Yes, this is an October version of my July Joy! post. Yes, “optimism” is the only word that started with the letter “o” when searching for synonyms for “joy”…

As I wrote in no uncertain terms two weeks ago, depression has been hitting me hard recently. As someone who identifies with my job and struggles when I don’t have much to do, this stretch of joblessness has been hard on me. With so little going on, being stuck in my head has made it challenging to write for the blog. However, I didn’t really want to write another bummer of a post about depression. I wanted to give you guys at least one uplifting post amidst some depression writing, so I decided to do a post focused on some good stuff happening this month.

Here’s my “October Optimism” list:

More time with Dan

For the past several months, Dan’s work schedule has been varied. He has Fridays completely off and only works on-site for half of the day most days of the week. Even though he’s home a lot of the time, I still didn’t see him much while working full time. Now that I don’t have a job, I get to spend more time with him! In fact, I’ve decided to take Fridays off from the job hunt so I can spend 3-day weekends with him. Last Friday, we went apple picking, and it was so lovely!

Of course, being jobless also means I have more time in general. This means I get the opportunity to get coffee with friends and join my mom on her errands during the week. I even treated myself to a midday haircut last week! I may not be thrilled to be jobless, but it definitely has its upsides (I’m grateful to be financially stable enough to enjoy them).

My car is back!

I know that a while ago I wrote about test driving new cars. Since then, I’ve gone test driving one other time and found a few models I actually didn’t hate. But in true Renata fashion, I ended up deciding to fix my old car instead because change is scary!

There’s nothing particularly wrong with my 2007 Toyota Highlander, but the registration had unfortunately lapsed for a couple of years (which meant I couldn’t get a new inspection sticker, which had also expired). Driving my car was risking me huge fines every time I backed out of the driveway. Eventually, it just stopped running altogether. We had AAA jump my car and Dan even replaced the battery, but it still wouldn’t start. When we took my car into the garage, I prepared myself for the worst. My car is a 2007, after all, so it has over 190,000 miles. If the mechanic said I needed $10,000 worth of work done for it to run, I would’ve just caved and gotten a new car.

The mechanic actually said that all my car needed was a different battery and it was running fine! Dan and I were a bit skeptical since we already changed the battery, but a few weeks later and the car is still going strong. I got the registration and inspection updated as well, so my car is not only up and running, but also legal! It’s been so nice to have the freedom to go wherever I want in the comfort of my own vehicle.

Time for a beta read

For anyone who doesn’t know, I’ve started working on my first book. I started compiling the information and drafting it in February, and after countless edits and a few months for a depression episode pause, it’s finally ready to be sent out to my beta readers! I sent it out to a few people to read it and I have a few more people who offered to read it and give feedback. It’s great to be at this stage and I feel really accomplished! Sitting back and waiting has never been my strong suit, though. I’m struggling a bit waiting to hear back without anything to do for the book in the meantime, but I’m proud to have made it this far.

I’m still chugging

I think it’s always important to recognize our small victories, not just our large ones! My therapist recently pointed out that even though I’ve been struggling, I’ve still been putting out blog content every week. While it may be something small that I’m doing, it’s still a win. Even if I’m struggling to start any new projects or do things that bring me joy, I’m still keeping up with my blog — and that’s important to celebrate!

Looking ahead

We’re only about two-thirds of the way through October right now, so there’s still more great stuff to come! As you may remember, I am a huge fan of the Mario Party video games, and on the 29th, there’s a NEW MARIO PARTY COMING OUT!!! Dan and I can’t wait to play it. Also, my Odd Pieces puzzles should be coming in by the end of this month or the beginning of next month, so I’ll get to start those soon, too! 

Finally, of course, fall weather and Halloween! It has been a warm October in New Jersey so far, but it’s beginning to cool down. Boy, do I love sweater weather. Also, Halloween is my dad’s birthday, so that’s always a good time. While I’ve been struggling recently, there are still good things happening and more good things to come!

What is giving you some optimism this month? What are the good things that have happened and are going to happen in your life?

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash