Things are good...

 I had a more creative post title that reflected what I actually wanted to say. But you know my memory these days. 

Mostly, I just wanted to reflect on my mental state this fine Sunday morning.

Yesterday, I spent some minutes counting down the last 2 weeks in Summer House. I decided to just default to staying here the rest of the summer.

I hemmed and hawed over getting a Blue Apron meal. I wanted to get 3 meals to cover the next 2 weeks, but the earliest delivery date was next Saturday. That seemed so far away. Then by the time I figured what the heck that delivery date was no longer available. C'est la vie!

See...where before I would've probably cried or been frustrated.

I just feel...more capable. These little things don't disrupt my entire mental state.

Also I'm still calibrating recovery time. Mostly, I overestimate emotional and physical recovery. There's just some muscle memory with some stuff that is in conflict with my new found energy and outlook (ie, medication). 

I just spent $30 at the grocery store on essentially snacks. Way more than I would've spent on a deeply discounted meal kit, but I'm just unbothered.

I might even do laundry today.

I still grapple with trying to lounge as much as possible with my freetime but I'm finding myself more motivated to do other things.

I was reading a mommy blog and I liked how busy her day sounded. It was nice to echo some of her summer activities.

So far, this summer I've...

- Watched fireworks

- went to a baseball game

- ate roasted hot dogs

- roasted marshmallows

- played games

- sat outside

- read outside

- camped on my sofa

- watched TV

- read a bunch

- lounged around

- went to the park

- lots of hikes

- travelled

I'm having a pretty great Not Bummer Summer!

Haha, up until this moment I didn't even remember the picnic I missed yesterday #medication

There's just less time for lamenting.

I really enjoy my apartment complex. 

Oh! That's what I was going to write about... even if I don't use it. I like having it around. When I left my studio in The South for Pandemic House, I justified that the fancy school districts and parks were nice but I didn't utilize them, so why was I paying a premium to live by them.

Then I moved to a neighborhood with no sidewalks and realized I missed the people and environment that fancy parks and school districts attracted. Rabbits and foxes, my friends. You can't distill things down as much as you want. Most things come packaged. 

So yes, I've lived here over 3 weeks and only visited the park once. But I very much enjoy seeing all the people enjoying the park. The sounds of laughter. I like seeing people milling about. It encourages me to mill about as well.

Even the grocery store. It's walking distance, but I've only walked to it once. But I like knowing I could! It's just feelings, no logic. 

There are benefits that are not easily measured. 

I've always known I can be easily swayed by things I don't feel strongly about. And there's very little I feel strongly about, especially these days. It's why social media is a dangerous place for me emotionally. Even TV falls in that category. But TV provides enough entertainment value that I have to take the risk. 

So yeah. Financially, I'll probably spend more these next 2 weeks than a meal kit, but c'est la vie. 

That's where having a cool safety net feels amazing. For all the tears it took, I'm so glad I reached my leanFIRE number. This moment brought to you by financial security! 

I don't know if I've mentioned but my remote job seems a little uncertain in the long-term. Not the job itself (well insecure to some extent) but more the remote part. Now that we've re-orged, the new team is not a fan of remote work. But some peace of mind brought to you by: Financial Independence!

But since I'm sort of interested in being a millionnaire, if I had to move back to the South to complete that goal, I feel more open to it than I have been in the past. Because I know it'll be only a couple years and then I can bounce for good. I do better with finite goals. 

Anyway, it's a Sunday and I feel goooooooooood!

Also, this has been the longest stretch of no-red days I've had since December 2022. Woot!

Alright. Onward with my day!

There's a hike at 2p. Considering I still have a bunch of snacks to eat that I just bought, I might forego that. 

I did decide I'm going to see the Barbie movie on Thursday. And my snacks will be salted popcorn +/- Corn Pops ($5) and Twizzlers. There's no Dollar Tree around here and I didn't price them at the grocery store, but that's what I have in mind. 

Yay! And I think on errand day this week, I'm going to purchase tickets for the paddleboarding events next week. I was trying to replicate 2 outdoor events this week, but couldn't figure it out. Not sure I'll have the energy after PT this week.