Hello November! I am SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU! You’ve arrived just in time. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thrilled to see you!

We’re now in our final month before the house is due to be ready. December can’t come soon enough. We’ve had more than a few frustrated outbursts. These can’t be blamed entirely on our cramped, restricted living conditions. I’m probably more to blame than anything. It’s been a very difficult year for me, but my coping abilities have been further eroded the last two months by extremely stressful work conditions.

I had a whole blog post written to express my frustration and exhaustion in dealing with a form of indirect, online bullying, but… I will not feed the troll. Sigh.

So instead, I’m just saying hi. I don’t have a lot of great photos of house progress right now because it’s so dark usually when we get there, and our lighting isn’t in yet. Most of my iPhone photos turn out as grainy, unfocused flash-filled textures. But, the drywalling is done, primed and now tile and flooring is going in. Kitchen cabinetry is begin assembled, and we’ve been told the kitchen island will land this week too. It’s such a thrill every time we’re there now, to see how quickly the pieces are all coming together.

Every day I must remind myself of all my many blessings, and try not to sweat the small stuff. Because this crap that’s going on at work is really small stuff. Screw all those people who walk around dumping their myopic emotional garbage on others. I will rise above, and remember what is important.

I heard something on the radio yesterday that got me thinking. They asked the question, if you could change one thing to make the world a better place, what would that be? I’ve been thinking about how I would answer, and, perhaps inspired by Buddha, I think the entire world — every individual — could benefit most from a strong dose of compassion. If everyone was guided by a strong need for compassion, wouldn’t this world be a kinder, softer, gentler place?