April Gratitude List (Where Would I Be Without My Emotional Support Baby?)

Slight delay here. In truth, I was busy having tiny pity parties when things were (quite literally) colliding at the beginning of this month. Does such petulance defeat the purpose of this list? Probably. But this is also a very human (or very me) thing to do. Better to know and name your weaknesses, as it were. In any case, I set myself right again. And as it turns out, I have more to be grateful for than ever this month, like…

1. My two littlest ones were safe and uninjured when our minivan was hit last week. Any other outcome would’ve shattered my world.

2. My son has been getting a ton of auditions lately AND is officially set to begin another season of his show in June. I’m so proud of him, and amazed at his growth and the hard work he put in last season. I’ll always be his biggest fan.

3. My cutie baby Haven, who I’ve affectionately dubbed my “emotional support baby” entering her 5th month of life. She’s so alert, interactive, and full of joy (and slobbery raspberries). It’s easy to look at the world brightly when you’re in her presence, and I feel instantly calmer when she's in my arms.

4. My sassy af 13-year-old, who, despite all her teenagey behaviour, is showing that she's merely a deep feeling soul finding her way. These are the years for us to go through it all and come out of it together.

5. My husband. The way he jumps right in and makes sure we solve problems together is as admirable as it is necessary, where otherwise I might just lay down and die like the self-pitying dickhead I sometimes am.

6. Sunny days and spring bloom.

7. Being able to upgrade to a new (to me) Honda Odyssey minivan to replace the last one that was sadly declared a total loss. I thought about getting a different vehicle-maybe something with a little more sex appeal—but it’s the safest thing for my babies to be in and I can’t stomach the thought of learning to drive something drastically different. I am still getting used to being back on the roads, and super on edge all the time.

8. Being able to vote in the Federal election at the end of this month. Not that any of the options are at all thrilling, but until this system burns, we do what we must do and strategically play within it… even if it feels gross and you know you’re wasting your time and staving off the inevitable. Sigh. Exercising civic duty still matters, right?Somehow it must.