Oh boy. Not much has changed in the islands over the last 7 months. Half of the restaurants and hotels are still closed, roads are mostly empty, kids are still largely doing distance learning, etc. Visitors are starting to trickle back now that we've officially FINALLY reopened the state...but it's a far, far distant cry from where we left off in March. I can see the gradual trickle though, and that makes me hopeful.
Although SO much has changed, we have always recognized that things could be so much worse. We have not gotten sick. There has been increased crime, but no civil disobedience. There are vocal jerks who refuse to wear masks like the rest of us naive sheeple, but they are not a huge deal here (the outer islands are not a place that Karen and Ken would be compatible with over the long haul). Kids are bored in the house, bored in the house, bored...but have always been able to swim at the beach and bask in the sunshine. We have had no serious food shortages (although we prices are up and income is down). So for the most part, despite a few challenges here and there...life marches on and we are very grateful to be weathering it okay.
I told myself I was long overdue for a gratitude list, which I attempt to do periodically when I start to feel like the sky is falling. So without further ado- I will never try to pretend my life is perfect, but these are the good things I want to remember when days are long/hard:
- I am grateful to have a baby daddy who teaches our son things like how to assemble our grill, cook on it, use power tools, change oil, rotate tires, etc. Ry does not like ANY of it...but he will appreciate it someday, that I am sure of.
- I am grateful that my son agreed to start running with me back in late Aug/early Sep. He's run with me twice a week since then, and he's approaching the end of his second straight month as a regular runner. There has been shameless bribery, but he will admit he doesn't hate it. We now run about 5-6 miles to town, twice a week...and meet up with Rich, who takes us to dinner or to do needed shopping. It's our time together to chat about life, bond and scheme. I LOVE IT. The pic below is of his new kicks (he got two new pairs of New Balance running shoes as a bribe and a few run tops).
- This was his first run to town last month. He was so proud of himself. He often wants to run to his favorite restaurant (McDonalds) to get fries and a 7-Up as his reward. I'm all in as it's a pretty fair trade, even though it negates his workout! In my eyes, 5 miles earns you junk food. (Trying to get a 12-year old to sweat for an hour is not easy!)
- We celebrated two family quarantine birthdays this month...my mom turned 70, and we made her a rainbow cake! My dad catered it, my sister in law decorated it, and we all helped in small ways to make it special.
- Then less than a week later, Riki-chan turned 16! And in our new family tradition, we made it a Sweet 16 cake for him! :-D
- He was a great sport, and he has been a great inspiration to Ryan lately. For that, I am grateful. They don't hang out as often as they used to (as they have separate activities and lives), but I hope/pray the foundation from their childhood is there and will last a lifetime.
- I am grateful for Ryan's summer squad. They watch Netflix, chill, play video games, cook, go to the beach, hike...they are all mostly only-children, so it works out great that they have each other. I am sure in the years to come, the group may splinter a bit, but I sure hope not, as these kids are priceless and we are so grateful to have their and their ohanas friendship.
- I am forever and always grateful that most of my family all live within a quarter mile of each other, and are close. The only grifter is my brother, who returns this weekend for a few days...also grateful for that! The whole family has cleared their schedules for him! He's everyone's favorite!
- And I am very nearly as appreciative for my job, and my bosses/coworkers. They have placed so much blind faith and trust in me, and I never want to let them down. They kept me on during a pandemic with ZERO income for over seven months, even though I'd only been with the company a month a half when COVID hit. I feel a deep sense of humility and gratitude to them. I hope over time, that they all become extended ohana...
- My plantar fasciitis is about 50% better over the last year, thanks to icing/ibuprofen. It's a slow process, but it's moving in the right direction! It could be so. much. worse.
- I am grateful that for my birthday, Rich and Ryan bought me a much desired recumbent bike, and Ry assembled it under dad's watchful eyes for me. It is helping in my recovery and perfect for rainy day workouts, or post-trips to the buffet. ;-) I've wanted one for years!
- I am grateful to my many BFFs. One is far away in NZ. One is in OR. Three are here, although one is often traveling. They make me feel so supported and happy.
- I am very appreciative about the public library reopening a few months ago. I have been back to reading again, and it's helped with a health condition I've had for months. I just read "Fairest" by Meredith Talusan, and "First they killed my father" By Loung Ung (about the Cambodian civil war/genocide). I thought I had read it, but I had not. It was horrifyingly well written and a great reminder that despite our current political landscape- that as a world- we have evolved A LOT. Pol Pot. Hitler. Stalin. We hope and pray we have learned enough to never make those mistakes again. (Although...there is still Kim Jong Un...ugh). I devoured both books in a week.
- I am excited that Halloween is around the corner. It will look and feel different, but I have a mom group that is committed to making it as fun as possible at home instead. Our kids are lucky ducks!
- We are closing on a condo next week. It should have been two weeks ago, and we owe Uncle Sam over 30% of the profits according to our CPA's calculations...but the alternative is having rough rentals ahead, loss of revenue, etc. We are grateful to have reduced our real estate holdings by 75% over the last year and a half...so we have less debt. A relief.
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