It's Quite A Ride… Stories With Jenn

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It is so easy to get swept up in the doldrums of day to day life. I find myself being pulled down periodically due to things I can control and many more things I cannot. Some of the wisest words I remember my mom giving me were, “If you can do something about it, do it. If you can’t, leave it alone until you can.” 

I am better about this than I used to be but some days still pull me down and I struggle to climb back up. I have tried to start a gratitude journal, or a letting it go journal, but I have never been consistent with either.  

Today’s prompt feels similar though. Thirty things that make me happy feels like a big number, but I honestly don’t think I’ll have any problems once I get started.  

So, as they come to mind, let’s go.  

• 1. Dragonflies. My spirit animal and my favorite creature on this planet.  
• 2.  Inheriting my childhood home. Though I will never feel it’s my house, I love living in my parent’s one hundred and eighteen year old home.  
• 3. Thinking of my son. He lived for only an hour but I loved every moment I was able to have with him. Though this could also fall on a list of sad things, I was so blessed to get to be his mom for a little while.  
• 4. Lilacs. They were my grandmother’s favorite flower. They are my favorite as well and every time they begin to bloom in the spring, I think of her.  
• 5. Coffee. My morning cannot start without a steaming, hot, cup of coffee.  
• 6. My grandchildren. They have my heart. Period.  
• 7. The color purple.  
• 8. Crocheting. I can’t read a pattern to save my soul but YouTube tutorials are amazing! 
• 9. The feel of grass under my bare feet.  
• 10. My annual family trip with my adult kids. It’s about the only time I can see them all together.  
• 11. Hiking in the wilderness. 
• 12. The Oregon Coast 
• 13. My tattoos. Almost all of them are tied to a memory from my life.  
• 14. Drawing. I love drawing mandalas and flowers in pen and ink.  
• 15. I love that my brother and his family live close by and we rotate Sunday dinners so we get a chance to catch up every week.  
• 16. Riding my ATV in the mountains.  
• 17. Snapchat. It’s how I keep in touch with my kids in their busy lives.  

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• 18. Waterfalls and the sound of falling water. That’s often what I listen to at night to fall asleep.  
• 19. Road trips with no destination in mind.  
• 20. Working on projects with my husband, no matter what they are. 
• 21. Music. My soul would wither away without it.  
• 22. Being a mom. It’s the most important and fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life. 
• 23. Owls and hawks. They make me think that my parents are close by and watching over me. 
• 24. Homemade bread fresh out of the oven. The smell, the taste. Pure heaven.  
• 25. Thunderstorms.  
• 26. Storage containers of all sizes. I am a sucker for a good container.  
• 27. Buying new drawing tablets even though I have many I haven’t started using yet.  
• 28. Snuggling into my blankets on the weekend when I don’t have to get up early.  
• 29. Birds at my bird feeder. I could watch them for hours.  
• 30. I am happy that I took the time to answer this prompt. There is so much to find happiness in and to be thankful for, even if we lose sight of it at times.