Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt:  What unpleasant thoughts can I face and use to my advantage?

“What if I don’t get the vaccine until this time next year?”  There’s a good one.  So what can I do?  Same thing as I am doing right now:  Finding good in what is before me right now.  Here’s a great example:  I just finished a wonderful book, A Gentleman in Moscow,  and am halfway through the long-awaited Ghost Variations.  I’m in the midst of this wonderful silly scavenger hunt.  I baked pineapple cookies today–is there anything better than freshly baked pineapple cookies. I had a fabulous takeout dinner tonight, and got short outside visits with two friends along the way.  I am now sitting here wearing Christmas ornaments as kolty and just finished up a virtual Court and trivia session.   I have projects lined up for my winter holiday vacation.  I listened to the Shostakovich 11th symphony during the drive today and the second movement and finale literally vibrated the car and it gave me little shivers of intensity.  This is all so much better than focusing on the events that aren’t happening, or future events that might be cancelled.

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Today was devoted to various SMASH tasks (see below), baking pineapple cookies, and then taking to the car to drop the cookies off (I’ll be getting a plate back next week with a whole assortment), then stopping by a friend’s place who lives right around the corner from Betty’s, our favourite source for a turkey dinner.  Back in time for Ealdormere Court (where I got to see deserving friends get an award AND my “plague project” of Pissed Off Flood Kitty was one of three singled out for special recognition.  Then back to SMASHing again (although I won’t finish that project tonight–have to wait for some paint to dry.  I have also determined that for my “teach a period craft in five minutes” that I’m going to do wire weaving, so I spent some time prepping, and will film in the morning.

SMASH day 4: