3/26/25

 I had a series of weird dreams last night. I was at my Mom’s house and my kids were little again. They were telling me that they were seeing large foot prints in the basement like there was a big animal down there. I went down to investigate and saw what they were talking about. I found a 30-40 pound raccoon. My first thought was “how did this get in here?” My immediate second thought was, he looks like he needs a home. I should probably keep him. I mean, that is a logical thought right? 

Dreams are funny. The worst part is, if I found a raccoon in my basement, the thought would cross my mind to keep it and force my love upon it.

I try to force my love on Ethan. This morning I suggested he should brush his hair before leaving for work. I told him I mentioned it out of love.

This is a kid that has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Things like hygiene and husbandry can be hard for people with this condition. The fact he is able to go to work and arrive on time 5 days a week is impressive. Even when he had pneumonia. It’s hard to see someone that appears normal and remember that everything is just a little harder for them. When I walked downstairs this morning I saw him on the couch smiling as he was watching a video. I verbalized how happy that made me. Considering, I think Ethan does pretty well.

I took a minute to walk outside in the sunshine this morning. It was brisk out but the sun was warm. As I scanned the yard, I saw flowers taller today than they were yesterday. The crocuses were really bragging about how colorful they were. I heard the birds singing and picked out cardinal, Robin, finch and red winged black birds. I closed my eyes to really use all of my senses. I had a coffee taste in my mouth. I had a thought of how thankful I was to have all my senses. In that moment I thought about how lucky I was. This sets the tone for the day. Even though my back was super sore and tight.  I was feeling, seeing, hearing, tasting and smelling the outdoors. A small little stick fell on me from the sky. Hi dad! Then like 10 minutes later it was gloomy and snowing. I am glad I had my moment.

I took a gamble and bought a dress on Amazon for my trip. It fits well but I wanted to add extra color to it, so I tie dyed it this morning and I like the way it turned out. It was worth the gamble because I had so many points, the dress was free. I only added a splash of red.

As I typed away at work, I appreciated the quietness of the house. My mind wandered and selfishly went to…what else can I add to my bucket list? I didn’t have time to really do research, but I am excited that I have checked off so many things in the past few years.

I am excited about our upcoming trip! 

My night ended with sharing laughs with Paul and Sarah.

Before

After