SMALL GOOD THINGS | October

October has been filled with surprises, epiphanies, disappointments, and the splendour of the leaves changing to vivid reds and oranges as the cold weather has arrived. Our agenda was full having me drive all over Southern Ontario. We started with a fabulous wedding in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a lovely little town bustling with activity. That was followed by Thanksgiving in Southampton with a house full of kids and dogs, then off to Waterloo for a graduation ceremony and then to Toronto for a celebratory dinner. Plenty of kilometres were put on the truck (mind you, I purchased it in autumn 2015 and it still has less than 80,000 kms on it) and every kilometre was well worth it!

It’s definitely sweater and boot weather and I’m ready to settle into days filled with rain, naps, inspiration, and comfort foods.

As for some small good things for October?

ONE | I found another blood clot in my right leg early in the month. This caused a lot of cancellations for later in the month. I know that the best plans for introverts are cancelled plans, but I was looking forward to visiting Canyon Ranch with Chloé and Santa Fe with Claire. There’ll be no flying for me for a while - even long car rides are not advised.

TWO | Sometimes the fatalist in me believes that things happen for a reason, so I’ll use the rest of the month to focus on outlining my new novel idea and prepare for NaNoWriMo. To that end, I’ve hired a writing coach and accountability is the priority for the next six months! All I want is to hold up a 300+ page manuscript in March.

THREE | Heavy comfort foods are always put to the side through the hotter months and they’ve been much missed! I’m happy to be digging through my favourites to start a much-delayed project of making a family cookbook for my kids. They’ve all given me their requests and I’ll add a few of my own. The recipe compilation part is easy, now to get cooking as I want to take photos of each meal so they can remember that comfort is not always pretty - just super tasty.

I continue to show up, dare to ask for more, and say yes to all opportunities that resonate with me and my values.

What are some small good things you can do to feel engaged and accomplished in your life?