Ten Things of Thankful: Change is Good, but Not for Stores

A purple African violet 

This week, I thought I'd run a quick errand to the local one-stop shopping place. The blinker on the car was out, so I headed to where the automotive lightbulbs should have been, only to find myself in the toy section. Sigh. Then it dawned on me that if I changed something up in my own house, I would feel a sense of joy and accomplishment. If a familiar store tries it, though, I'm none too happy. Strange. Perhaps I'm a bit of a control freak. :-)

In any case, I'm going to focus on the changes (and some constants, too) that I'm thankful for this week:

1. I divided and repotted some of my African violets. I then had an abundance, and was able to share one with a neighbor whom I hadn't had a chance to really visit with before. We had a nice chat, and I'm glad we got to know each other a bit.

2. The weather is cooling down a bit. We've had a stretch of rather hot weather lately. Even though we've been in Utah for 5 years now, I still remember the oppressively hot temperatures we had in California, so even the hot weather here is bearable, but I still prefer to stay out of triple-digits. 

3. Now that it's been a couple of months since we have returned to having an empty nest, I decided to take down the crib and move the changing table. Our bedroom seems so much bigger!

4. John and I have the time now to go hiking nearly every day, and are rewarded with expansive views.

A view of Utah Valley with Utah Lake in the distance

5. A sign at a local pizza shop caught my eye. It said, "We are a people place." I know what they mean, but I must admit I thought they might as well have said, "Serving Soylent pizza since 1973." I'm thankful for humor, intended or not.

Mod Pizza sign: "We are a people place"

6. Every day, the sun goes down, but every day, the sunset is unique.

A peachy-orange sunset with puffy grey clouds in the sky

7. Drexel had a bath this week, but also seemed to enjoy sporting a dog toy as a hat.

Drexel, with a blue stuffed monkey on his head

8. After weeks where our schedules didn't mesh, I was able to walk with my friend again. We never run out of things to talk about, whether it's been 2 days since our last walk, or nearly 2 months. 

9. I learned earlier this summer that radon is a fairly common problem in Utah, and sure enough, our house tested with slightly higher than acceptable levels. This week, we had a company come and install a radon abatement system. We can breathe easier at night (pun intended) now knowing that our lungs are not being exposed to radon. 

10. Amongst all this change, a constant: John. 

What are the changes and constants in your life you are thankful for? Remember to visit the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Dyanne and her trusty co-hosts and see what others are saying this week.