Still happy and other life updates

 Hi, friends!

Remember me? I never thought it would happen but I am starting to fall off the blogosphere. Because I'm medicated and living life. My feelings just don't bubble up as much and need an outlet. 

So ...

Work - I'm done for the year. Not only does it feel good to be done with a calendar year, but it also means I get 2 free paychecks with a low-risk of getting fired! Yay. I have to say, there is always a looming thought that I'll do something to make me lose my job. Even with my hefty FIRE safety net. 

Life - I am loving life in Newtown. Yesterday there was a bit of racial ickiness that reminded me of Oldtown, but I am working past it. I do wish I could say or do more in the moment. Other than that, I have lunch to go to later and tomorrow is a Christmas party. I have a kid I tutor this afternoon which is nice. And then I'll make some returns to OldNavy. I bought a puffy coat and scarf and a fleece. I didn't hem and haw and just bought them during the last cold snap. It was about $75 worth of stuff. I don't know how much walking around I'm going to be doing during cold weather, so we'll see how much use I get out of it. I do need a better hat for my noggin though. 

I spend a lot of time with my neighbor. He ended up staying the night every night for the last 2 weeks or so. Whoops. Things got a bit handsy and clothes came off. He says he isn't a good partner, and is not looking for a relationship. We haven't had 6 but have done most other things. I had a few counseling sessions about it, and I tried to set up the metric of love. But I think in the end, I decided I'm not ready for 6. And that's okay!

I will say ...without him, my year here would not have been as awesome. He is nice to me and spends a lot of time with me. And gives me a lot of attention. 

It's a bit hurtful that he doesn't see a relationship with me, but in truth, I don't think he's marrying potential. He's certainly not someone I would pick for a husband. Luckily, I've chosen solo living and I find a lot of power in that. 

I still think about Dan when we're together. 

So the great thing I need to remember that things are going to challenge my trajectory and nothing has to be permanent. I'm loving my identity as solo-living. And so a neighbor wants to bump uglies. I'm not sure where that fits in but I'm trying to go with the flow. Lots of caution ahead signs. 

I know this time of year has me craving attention and affection. So, tick, tick! As for living in the now, that makes it easy.

I decided to get the max on FSA next year. I would like to continue counseling for another year. Given that I've moved, am still learning what solo living looks like, and I'm on these meds, I need a professional to help me. 

And I also plan to complete 6 weeks of physical therapy. And continue getting my meds online - it's just convenient and feels more private. 

So that brings me up to about $3k in healthcare costs. I love that I can afford that. Yay for taking care of myself.

My expenses this year will be at an all time high. But now that I know what my projections look like, I'm learning to be okay with it.

Life is a lot easier when you're happy. I can never stop being grateful for automating my finances during the dark period. Because now, I don't have to do much heavy lifting.

I'm certainly not saving as much as I was during the dark period, but I know I can still hit my numbers with a modest savings goal. Yay!

So for numbers, I'll probably be below $60k this year but above $50k. I am so close to 700k that I want to delay paying off some expenses until 2024, but I think I might as well just do it and suck it up. 

But yea, that's pretty much it.

Work is fine. I think I have 2 years left there before I get re-orged out. I hope I reach 1 mill by then. I'm not sure what my backup plan is in terms of work. A lot of the major chain pharmacies are sending out emails looking for people, so I hope that's still a thing. 

Personal life is fine now that I've found a friend. I'm curious what life looks like when this year is over and we move away from each other. But enlightened me isn't all that concerned. After 40 years, I've gotten used to the lack of permanence in relationships. Now that it's no longer the goal, it makes these relationships easier. 

I thought 30 brought me a lot of history to make informed decisions. 40 is even better.

Financially, as long as I stay employed, I will be able to hit my savings goals. 

That's all for now. I'm heading to Panama at the end of the year, and paid off my Dubai trip for March. Then I want to renew my passport with my new name and move on with my life!