I GOT A NEW CAR

I’m writing these in a funny order and thought, I need another to start with.. what could it be? I honestly couldn’t think of this so what does that mean? I got a new car! The win isn’t just the car, it’s the process. Lee has been saying for a while that we could go in on a new car for me together but I really wanted to do it for myself. I work part time as well as being self employed so it’s tricky to get finance sometimes and even trickier to get a good rate BUT I applied for a personal loan this week and the rate was so good I saved the entire interests worth of money in paying off my previous car early!! Amazing.. but on top of that I bought a larger car that is giving me ‘can’t believe it’s mine’ vibes AND I did it entirely by myself. I can be fiercely independant sometimes and I know that isn’t the best trait but I can also tell you I feel fantastic having done that alone.

ANNIVERSARIES

It was our 12th wedding anniversary yesterday (that in itself in an achievement for two divorcees!) and Lee took me for lunch (delicious) but that’s not the win I’m talking about. When we got home, the kids had cleaned the house (in a fashion) and Milo had made us a card saying he hoped that this would make it nicer for us and that he knew January sucked. I spoke with Milo earlier in the week about how January can be a tough time for people and he and his sister ran with it, completely unprompted. I think I do a good job of remembering how great our kids are and appreciating them but it was just another reminder.

GEENA DAVIS - Dying of Politeness

I finished my first audiobook of the year and what a corker!! I think celeb autobiographies are my favourite genre of book - they’re like LIVED self help. I like to hear how people brought themselves back from tough periods and the people I choose tend to be creatives. Geena had a really unique way to write about her life without it feeling like a sell out, salacious tell-all and her lessons in feminism and where she learned them were my favourites. She also discovered that she has ADHD later in life (I’m awaiting assessment) so it was great to hear another perspective on that from a woman over 40. One of the best books I’ve read in a while and one I will revisit, for sure!

DISPOSABLE VAPES TO BE BANNED

This isn’t my personal win but I feel strangely personal about it. I vaped for a spell a few years ago. Never nicotine and I never smoked but I caped CBD for pain and it was effective! I only stopped because I found that I was more frequently congested and started to worry about the long term effects of inhaling the vapour. Having had one child finish secondary school, I was prepared when my youngest started in September. Vaping among kids has become an epidemic and although he was dead set that he would NEVER .. I think you have to be realistic about these things. He told me last week that already (his friends are 11/12) people he knew were vaping and when I mentioned it to a friend she offered me a puff of a new disposable she’d just purchased. I couldn’t believe the difference between the refillable, unflavoured pen I had used and the blue raspberry, tactile feeling disposable. It was smooth, not at all unpleasant.. enjoyable! I had seen kids vaping as the new kids smoking but I never smoked as a kid and I can tell you with absolute certaintly, I would have vaped. I saw the news this morning that disaposables (the ones most appealing and accessible to kids) were to be banned across the board AND flavours were to be limited. It’s the kind of thing I thought we’d have to fight years to see so I have to include that in this weeks wins.