Seven Great Things

original image credit: waitbutwhy.com (doctored a little by me) 

This week kind of sucked. I'm a Pollyanna and tend not to dwell on the cruddy stuff, but poke after poke after poke, my happy bubble took quite a bruising this week.

And then, yesterday, in the midst of all the crumminess, I realized that there had been all kinds of cool little things happening all around me and I'd been too caught up to notice them.

So, I thought I'd list some of those things. Hopefully it will remind me to pay attention the next time I have a rotten week, because as trite as it sounds, things really aren't as bad as they seem.

1. I got a "no" on something I'd hoped badly would be a "yes." But after I got over my knee-jerk, poor-me, rejected and dejected reaction, I realized it was a really a good thing and not a dead end after all.

2. A co-worker brought me a bag of caramel and cheese popcorn because she'd seen me flailing around with horrible Excel issues all week. Yes, caramel and cheese. Weirdest/tastiest combo of popcorn flaves ever and don't knock it till you try it.

3. The UPS driver at work that I'd known for six years by the name of Al? His last name, I just found out, is Green. I love Al Green. He even kind of looks like Al Green if you squint. That made me smile.

4. Another co-worker also heard I was having a crappy week. She picked me up a yummy caramel pumpkin treat from the coffee shop across the street. Just because.

5. I got an ARC from the wonderful Patricia Kiyono to review (it's over there on the sidebar) and am enjoying it immensely!

6. My mom brought me lunch at work one day. Egg salad sammiches and baked chips. With fresh-baked cookies for dessert. It was like going back to my childhood for an hour.

7. I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Well, I signed up for it, anyway. I'm all of 1,445 words in on Day 8. With all the crazy happenings, I emailed my fellow NaNo girls of the MMRWA and let them know I was going to be dropping out. Not in a whiny way, just an FYI way, but encouragement ensued. My favorite quotes are below. (I think Alyssa Alexander said something super nice, too, but I can't find all my original emails!)

So my advice to Crazy NaNo-ers one and all--including myself--is to listen to Winston Churchill. "Never give up. Never, never give up." - Lana Malkston  

Get what you can. It's more than you had before! - Ami Weaver  

I've noticed that writers do one thing better (and with more love and understanding) than anyone else - support one another. - Deb Moser (if I find her website, I'll link her, too!)

I hope your week is going fantastic. But if it's not, take a sec to look around. Even the smallest, simplest thing might have the power to pull you out of a funk. [