Daily 5 - Day 143

Today's Daily "5":

1. Learning from dad how to check the level of antifreeze, and the tire pressure in George (and checking and adding oil, as well as refilling my windshield fluid while I was at it.)  I feel a bit pathetic for admitting it, but it made me feel good to know how to do those things, and my dad was patient in teaching me.  It was sort of one of those moments that is a bit hard to explain, but in some ways, learning these basic things about caring for my car was a way of showing myself that I am strong and capable, and increasingly independent.  Funny, I suppose, for someone who's been living on her own for a number of years, but moments like this, or like the appointment at the bank this week to me have really been about stepping up and asserting myself, and understanding and taking control of a challenging situation - of reducing my debt and saving for the future at the bank, and of knowing how to manage a minor problem with George (an antifreeze leak) and keep an eye on it so it doesn't become a major problem
2. chicken fingers and french fries for lunch (the new healthier version of the chicken fingers that I picked up the other day) - still one of my favorite, quick "comfort" meals
3. a really productive day
4. candles lit in various spots around the house for most of the day
5. going through my bookshelves and updating my list of unread titles (I should maybe stop buying books, I think the unread list of books I own is now around 160) and thinking about which books to read next for the coming year
6. cleaning my bedroom really well, and restoring it to a really peaceful space for dreaming and creating and thinking and praying over the coming year.  I think cleaning is often still a form of prayer for me, and a way of creating space for new things within me, even as I clean my physical space.
7. also cleaning a bunch of the rest of the house.  So nice to just have a clean space to exist in.
   
8. Just really enjoying the last day of having an empty house.  I love my roommate, and I'll be glad to see her when I pick her up tomorrow, but I sure do enjoy the times when I have the house all to myself.
9. dreaming and scheming for the coming year
10.  A slow start this morning, laying in bed, reading blogs and articles about the new year - fun to see so many different people's thoughts