Grateful Thursday

1) My ENT appointment today was enlightening. I know for a fact I do not have sinusitis. They did a CT of my sinuses to see if they were full, but there's hardly anything in there other than air. (Insert joke here.) So the doctor, fretting a bit as he thought he'd have an answer from the CT, said his next step would be to put me on a good three weeks of antihistamines to test if it's allergies I'm having. If I haven't improved, he's sending me onto a neurologist, but if I have, he'll send me to an allergy specialist. So let's hope it's just simple allergies...

2) The good relationship I have with my boss. I had a string of bad bosses after I moved back from London-- first the controlling interior designer who thought of me more as an idiotic furniture-lugging mule than a Masters-degree-holding woman with a good eye for color. I lasted a month before I headed for the hills. Then the slave-driving perfectionist veterinarian who would write me up for every single "mistake" like I was a 5th grader and let passive-aggressive comments slide through her lips with every breath. And she wondered why she couldn't find "a good receptionist." She has a continual ad in the classifieds. Then there was the last, the antiques mall owner, my favorite. She was just plain dumb, as was her husband. Sweet, but clueless, bumbling around the store humming to herself, no idea financially where her business was going, unaware that she was losing money, seeping out the way the hot air seeped underneath that front door in winter. I tried to buy the store from her, having seen her books and that she couldn't stay afloat for much longer but also seeing all the money-making possibilities. She considered but in the end took out a loan, which she then squandered on painting the ceiling I hear. Dumb. My current boss is a shrewd business man and complete sweetheart, and we chat like old buddies. He trusts me with important things, sees my worth, and is going to pay me handsomely eventually. But it's mostly the friendship and trust for which I'm thankful.

3) My husband was cooking when I got home last night-- pasta primavera with french bread and a sweet chardonnay. Later we had vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, took the dog for a stroll, and watched a fun movie on tv named Stardust. It was a peaceful and happy night.

4) The smell of fresh cut grass, and my persistent portulaca.

5) My husband's little brother. He's 11 years younger than my husband, about 6 younger than me. He lives here so we see him often, and he's such a kind, soft spoken, friendly guy. I'm glad to have him in my family and very grateful that he counts me as a part of his now too. And it makes me so happy to see him and my husband together, reminds me what sibling love should be like. Now I have it too, in him, and in my sister-in-law as well.