Odds and Ends

Three things are on my mind today; One funny, one that inspires, and one that i can't put an emotion to yet.

Starting on the lighter end of things, Boyfriend Jon and I had a rather amusing conversation that took way longer than it should have. Jon was at Target and I asked him to pick me up some toothpaste. He said "sure" and very thoughtfully asked me what i wanted. I should have known better than to not give him exact instructions. He carefully compares features, price, quantity, value, and about a billion other synonyms. But i didn't have my toothpaste anywhere near me and i was looking for a better one anyway. So i said "Something that whitens and is spearmint."

Jon: "Brand?"

Me: "I like Crest but just no peppermint"

Jon: "They don't have anything that's explicitly peppermint or spearmint. you have cool, clean, fresh, long lasting, extreme herbal mint"

Me: "Um...fresh i guess."

Jon: "Oops, forgot smooth, vibrant, and crystal mints"

Me: "Oh for the love of! I guess you're just gonna have to sample them"

Jon: "Oh Oh just saw radiant mint ;-)"

(by this point, i'm sorry i asked but still amazed at the ridiculousness of in-exact labeling of toothpaste)

Me: "don't worry about it, just get something and i'll just use it"

Six minutes later, i get a picture message. To stem of any more of the Great Toothpaste Ingredient Debate, i said "Sounds good, thank you."

To which i find out he thankfully already bought it.

Jon: "And looks like there's a law against saying which freaking plant they use!"

LoL

The good news is, that fresh actually did turn out to be spearmint.

****

Yesterday was my parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary. It is amazing to me. When i called to wish them a happy anniversary, dad felt like chatting. It turns out they went for a drive with Mom behind the wheel. Which means they were going to end up on the opposite corner of the state. He told me "You know, some people think 40 years is amazing, but for us it's just every day life."

Personally, i think that it's just amazing that they've lasted this long. Not because there's any real problems, but that they've done it in a world full of divorce and an average of 7 year marriages. How they decided to stick it out, is beyond me. I can only hope that I'm as lucky when i decide to settle down to have a partner with similar resolve.

****

I've messed around with my budget and I'm fairly certain that with some simple trimming of excess spending that I'll be able to afford staying for another year.

I was pleased that the cut didn't seem to be so bad as i had originally thought once i started using actual numbers and a calculator. I'm still going to negotiate the increase down as much as possible, but assuming that number will be the official increase, i think i reasonably can afford to stay.

To that end, Boyfriend Jon and I rearranged my room. Surprisingly, when i started going through the stuff that had accumulated, i found i didn't want to keep very much of it. Thankfully my family is putting on a garage sale soon so i can hopefully make some money off of the excess crap that's just been laying around.

Something like relief is coming over me. I'm at peace again. There's no uncertainty this year as there has been the last three. No dread, or fear of the unknown. I don't have to tip-toe around passive aggressive roommates who 'accidentally' take things that are mind when they're packing up. And best of all, i don't have to beg family and friends to help me move.

Instead, i can sit on my couch and watch Chickadees and Juncos peck at the breadcrumbs I've spread out for them. And even seeing the swamp monster (hissing cat) again after what must have been a long hibernation, makes me smile and feel a sense of belonging and calm. It reminds me that I'm in my home.