Five things I am grateful for today:

1. Three great trips coming up! This Friday I leave for the Pacific Northwest (Portland and Seattle) for Thanksgiving. December 10-13 I will be in San Francisco for some long overdue time with Meredith and also my cousin Tiffany! And December 21-28 I will be back in Portland again for more time with my family.

2. Spent the morning hanging around with Eric. He is so much fun.

3. Writing really helps bring me clarity. It used to when I was younger, I used to write all the time. But lately since I started doing morning pages for The Artist's Way I feel reconnected to myself in a really sweet way. I love starting my day by writing just for myself. I read yesterday that it is best to start your day by doing something creative, not by taking in information--checking email, reading the news, etc. I agree with this idea. Mostly my day starts really well when I start it by writing. Sometimes scraw (my word for all things bad) places are unlocked which can be really uncomfortable, but even that is really worthwhile. How are we supposed to heal from our injuries if they aren't given the attention they need?

4. I had the best dinner--a monster sized salad, and cheese and crackers. YUM! Also I got to chat with Wendy on the phone for a long time tonight. It's nice to be so connected even though we are so far apart.

5. I stayed a long while with my last home visit of the day today. She wanted to know all about this dinner that Eric made last night. I also told her about my twice baked potatoes which turned out REALLY good. She made me write down the recipe for her and got very excited. She told me all the good things that she has been eating lately with such enthusiasm. And when I left she gave me the best hug.