November means it’s almost Christmas time. So much has been happening lately that I forgot to post last weekend – but better late than never. Reading back on my November gratitudes I realise that I have been watching a lot of comedy and, I suppose, using laughter as a medicine.

Having little outlets and laughing is good and it’s been refilling my cup. As well as eating good food, seeing a few people, and having authentic conversations – these have all been wonderful in giving me a little peace from the chaos. And speaking of peace, I’ve been finding gratitude in simple things like silence, autumn leaves, and nature. 

I talk of progress a fair bit too, as so much has been happening. It’s been good to sit back and reflect a little. There’s still progress to be made, but I’m trying to focus more on myself and hopefully bring my most authentic self to the world. So, here is November’s delayed gratitude journal:

1 Light: grateful for daylight today. The clocks went back on Sunday and waking up early and seeing that it’s not so dark outside is really nice. Of course the evenings get dark sooner but waking up to some natural light is lovely.

2 A few things today. Grateful for the hubby for sorting out some life admin like a champ. Grateful for friends being patient and helping me sort some stuff out. Grateful for a good support network, providing tips and advice and genuinely helping each other out. Grateful for The Mindy Project, which we have recently started watching and I never knew I never watched these earlier episodes.

3 Heating: grateful for heating and warmth today, staying cosy and not quite needing to bring out the fluffy jumpers.

4 Organised laziness: grateful for organised laziness today. I knew this week would be super busy at work so did a load of cooking at the weekend, resulting in a super quick dinner tonight. Grateful for old me’s organised laziness and forward thinking.

5 Hubby: grateful for the hubby today. The smoke alarms rang out letting us know in the most obnoxious way that they were out of battery – we just didn’t know which one was out of battery. The hubby dealt with that in the early hours this morning whilst I tried to catch up on some sleep.

6 You’ve Got Mail: grateful for this classic rom com today. Finally watched it after all these years and I loved every minute of it! Caught part of it recently and really wanted to watch it all. Such a good film, and there’s an adorable dog in it too!

7 Memories: grateful for memories today. Going down memory lane and seeing things I haven’t looked at in so long and being reminded of events and people and places. Trying to recount the past but also be able to move forward.

8 Tuna pasta bake: grateful for this meal today. Cooked it for the first time in a while, it seems. Absolutely love it, to me it feels like comfort food. And it’s not too unhealthy either.

9 Progress: grateful for progress today. Progress with work, progress with life admin, progress with reducing scrolling and screen time, progress with finishing work earlier than usual! Progress in all aspects of life, as sometimes we forget to celebrate the little wins – but when you add up all the little wins, they amount to a lot.

10 Refilling my cup: grateful for refilling my cup today. Played a bit of It Takes Two, managed to read a little last night, and ate a hearty big filling meal for dinner. Also grateful for a friend sending a picture of a snowy Christmas tree, which brightened up my day too. It has somewhat kickstarted my festive spirit and holiday happiness.

11 Sheet masks: grateful for sheet masks today. Having a bit of TLC and looking after myself, it’s quite peaceful and soothing sheet masking actually. Grateful for these snippets of serenity.

12 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: grateful for this film today. We watched it and I loved it! It had humour, suspense, action, and some really cool things in this film. Michelle Yeoh also looks amazing. Grateful for this film today.

13 Catch ups: grateful for catch ups today. It was a couple of friends’ birthdays so had a video call and sent some messages. Also caught up with an old colleague and learning some interesting things. Grateful for these authentic conversations.

14 Sleep: grateful for sleep today. Slept for a whole 9 hours and it was brilliant. Grateful for the recuperation and just recharging my batteries.

15 Progress: grateful for progress today. Progress with work and figuring things out, progress with sorting out some life admin, progress with spotting things I wouldn’t have necessarily spotted previously, progress with some de-hoarding too. It’s the little wins.

16 The Mindy Project: grateful for this TV show today. It is absolutely hilarious and I love every minute of it. It just brings me a lot of joy watching scenes unfold and kudos to Mindy Kaling for writing and probably injuring herself when filming some of these hilarious scenes.

17 Meet ups: grateful for meet ups today, as I met up with work colleagues and it was lovely seeing people in person – it had been a while. The food was also amazing.

18 Progress: grateful for progress today. A lot has been happening, like a lot. And I’m super tired, but I’m also super grateful that things are happening and moving along. Every step really counts.

19 Hubby: grateful for the hubby today. Working late and long hours and he has been patient and understanding with everything and actually quite helpful in helping me find alternative solutions to problems. Also grateful that he makes me laugh too and makes me do some deep breathing when times get stressful!

20 Memory lane: grateful for going down memory lane a little today. Had a bit of a clear out today sorting through some old items that I haven’t seen in so long, remembering the people who gave things to me, remembering the times I’ve worn things, remembering the person I used to be back then. Grateful for the people, grateful for the memories, and grateful that I can let go of physical things yet still recall the past.

21 A few things today. Grateful for autumn leaves, as we saw leaves falling off trees and some were orange and red – it was rather beautiful. Grateful for colleagues and friends as they are hilarious, met up with a couple of friends today for food and it was great. Grateful for fish, as we had a lot of fish today. And grateful for the hubby, who has been supportive and listening to me harp on about skincare for a while now.

22 Dead Pixels: super grateful for this absolutely hilarious TV show today. I have not laughed out loud so hysterically for a while and I was in stitches. Laughter really is a medicine.

23 The Mindy Project: grateful for this hilarious TV show today, offering lots of belly laughs, bright colours, and cute dogs.

24 Birds: grateful for birds today. Saw some birds for the first time in absolutely ages and it was lovely seeing then dart around. Reminds me of our Old Boy who loved chasing after birds.

25 Silence: grateful for silence today. The fire alarm system has been beeping incessantly for a while and now it’s gone. Also we have been hearing music playing as we have thin floors and now that’s stopped too. Super grateful for silence and being able to hear myself think.

26 Perspective: grateful for a shift in perspective today. Some things aren’t perfect and I feel I would’ve previously moaned or complained, whilst now I am trying to have a different perspective. I’m trying to work around the issues and find suitable solutions, trying to be pragmatic and actively do things to change the way I feel or approach things. Grateful for this shift.

27 A few things today. Grateful for progress, as things have been happening and progressing slowly but surely. Grateful for wildlife, as I saw a very cute squirrel today just bouncing along. It reminded me of our old dog Merlin, of how he used to love chasing – or trying to chase – squirrels. Grateful for The Mindy Project, as it is super funny and colourful and we have been binging it a lot.

28 A few things today. Grateful for furniture, as we were putting together some furniture today. Grateful for progress, I feel I’m grateful for this a lot lately, but we should celebrate little wins when we can. Grateful for ticking off my to do list, as I’m doing a lot of life admin lately.

29 Heating: super grateful for heating today, as the temperature has dipped and it is super cold. Reminding me of uni days as I sat working with a blanket over me!

30 Thermostat: grateful for the thermostat today. It has been super cold and heating has been super expensive but keeping the heating on continuously throughout the day and relying on the thermostat has meant I have been at a decent temperature. Grateful for this invention.