Counting blessings

[BecomeStronger]

I'm finding this second lockdown much harder than the last one, even though I know I'm really lucky compared to many

• house with enough space for everyone wfh
• two young adults in the house whose employers have been brilliant, both still employed.
• DH had a cancer diagnosis in July and returned to work after successful treatment this week.
• Fit and active and can get out to enjoy local countryside, albeit in a much more limited way now the days are short.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful my job seems safe even if DP is out of work. Thankful I was able to have elective surgery last month and dental treatment. Thankful that this lockdown isn't affecting me like some people because I'm an introvert and not much has changed for me.

My husband had a heart attack and needed surgery mid April, so the first lockdown was spent looking after him , worrying about him and keeping ourselves safe. I also have 2 adult sons living at home, but are both going into work this time.

We don’t dwell on what could have been and also count our blessings every day.

Yes life is hard at the moment, my DH isn’t used to staying in and living a quiet life as he likes to keep busy and he hates it when people keep telling him he still has to be careful and isolate, but we have a dog who keeps us on our toes.

I'm thankful for my DS, who is one in a couple of weeks' time so has lived most of his life under some form of restrictions. He is a gorgeous, funny, smiley delight and in the last week has learned to climb up a step, get the cubes into his shape sorter and say the name of his favourite toy. I'm just so proud of him.

I'm thankful that because of me working from home and my DH being furloughed for some of the year, and because neither of us has really been up to much, we've had so much more family time than we would have done if not for Covid. DH and I share parenting equally and they have a really good father/son relationship, and I don't think that would have happened if I'd taken a year's mat leave as I planned before the pandemic.

But mostly, I'm just thankful for my beautiful son who I never thought I'd have (I have PCOS and don't ovulate regularly - bit of a medical mystery how I got pregnant). Whenever I wish the pandemic hadn't happened, I just think that maybe in that alternate reality, DS wouldn't be here, and to me it all seems worth it.

Sorry to be Pollyanna-ish but that's what is getting me through.