Thankful

I am thankful.  Not just because Thursday was Thanksgiving, but always.  I'm thankful for my health, because this surgery saved my life...gave me incredible energy and added years to my life.  Today,  I took my dog, Jack, for a walk around the lake in Rocky Mount.  The trip around the lake is 1/2 mile, and I could've done a second time around except that I was a little cold (it was 47 degrees--I should've had mittens on), and Jack definitely wasn't up for a second trip!  He managed to stop at every tree, bush and post around the lake, though!

I'm thankful for my messy little house, which is less messy since I used a good chunk of my days off to clean. 

I'm thankful for Jack, the little rescue dog (half Corgi, half...Pomeranian, maybe?), and the cats, two of which are curled up with me.  (Oscar Wilde is literally on my lap between my belly and the laptop--I swear he wasn't a lapcat until I lost the weight--now there's more room for him).

I'm thankful for my family, even though I missed my mom SO much this Thanksgiving.  At least I still have her, and I know that I'll see her for Christmas.  

I'm thankful for friends, old and new.  New friends like Adria, who invited me to her parents' house for dinner Thanksgiving.  Old friends like T, on whom I went to the movies today, and Mary Caroline, whose mother is in the hospital and who needs prayers.

I'm thankful for good movies, like the one I saw today.  "Life of Pi" was terrific, and I heartily recommend it.  It is haunting and visually stunning, and it's also easily the BEST book-to-film adaptation I have ever seen.

And I'm thankful for YOU.  It's been quite the journey--and even though I don't write every day, I'm still taking this trip every day.  I have forgotten once or twice to slow down when I eat, and I've been sick as a result.  I've cooked too much for one person, and I've found myself throwing food away because I can't deal with leftovers after a day or so.  While my weight loss has stabilized at minus 127 pounds, I'm happy with where I am.  In tops, I wear anything from a medium to an extra-large, depending on the manufacturer, although mostly size large.  In pants, a size 14 is about right, although I have two pair of knit pants for school that are 8/10s.  I am happy with who I am and, for the first time in my life, how I look.

And I guess I'm pretty thankful for THAT, too.

Reflecting

I have spent some time reflecting on life in the past year...the choices I've made, the relationships I've had and the plans I want to make.

First, my job.  I've always loved teaching.  This semester at this new school has been really tough.  I have a group of students who are rude and disrespectful--with no understanding of how education can improve their lives.  I've tried everything without success.  As a result, I have found that I have lost some of my love of teaching--and I promised myself that when that happened, I'd leave teaching.  I am going to finish this school year and look for something else.  I have a diverse skill set--I can work in a medical office, a law office, a hospital, even a restaurant.  I can type, do spreadsheets, write well.  There are all kinds of possibilities for me, and I'm going to check them out.

Relationships.  First, I think I've figured out why things didn't work out with Whit.  He was fat.  Really fat.  As wide as he was short.  And I resented that.  I resented that I worked so hard to lose the weight, and he just ate whatever he wanted.  It's not that I dislike big men--truth is, I actually prefer a man with a little meat on his bones, but Whit was so fat that it affected our lives.  We couldn't be terribly active because he didn't have the energy.  And our sex life?  Ugh.  He wasn't healthy enough to have active sex, so it was awful.

And Kevin?  He didn't really want a relationship.  I was a diversion to keep him busy until he had his gastric bypass.  Like I've written before, he believed that when he lost weight, women would fall at his feet.  I hope that's working out for him.

And I think I owe James an apology.  I think he has an emotional disorder, so I shouldn't have disparaged him in writing.  I don't think he can help himself.  He should get some help, but that's HIS problem now...not mine.

Yesterday, I saw a former student and her mother.  She hugged me and said, "Mom, Ms. Harvey is..." I turned to her and said, "What?  Finish the sentence.  Ms. Harvey is what?"  She said, "Hot!"  I laughed and said, "Thank you.  Now, Ms. Harvey needs a man!"  They laughed.  I laughed.  But I think...I'm not sure...but I think I meant it!

Standard time is back! Yay!  I've missed it!! It'll be nice to wake up and get around in the daylight rather than in the pitch blackness I've had recently!

It's November which means that I'm writing my novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  As a result, I won't be blogging much, but I will write when I can.  

Have a great Sunday--and stay warm, wherever you are!