This week I learned a new meaning for the word glimmer: the opposite of trigger, it refers to a thing that brings a sense of joy or safety. So, pull up an after-dinner drink and maybe a dessert, and let’s look back at some good things that happened this past week.
For the record, my own food and drink of choice at this moment includes coffee, a single-serving container of chocolate ice cream, and a brownie.
am unexpected discovery
While visiting a local thrift shop, a badly tarnished candy dish called out to me. Given the lack of markings, I’m assuming it’s a nickel alloy of some kind and not silver plate. It came home with me for $2.99 and got the deluxe Ketchup Bath with Baking Soda exfoliating scrub. The spa day was a success and revealed a certain character beneath the layers of neglect.
There is a space between the antlers to hold cards, though any card would be vastly disproportionate to the size of the deer. I’m certain I’ll find a use for it.
words of affirmation
On one particular day this past week, I had three different people in three different departments at work seek me out to tell me that the work I’m doing is having positive effects across campus that I might not be aware of or able to see in the grand scheme of things.
I also made a connection with someone new at work who, in a meeting together, noticed my Mable Pines sticker and gushed about how much they liked Gravity Falls. So of course I gifted them one of the stickers I have.
Then after a late work day I spent a good forty-five minutes talking with someone else from work with whom I’ve attended a conference or two but never really spoken two. We’re friends on Facebook but after talking realized we had a lot in common. And then they said something I’d never heard before:
I hope this isn’t weird, but I’ve seen some of the things you share online and I thought to myself “Jay seems pretty cool. I should get to know them better.”
My Coworker & New Friend
It wasn’t weird at all; in fact, it made me pretty happy.
And then today Krystal and I were out shopping and we went to turn down the aisle with the Barbie things and there was a mom and little girl. We’d heard the girl as we walked up: she was upset that her brother wasn’t interested in seeing one of the play sets. She wasn’t upset she couldn’t get it; she was upset she was being ignored.
Anyway we were walking into the aisle as they were walking out and then the mom’s eyes got wide and she asked
Excuse me, but can she look at your shirt?
Target Mom
I said yes, and then Target Mom said “look who it is, honey” and the daughter’s eyes got big and happy and we talked for a minute about Pusheen and Pip and Stormy with Krystal chiming in about my office at work.
They left smiling and Krystal said “you know you just made that kid’s day and really helped her mom out, too” and I just was happy to be in the right place at the right time for it to happen.
I was also happy to see Target Mom modeling consent!
Pusheen brightens my day every day. And now she brightens my living room even more as Krystal transformed a too-small shirt given as a gift into a decorative pillow:
feelings of accomplishment
I like the feeling of something well done, like this pizza. The white sauce continues to improve!
Yesterday I helped my SIL paint her largest bedroom, which someone had painted a deep and rather dark blue. I’ve nothing against dark colors, but this seemed the wrong choice for the room.
And yes, I know my eyesight is color-deficient, but everyone was talking about how bad this color was, and even I felt something was wrong about the choice. While others painted the dining room and living room and hallway, I put two coats of paint on the wall and two coats of trim on top and bottom moldings and the window framings, too.
Today I got two loads of dishes done, sorted and dusted the living room, vacuumed the living room floor and steps going upstairs, and got a shower.
I also found out I’m in the top 13% of Taylor Swift listeners on Spotify; but don’t worry, there’s still several months to bump those numbers up, lol.
What have you been up to?
Running In My Head 