My husband has been suffering from a mysterious set of symptoms since late last month. I’m not going to go into details, but it’s been hard having him feel so unwell again, after a full year of him feeling awful with his two total knee replacements. Hopefully the doctors will help him figure it out soon.

In the meantime, I’m trying to enjoy my own life and stay upbeat, so I’m going to do one of those annoying gratitude posts.

1. Friends. I’ve got a couple of good girlfriends with whom I can be totally honest. There’s pretty much nothing I can’t tell them. They’ve both known me forever.
2. Book group. I’ve got an additional group of four wonderful women that I’ve known since the 1990s that are very dear to me. We gather once a month on Zoom to discuss a book, but it’s so much more than that.
3. Money. I am financially secure. I know I’m lucky to not have to worry about how I’m going to pay for medical bills, car repairs, and other unexpected things.
4. My own health. I just passed my annual physical and blood tests with flying colors! My only physical problems at the moment are tinnitus and mild hearing loss in the right ear (thanks to COVID, I believe) and heel pain in my left foot (plantar fasciitis).
5. My kids. Both are independent and doing well as adults living on their own out in this crazy world.
6. My granddaughter. I get to play with the most adorable toddler on a regular basis. So uplifting!
7. My church. It’s a real community for me. Even though my husband doesn’t attend, I know those people would be there for us if we needed them. They care.

I spontaneously ordered two copies of this book for my kids last night, after I saw the author on The Daily Show. She sounded extremely sensible and was giving the exact same advice I would give. They might not read it, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. At one point, one of my kids told me that one thing lacking in their high school was a basic financial literacy class.

Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does make a lot of things easier.