The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Do You Hear What I Hear?

It’s the sound…of silence.

For the first time since having children, we have had a stretch of three days alone – in our own home – without children. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we will wind up…

Home, Joy, Marriage, Parenting, Year of Shmita
Jul, 31, 2024
39 Comments

The State of My Early Morning Exercise Classes

You have been wondering and I am here to answer.

I went to my first HIIT class on a Tuesday morning and loved it but could not move properly for almost a week. Doing an…

Exercise, Habits
Jul, 30, 2024
27 Comments

Top Five/Bottom Five: Fictional Books

The blog felt overdue for a Top Five/Bottom Five post. I’m coming at you with a broad topic, so let’s establish some ground rules.

There are no rules.

What you want to list is your…

Happy Things Friday: 26 July

Am I really publishing three posts in a row that revolve around gratitude!?

Yes. I. Am.

Not gonna lie. This week had some really hard moments. And I ruminated about a lot of different…

Fifteen Years + Double Pneumonia + Thankful

If today’s post title is an equation, I guess it equals an anniversary to remember.

Today marks fifteen years of marriage. I can’t believe my good fortune in finding such a selfless, hilarious and wonderful…

Wednesday Joys

All week I’ve been wishing it was Friday so I could focus on Happy Things.

And then I realized, I don’t have to wait.

Small group potluck on Sunday. For our friends who opened…

Memory Triggers

The littlest things can be memory triggers.

A few months ago John and I were walking on a local trail and happened upon a building renovation. The contractors were sawing through raw lumber and the…