The Best Day Ever

Okay, today wasn't actually the best day ever, but still, it was pretty good! I took Aiden to school and it was freakishly cold outside. The wind felt like it flew straight through my body and it made my lungs hurt quite a bit. Despite being chilled and wanting to go back to sleep, I decided to venture to the happiest place on Earth, Wal-Mart.

I had to pick up medications from the pharmacy, most of which were in stock and successfully filled, thank you! Some weren't ready and some were having issues going through insurance, which is always dreadful and concerning, but my glass was half full today. I got to take my time going through all of the aisles that interested me without anyone getting upset for how long I was taking. First I found car oil, and an oil filter, because the car is dangerously low and needs an oil change quickly before it blows up. Next, I went to find the smallest pairs of mittens for tiny humans, but all they had was big kid gloves or gloves for girls, so I didn't get any. I wandered through the toy and clearance aisles and didn't buy anything which is impressive in itself. I found my way to the office supplies where I bought two of the cheapest binders, one in black and one in white because I couldn't decide and they're both useful. I also acquired another 3 ring hole punch because I have no idea where my other one wandered off to, which would completely make sense if it was a tupperware lid or a sock that got eaten by the dryer, but no, this thing was huge! I have no idea how it randomly went missing. Either way, I got a new one. I found an already cooked corn dog which was pretty impressive and bought that despite the lack of ketchup, but I was still pretty happy because it was warm and seemed like a wonderful thing to eat in this cold weather. I looked for a single grape or strawberry soda because I wanted to drink something bubbly for once in my life, and I couldn't find just one. I also bought two packs of baby wipes, because they're useful and I kind of miss having them around.

Next, I decided to be a brave adventurer and go to Dollar Tree, for most people this doesn't seem like a big deal but for a person with driving anxiety, it feels like a big deal. It's literally like two traffic intersections down from Walmart, and an absolutely normal drive but after my brain randomly completely forgot how to function at a four way stop half a year ago, every traffic light is terrifying now. Feeling like I'm going to forget what to do or have people waiting for me and being mad at me makes it hard to enjoy things, but anyway, I did it. My new motto is "Do it scared," which seems to be working - I figure "hey, you might die in a fiery crash going 55 mph or 35 mph, but you could also just go to the store and maybe buy something shiny," so that works for now. I like shopping and I like distractions. I found mittens, which felt like a tremendous feat in itself given the lack of supplies they have for tiny humans in cold weather these days. I found a cat wand, I put it back. I found some of my favorite cocoa butter lotion, I put it back, realizing I needed to use my other lotion first. I found Santa wrapping paper, different from last year's so Aiden doesn't realize that the wrapping paper is the same and notice something is up, I think he'll still figure it out anyway, but who doesn't love extra presents? Finally I found not just one flavored soda, but two! I could make my choice, and even though it wasn't Fanta I was still pretty excited about it. I picked Grape, by the way in case you were wondering.

Next, big time brave adventures were happening - I went to Goodwill. It's not like I haven't done it five times before on my own but it feels like that was a century ago, before vehophobia/blackout me kicked in. I marveled at my amazing parking because while I might drive like a 90 year old woman squinting through the windshield with both visors down, pissing off semi drivers going the speed limit because I refused to get pulled over, or maybe 1 or 2 over when I feel like a rebel, I can park perfectly in between the lines sometimes and it feels magical. I went up and down every aisle, some of them more than once in search of a great sweater. The kind of great sweater that only comes along once in a lifetime but you give it away thinking it's just like every other sweater until you find out it's not. I found a pullover, which I decided was close enough despite the incredible lack of options, all of which the material was too holey, or too thin, or looked incredibly worn and gross. The pullover I decided on is navy blue which is one of my two preferred colors and it has a little splash of tie dye on it which is interesting. The best part is the incredibly large pocket in the center. 

I found jeans which were absolutely amazing and must be incredibly rare because they're embroidered in a nice design, and they're my size. I tried them on and the waist fit perfectly, the thighs were a bit big, but despite that I decided the embroidery and waist size sold them anyway. It was baggy fate, I'll be happy enough seeing them in my closet and jeans are always useful. I found Nickelodeon shorts with nostalgic cartoons but I decided even though they were perfect they're too worn and I put them back. The chunky knit sweater was cute, but I decided against it as I realized the only time I would ever wear it is if we took family photos and then I would just be disappointed because I wouldn't look like all the other picture perfect moms in their family photos, I kind of still regret not getting it but I know realistically it would just sit in my closet. I found sweatpants which are grey and I almost didn't pick them up, but they're thick and they also have big pockets (I like pockets). I'm pretty sure they might be men's, but I didn't care, it's hard to find good sweatpants with pockets, and the length was perfect, despite being kind of wide in the legs and the waist being a bit snug. Apparently I'm an XL? Either way, I like being comfortable so I bought those too.

I drove home just in time to hide the wrapping paper before Aiden got home. I unloaded the groceries and took a shower with led candles because apparently our light fixture is fried and we need a new one. I put on comfortable clothes and now I'm drinking my bubbly soda and going to watch one of the second season episodes of Love is Blind on Netflix. I'm way behind and the show makes me giddy with how cheesy and cute it is. I also can't wait to listen to Constance Wu's new audiobook and I have way too many library loans I left lonely this week while I churned out project after project. One of them which is actually the photo for this blog. Aiden wrote his first book last week and I helped it come to life, it's actually a pretty cute story and I'm so proud of how well he communicated his ideas. If you're interested you can buy it on Amazon.

Today, wasn't actually the best day ever, and maybe not even the top 10, but for once in my life I could relax and go with the flow without being too incredibly overstimulated. I had an overwhelmingly nice day doing simple things and that's all I could ever ask for. I am happy and fulfilled today and that's enough for me.