for the Past Year is Birthdays you celebrated with friends and family… All of them! Some weren’t with my entire family and others weren’t with friends but for every birthday I was with the people I wanted to be with.

Feel like you’ve Achieved Nothing is One thing you overcame this year… I’m not really sure… I know when things happened I eventually overcame them and, in the long run (I assume anyway) karma was a bitch. Hopefully!

Advent Gratitude is What brings you joy when you look out the window? Well NOT the snow I’ll tell you that! I like to see the birds and the squirrels running around looking for their nuts!

Okay, I’ve gotta run now! Time to do those errands.

And a busy day it will be. Off to K-W shortly to do some errands while we’re there. Won’t see my daughter because she’ll be at work until we’re at the Aud. Oh well. Hopefully they’ll be up this weekend since it’s my dad’s birthday!

The time is getting close for us to leave now so I better get onto the prompts.

Gratitude for the Past Year today is Someone you reconnected with… I can’t say I REconnected with anyone specific but I STAYED connected with those I worked with at the doctor’s office and that can be a great feat for me sometimes.

Year is Gone and You’ve Achieved Nothing for today is Three ways you’ve helped other people this year, even if it’s gone unnoticed… I think there’s been a lot of those things and many of them very little. I’ve helped some on my previous staff. I often help a lot of people in little ways and that’s fine. By definition, my profession is a helping one. And I’ve given a LOT of help to my daughter and her BF as they try to forge their own way with things.

Lastly, the Advent Calendar Journal for today is Someone who has been there for you this year… this is to name a few! Larry, of course. My entire family. So many came together to cheer me on through a really horrible time. Even some of my old staff who now need that in return as they go through significant changes.

Anyway, I guess I better get ready to go. I still need to put on socks!

Until tomorrow! Only 23 days ’til Christmas!

And what a first day it was! Especially at work. Now, I’m off for two days to venture off for Christmas nails and the Kitchener Rangers Teddy Bear Toss. I’m off, but will be doing some work in the morning. Yes, a Director of Care never rests!

Let’s move onto the prompts. I removed the Evening Journalling because I didn’t want to get too redundant. It’s going to be a marathon so here we go…

Gratitude for the Past year for today is Seasonal things that happen every year that ground you… at this time of year, everything grounds me… to do with Christmas. There is definitely something about the season that is as grounding as the lake and sandy beach.

Year is Gone and You’ve Achieved Nothing for today is Three positive things that happened this year… I grew a great and cohesive team, I wrote a trilogy in a summer and got the job at the paper because I reached out and asked a question!

Finally, the Advent Calendar Journal for today is A place you can be your true self… I want to say at the trailer. I’m myself no matter what but always have to put on that professional face. At the trailer I can be ME. I can dress the way I’d love to dress, I can take walks, I can go swimming and I can just relax and be the truest me there is.

So I guess that wasn’t so bad.

I’m off to watch a Christmas movie about a Veteran and her dog and just put my feet up. I’m just very tired and looking forward to not having to get up with my alarm in the morning.

Until tomorrow!

I made it! A lot going on though! But I finally got my Wii! I know, old, outdated, blah blah blah but you know what? I’m not into these other fandangled systems with complicated games. I just want to dance with it and play bowling and maybe, eventually, get Mario Cart again! FYI… didn’t get the job! JOB? You ask. My GM is retiring and when she announced it in October she thought that I would be a good candidate and put my name in for it. So I went through the process and interviewed last Friday. However, found out yesterday, they went with another candidate. So that was my hidden little secret!

Anyway, let’s move on to the prompts.

Being Present for today is What you can hear right now that makes you feel grounded… this is interesting because what I SHOULD be hearing right now, I’m not. It was an Elvis Christmas CD and the living room player isn’t working. So I guess I’ll having to listen to it in the car.

Dark Nights for today is Small wins you’re proud of this month… getting through it for starters! It hasn’t been an easy one… there’s a lot going on at work but I think we’re just starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Getting the staff meeting behind us on Thursday will be a huge help. We can, maybe, get ourselves onto an even keel and get some help from staff to steer the boat.

Anyway, gotta run. The boat cover needs fixing!

Can I get just a little P&Q? Five minutes? It’s been non-stop all day! I had the whole afternoon to sit down and do this but felt a little on the tied side. Saw mom and dad and they are in the throes of decorating. Then I came back and had to put furniture covers on in the living room. Doesn’t look bad!

Anyway, new Christmas movie is on so I’ll get to the prompts quickly.

Being Present for today is Scents or aromas that have brought you joy today… today? Not much today has given me much joy! Normally there are more… right now, apple and cinnamon, makes me think of Christmas, chocolate just makes me happy. Just haven’t had much scents today!

Dark Nights for today is How you could bring friends and family together outside of key holidays… there are lots of ways including middle of the summer at the trailer or using the ability to book our community centre to have a big party! I think that’s all the things I’d love to do but never get the chance nor do I think people would actually travel the distance.

Okay, I did it. And without a whole lot of stress.

I’m going to go now.

Later!

Yup… it’s here, ruining my driving and my plans. Shocker eh? Oddly enough, the highway was better than in town! Anyway, who knows if or how I’ll get to work in the morning! And, I guess I won’t be meeting any of my newspaper colleagues tomorrow.

SIGH!

I guess I get to have some time off though so maybe I’ll actually get a few things accomplished… maybe I’ll actually have a chance to look at some writing!

Let’s move on to the prompts and then I’ll upload a few calendars for you.

Being Present for today is What you love about the people you’re with, or have spent time with today… at this precise moment I’m not actually spending time with anyone. Larry is in the sunroom watching his eclectic array of movies while I’m in the living room watching… of course… Christmas movies! I think the cat is being a traitor! But that’s okay. I’ll cuddle with him later. So as for who I have spent time with today… just work people. Not exactly people I would say I love!

Dark Nights for today is Habits and traits you love about the people you’re with today… that’s interesting! Larry made dinner… put it in the oven late to give me extra time to get home. That is one great thing about him… he considers those little things. Isn’t it very odd that both calendars, towards the end of the month, have such similar prompts on them? I think it is.

Here’s three calendars and I might just have to work from all three in December. It will also help you plan what you might want to journal on for the month.

I find it interesting how someone can jump to the conclusion that everything I have written was produced with AI… interesting since I wrote my first novel in 2001 when AI DIDN’T EVEN EXIST! Children nowadays eh? AI is a tool. AI is something that can assist when you’re stuck with anything! Businesses use it to write memos and the like because it saves time! Time is the furthest thing I have available right now so if I have to post a memo that just states X or Y then what is the problem if I can save time and not have to compose the entire thing? I’m not stressing about it… I think it’s funny!

Okay, so on to our prompts.

Being Present for today is Something loving you could say to yourself, right now… You are smart, you are funny and a great author who has an amazing way of telling stories! You are loved by your family, your friends, your readers and that’s all that matters!

Dark Nights for today is People who bring love and warmth into your life… my mom, dad, brothers, daughter, Larry, Tara, Kunj, Martina, a dear neighbour at my other house, there are others and now I’m going to feel bad if those people read this and they’re not listed! I’m sorry!

It’s interesting how both of those prompts were the same as far as love is concerned.

Have a great evening!

As always, when you’re the boss, things have a way of going off the rails. And today they did. With it being the start of cold and flu season one staff person was sick and nobody wants to cover! Anyway, my ADOC and I tag-teamed it and we got it done! Feels good!

The prompts for today… let’s go!

Being Present is What you love about the person you are, right now… that I’m honest and I don’t give a crap! That sounds worse than it is… it’s that I don’t give a crap what people think of the way that I am. I am who I am. I’m not going to hide that… I’m not going to disguise that. The people in my life are there because I want them there. That’s it. If someone doesn’t like me because they feel I should be different… too bad. I’m not.

Dark nights is Ways you’ve made your home beautiful… for Christmas? Or in general? We bought a beautiful home with grey laminate flooring and carpeting. the colour of the walls has the word silver in it but I’d have to check with Larry. Everything blends together. Everything fits. Now for Christmas, we moved a few things around, hung some garlands, hung some memories. It doesn’t take much to make it our own and just play to traditional on the palette we were given!

Okay, time to go turn on the TV, I think, and tune into some Christmas movies, hopefully. Although it is Monday night football. SIGH!!

Later!