Golden Moments #21

Welcome to the very occasional series of posts where I reflect on the lovely moments of life lately. To be honest, I haven’t found life very golden in recent times. It has been relatively coal black and stressful. However, this recent move to Pennsylvania is giving us all a fresh start and I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. So, here are the things that have made me happy.

There is a nature preserve five minutes from our new house. It has a loop trail, is right by the river, and is full of animals and flowers. My husband and I walk there regularly. I walk one loop and then I find a bench and sit and read. It is peaceful and therapeutic and I am a happier, nicer person when we leave.

One evening, shortly after we moved, my son came over and hugged me and thanked me for all the work and effort I had put into making this move happen. He said he knew it hadn’t been easy and he wanted me to know that it was seen and appreciated. I almost cried.

My husband really misses Ohio and his friends there. One friend in particular always went hiking with him. No weather could ever stop them and they talked and supported each other the whole time. This friend texted me a few weeks ago and said he wanted to surprise my husband. He drove five hours from Ohio just to spend the day with him and then drove back that night. I’ll never forget the absolute shock and happiness on my husband’s face when he walked down the stairs and saw his friend standing there and heard him say “So, do you want to go for a walk?” We all need friends like that.

My husband and I have been making an effort to go out together more often. Not anything huge; currently, we are trying all the coffee shops near us. That first sip of a very good iced chai latte in a cute coffee shop is good for the soul.

Right now, I am sitting on my (brand new!) couch at one end of the living room listening to my grown-up kids laughing and having fun as they play video games together. I am so fortunate that my kids like each other so much.

Speaking of that brand new couch, we have been living in a too small place for a long time and I have been making do with worn out furniture in the living room. I have promised myself for a long time that when we moved I would get new furniture and I socked money away from my job in order to do it. This move is not the final one I envisioned but buying this couch still felt like a huge accomplishment. It is a symbol that things are getting better.

I am counting tomorrow as an anticipatory golden moment. My kids and I are headed home to visit family and friends in Connecticut. Moving to Pennsylvania has cut that drive from almost 10 hours to 5 hours. That makes it much more doable and, hopefully, we will be able to keep in closer touch with all the people we care about. I am already looking forward to talking nonstop with a few of my favorite people.

I am hoping there will be more of these posts. I hope you have lots of golden moments in your life. If you want, tell me about one in the comments.