suddenlysinglewomen

Happy Valentine’s (Gal’entine’s) week everyone. It’s been a full week and it’s not done yet. Started with watching the Super Bowl, no “dog in this hunt” but I did prefer one team over the other because of some of the players, their stories, their journeys . . . and they won.

Then – a sweet new neighbor, widowed within the past year, showed up at my front door with a flower bouquet and offered my a Happy Gal’entine’s message of cheer.

Then – I learned my “refinance” of this home was approved and I close tomorrow. You know we ladies of a certain age, and no “earned” income, face an uphill battle with banks, mortgages and the black hole of underwriters. BAM! Never missed a payment, fabulous credit score and still, it can be like pulling teeth.

Then – yesterday my other house that has had offers (some good, some ridiculous), faulty inspection reports, two different agents and so many house showings that the wood floor must need to be buffed, FINALLY got a “real” offer. We countered, we played the game, but we finally came to a deal. Inspections and appraisal in two days. First family in to NOT ask for all the walls to be painted, all new carpet, etc etc etc. They actually like my house the way it is – how refreshing?

Don’t wanna count my chickens though, so I’ll wait till after Friday to celebrate.

Then – last but not least, it’s been ten wonderfully full years of “Suddenly Single Women – the Blog”! Started just after Valentine’s Day 2012, it’s been a real learning experience and a very cathartic way to get to the “other side” post divorce.

My book published in 2016, becoming a #1 Best Seller on Amazon, then “THE” lawsuit from the ex (that I never really addressed on this site) happened. Six months of idiocy till he finally dropped it, then getting the book back up on the market. It’s never really fully recovered from the momentum it had.

But that’s OK. It was never published to make money, it never would have BUT it’s been read and appreciated by so many – and that was the purpose. To remind those women they were not alone, and to hopefully help them find their smile again.

So … hope your week is going great! Send up a prayer or two that the former house passes inspections and sells, but most of all Happy 10th Anniversary to all of us who write/follow/inspire this blog!

So . . . I wear a FitBit watch. Haven’t sprung for an Apple Watch, don’t really need one more Apple product to figure out. FitBit is pretty basic for my needs.

Remember when some Doc somewhere decided to tell the world that we needed to take 10,000 steps a day? So I got on board to track my steps, gave up wearing my really pretty watch, and off I went. Clearly some days involve more activity than others, but it is surprising how many steps you can compile in an average day. Full disclosure: I have dogs that get many walks, even in the snow, so that helps!

Yesterday I got my annual summary from FitBit.

My busiest day? November 13 where I walked 27,011 steps. I can tell you it had to do with going to a college football game. Some of those steps might’ve been jumping up and down in the stands, just sayin’ . . . We must’ve won that day?

My total steps for 2021? 3,444,190 and I recorded “exercise” stats for 310 days out of 365. My average bedtime was 11:04 p.m. and my average wake-up time was 6:59 a.m. That would imply I got a whole lot more sleep than I feel like most of the time.

All in all, I think I did pretty good for an ol’ gal of a certain age.

Gotta go now, the couch and my DVR are calling, LOL!!

There were times I would roll my eyes and think, If I’m a good person, then why all the challenges?

But’s that life, and no where has it ever been promised that it would be a walk down “easy street”.

I plan on 2022 being a year of growth for me. New address, with a healthier focus on what’s the best for me. I’ve spent a lifetime of giving, something I learned watching my parents. But they also took care of themselves and made decisions taking care of themselves and the family’s needs.

I’m going to take care of myself this year. I’ll receive plenty of “input” whether I need it, request it or want it. But in the end, as my Father used to tell me, always “take care of Number 1”.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

I am so very grateful for all of you, and your support, and kind comments throughout the years. I started this blog in 2012 with nothing more than a desire to help other women feel better about themselves every day.

You’ve certainly made me a better person.

Keep hoping everyone! See you “next year”!!

So, this might be a bit long, but hang in there.

If I take the time and trouble to call and report a problem, or lack of service or lodge a complaint in general, I then try really hard to spend the same amount of time and trouble to call and report a good service, a kind and thoughtful act and issue a compliment. Funny how that works?

Case in point, been traveling back and forth between old home and new home. Tying up loose ends. Right before I left “new” home about 6 weeks ago to drive to TX, our windows were being washed. Part of our annual HOA dues, they get done spring and fall. While taking the hose and it’s reel into the garage to store for winter frigidity, I could not get the connecting piece of hose off the hose bib. Clearly one of the workers had taken it off, to use their own equipment (probably the power washers/painters) and screwed mine back on – crooked. Once you strip those threading things, they never quite screw on tightly or correctly. They’d done it with such force I couldn’t get it off. And do you think I have a wrench?? Ha!!

With the window washer down the street and on his way to my house in a few hours I was irritated to say the least, and sorry for him that he’d have to drag his equipment down below my house to use a second hose bib. I’m on the side of a hill, getting equipment down that decline would be challenging. What could I do? I was leaving. So I wrote a note to him, tacked it into the siding above the hose bib with the small connecter hose piece dangling, apologized for not being able to get it off for him, and told him where the other hose bib was out back. Then off I went to TX.

About a week later, my Ring doorbell camera picks up a person making a delivery to my front door. He rang the bell, I of course was not there, so he left it under the porch cover and started to walk away. He is a FedEx driver. He sees the note, stops and bends down to read it and to my total shock, he stoops down and gets that stuck hose connector piece off. : -0 He lays it down and goes off on his way to his next delivery.

Seriously??? How cool is that?? I’m not there, and he does me a kindness by undoing it – just because he took the time to do a good deed. Now, of course, I become obsessed with how I’m gonna either track him down to thank him, or reach out to FedEx. Have you ever tired to reach out to FedEx during the holidays?? But once I returned back to new house, and retrieved the package off the front porch, I kept the label. My thinking? Somewhere in all those numbers there’s got to be a way to id the driver. I am gonna get a thank you to him – somehow.

Fast forward to yesterday. Another FedEx delivery coming up the driveway. So I nab my “label” I’d saved and approached him. Asked him if he could id a driver thru the numbers on the package. Assured him there was no harm, no foul – that I actually wanna to tell that driver how much I appreciated him. He shyly looks at me and says, that’s my id! I asked him about the hose piece, (because I suppose any driver could claim he’d done the favor, so I wanted to see if he knew what I was talking about). He says he came up the sidewalk to the front porch, saw a paper note tacked to the wall, read it and thought he’d just unscrew it for me.

Woo Hoo – I’d found him!

I told him how much that meant to me, a simple act of kindness and that I would be doing something nice for someone in his honor. I don’t know about him, but this made my day. Oh that we all could be that random and thoughtful. Be kind this holiday season everyone, you never know when something you do will make someone else’s day better.

I found this the other day and meant to share on December 1st! But then you know how life can get in the way??

So better late than never. A fun “attitude” Advent Calendar for you. Less calories than the ones with candy. Enjoy and Happy December to you all.

And let’s “face” it, these are trying times.

All we wanted to do was get out of 2020, well for me, 2021 has been equally challenging. I have tried my darnedest (can’t believe spell check didn’t flag that?) to face these challenges and keep a good attitude.

I tell ya’, it’s tough to not have the “glass half empty” attitude.

But then I get posts, and notes from you all, and support from friends and I think that heck yeah – – – I can face this and I can change my universe.

We’re close to getting out of 2021, so just letting you know that I’m working on facing it head on. That universe is NOT gonna get me. GRRRRRRR!!!! Who’s with me?