A little bit of sadness today as my script did not advance in competition. If there's one thing I've learned about this particular screenplay it's that people either love or hate it, no middle ground. Still, I'd had hopes... And so this news was a bit of a downer way to begin the month.

BUT. I did get a day out with my daughter. We went to see Cinderella! I loved the Lesley Ann Warren teleplay when I was younger; a friend's older sister owned it on VHS (or had probably taped it off a movie channel or something). I would watch it over and over. It was so nice to see it live and with my daughter. And we were front row center.

So I will remind myself I have more to be grateful for than not. Health and a happy family. Shelter and food and clean water. More than many in the world. And maybe someday one of the handful of indie producer/directors who have shown interest in my script will finally make good on it. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on my books instead. I seem to get farther with those.

Um... well...

1. My books are doing fairly well.
2. I'm still working away on my WIP and my editing job.
3. And today I had the fun spending time in the school library with the third graders. I love when I'm able to help them find books they're looking for!

Good things:

1. Finally found a writing project that I'm somewhat excited about. Bonus: my writing group liked the first pages of it.
2. Unexpected new editing commission.
3. Have made quite a dent in the holiday shopping. Even have the cats taken care of!

It's been a while. There is much to be grateful for, but I'm almost too busy to list it all!

Today is my oldest's 13th birthday. I'm certainly grateful for him and all he's taught me—being a parent is just as much learning as teaching. I'm looking forward to the next ~5 years and already dreading the day he goes off to college or wherever. I love this kid so much it hurts.

I'm grateful that my books continue to do fairly well, and that I continue to be asked to speak at various venues. Another such request came in this morning. It makes me feel so official! (Well, and Google finally verified me, so now I really am official.)

I'm grateful for friends and family and having enough—more than enough, really. My needs are met. Clothes, shelter, clean water, food... I won't say I'm not seriously worried about the direction the world is moving, but I'm trying very hard to appreciate (and conserve) what we have. So many have far less.

We went through a week of really bad air due to fires north of us, and that left me grateful that all we had to deal with was bad air quality. I mean, that was terrible, for sure, and we were more or less stuck inside, but at least we didn't have a fire or lose our home or possessions or lives. Again, we're very fortunate.

As we slide into the holiday season, I continue to remind myself of all that good fortune. Even when I'm feeling rushed, stressed, overscheduled... My birthday is coming up. That's something to look forward to. And a new House of Representatives. Boy howdy won't that be nice.

I'm sure there is much more to appreciate, but again, it's impossible to list it all. Happy holidays to everyone, and I'll try to be better about updating.

The busiest parts of the week are now over.  I had my annual checkup and the kids have had theirs. I'm continuing to learn Japanese, though I don't know how useful any of the words I'm learning are likely to be if/when I travel there. Well, at least I enjoy learning for its own sake. And I've made progress on my WIP. Things roll on...