Oct 22nd

Guess what, lovelies?

Today marks my official countdown.  Yes, I'm counting down - you bet you.  And for once, I'm not actually referring to my birthday when I talk about a countdown one month and one day from today (because ordinarily I would be, I LOVE my birthday).

Nope.  One month from today I will be doing my final installment on this here 365 gratitude blog for 2010.  I won't start tooting my *thank the goddess, it's over* horn just yet.  There's still a month of blogging to go.  Not that I haven't enjoyed EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. OF. BLOGGING. FOR. YOU.  Because, let's face it - without you keeping me accountable, I most likely would have passed this one over come January 12 or something - so it's absolutely for you, my gorgeous readers.  You, and the book I'll get at the end of it.  No, not a book deal, just a coffee table book I'll get printed via LuLu.com or some such place, once it's all done.  As evidence of this mammoth achievement.

Not so much a mammoth achievement to find something I'm grateful about in my life - that I pretty much had covered.  More committing that find to the forever pages of the interwebz and finding some way of writing it up that wasn't incessantly boring.  Because you wouldn't keep coming back day after day if it was a boring read, I know that.  It's a conditional kind of love and I'm okay with that *grin*.  And if you weren't coming back day after day and leaving me gorgeous messages of love, of support, of shared heartache, of laughter, of kindness, of insights into your heart, of slices of your life, your past, your present - then again, fizzle out factor on my part, I'm sure.

Today we asked a friend to come live with us.

We like her lots, and her button.

And this house is too big for three.

And they like us too.

And life is easier when there are two mamas in the house.

And it will be complicated and it will be crazy and it will be hard and it will be lots and lots of things that we haven't even thought of yet.  And it may be a complete disaster.

But we will never know if we don't try.  And if the merging of two households can make life easier for one - if not two families, then I think that's worth giving a go.  And they think so too.

I was saying to Ben earlier - this is such an India offering.  Jo would never have offered her home up.  She is fiercely protective of her privacy and her space.  She likes things *just so*.  She only likes cleaning up her own messes and cracks the shits when picking up after others.

When the words just flowed out of my mouth, I was amusingly curious myself.  But it felt so natural to ask.  Like, why hadn't we offered earlier?  I'm not naive.  I have lived with others before.  But sometimes life could actually be a fuckload better, with a change in circumstances, you know?  And you don't know, if you don't try.  Like I say frequently, my biggest regret in life, would be regret.  Why didn't we offer when we were in the position to?  How different would their lives be?  How different would ours be?  A sibling relationship opportunity for both children - did we miss something awesome, fundamental, life-changing?  And I have to admit, I've been clucking over that child for quite some time *smile*.

Her answer?  She's sleeping on it. *smile*