New week, part two

... so, by the middle of last week, I was pulling out my journal and writing a big headline across the top of a new page: What Went Right This Week. Sometimes, you have to get that simple. In fact, I really enjoyed looking for the bright spots in what was feeling like a pretty off week. Here are a few highlights of note, in no particular order:

• John and I got to spend lots of time together and had several wonderful and leisurely lunches out, which was really nice. One was at Macaroni Grill, where I had a yummy frozen Bellini, and one was at a little place called Redwoods, followed by a stop at the chocolatier next door, and an old-time candy store where they have all your old favorite childhood candies. What fun. Pop Rocks, anyone?
• My new TracFone (cellphone) arrived, so I will no longer be paying an average of $2/minute with my old service (since I use the cellphone a whopping 19 minutes a month or so).
• I got my copy of Notes from an Island Life in the mail Saturday, and just loved all the wonderful essays Marilyn chose for this collection, which is being used to raise money for the Red Cross/Hurricane Katrina. Each one was like a perfect little gem, or a delectable bite-size chocolate (if you prefer food metaphors like I do).
• I also received my copy of Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up. I wrote about Jason's manifesto in a previous post, so I'm really looking forward to reading the expanded version. What made this delivery even more special is that it came in a box with lots of other little goodies, including some Kim & Jason postcards, an Escape Adulthood sticker (for which I need to find just the perfect spot), and a little packet of Kool-Aid Lemonade (their online store is called The Lemonade Stand). And, as if that wasn't enough, that very same day I also received a hand-written greeting card from Jason, thanking me for my order. Sweet.
• Several magazines arrived in the mail, which always makes me very happy for some reason ... the new O (Oprah magazine), More, Entrepreneur, and Organic Style.
• We matched three numbers in the big $250 million MegaMillions drawing Friday. That means we won $7. It's not the big prize, no, but it's better than nothing, right? Add that to the $3 we won two weeks ago on the Pick6, and we're talkin' double digits, baby.
• I made good progress on preparing for my first craft fair, which is coming up Oct. 1. Three of the four supply orders I placed last week arrived, and one of them (from Rings & Things) came with a Tootsie Roll and a Jolly Rancher. Small things, I know, but for some reason, it made me feel good about ordering from them (... and made me wonder what I should enclose in my believe street orders to create that kind of impression ...). Fire Mountain Gems also usually encloses some small little gift with each order, and when you open their box the first thing you see is a piece of pretty green tissue paper and a sticker that says 'Packed with love by Fire Mountain Gems.'  I like that.
• The books I mailed to Jamila in St. Croix on Aug. 24th finally arrived last week. I knew it would be slow, but I had no idea it would be that slow. Nonetheless, they did arrive and didn't happen to be in a post office in the Gulf Coast when Hurricane Katrina hit.
• A good friend who's been job-hunting was offered a wonderful new job with a nice pay boost ... yay!! I'm so happy for her.

And so, last week wasn't only about bad juju; it just seemed that way at first. Sometimes the good stuff's not as obvious, but it's there.

What good things have happened to you recently? What do you do when you seem to be having a streak of bad luck?

Comments

[Marilyn]

How sweet of you to buy my "book." You know, those essays were really a result of me doing just what you're doing with this post--trying to look at the positive. There'd been a lot of negative stuff that happened during my time there, but it was important to remember that in spite of (or maybe because of!) those things, I'd changed and grown. And those little tiny gifts (like from Fire Mountain--I love them) make such a difference in one's day. We don't do those gestures for one another nearly enough. Last week was CRAP for me, on the surface. But there were lots of bright moments if I looked for them: the ability to walk three feet from my front door to pick sweet tomatoes off the vine...riding my bike to/from work in the glorious sunshine and feeling some crisp Fall air in the mornings (it's been a LONG time since I experienced Fall!)...attending a musical Katrina benefit...a gorgeous full moon...a venting session at work that left me spent, but in a good way...laughing my head off at my brother in his 'pageant'...and so many more. Thanks for the reminder to look for the positive. YOU are one of the gifts who ALWAYS brightens my day.

[Swirly]

I think it is a great idea to consciously say thank you for our blessings and our wins, particularly during days or weeks that we feel are big disasters. I have had an emotional few days, but I am so thankful that during this I came up with ideas for four paintings that I am extremely excited about (and will be beginning to paint today.) Thank you for a wonderful entry.

[Will]

That's kind of the way of things isn't it. There always seems to be a balance if we look for it.

The unimaginable misery in the news about Katrina has given way to stories of heroism and noble acts, reunions and remarkable survival against the odds.

Just sometimes I get a little existential motion sickness when it all comes so fast.

[Stefani]

Addicted to Rubber Stamps sends candy and sometimes a free unmounted (very simple) rubber stamp with their orders. It made me so ridiculously happy - so I started including a few pieces of candy with my outgoing orders. Lately I've been including some of the wholesale product I'm trying to unload, er, um, I mean, that I will no longer be selling. Seems to make people happy.

I received my Rings & Things catalog the other day - very quickly - and boy is it hefty! I took it to work to let a couple of people drool over it as well. Bet they order their own too. I need to get me one of them there Fire Mountain catalogs too.

It's so much fun getting stuff in the mail, isn't it? I mean fun stuff, not so much the bills, etc. :-)

Good luck with your upcoming craft show! I can't wait to hear how it goes.