I was hoping to drive my 2008 Honda Odyssey for 200k miles.

About 20k miles short of that, Luke was hit at an intersection by a woman who ran a redlight and the car was totaled.

Even though we rarely drive anywhere with all the kids, I wanted another van for the option to take more than two other people somewhere and for the occasions that I need a bigger space for cargo.

I also discovered that I like more space in the driving area. When I drive Mark’s car (crossover), I don’t like having to put my purse on the passenger seat or the backseat floor. The Odyssey spoiled me.

The kids were disappointed that I didn’t choose something cooler but I love my new Odyssey! It’s quiet, smooth, roomy and feels powerful.

The lease expires in 2022 and I already know I’m going to want another van (a big SUV is too trucky for me).

As I mentioned in passing, I’m trying to get the writing muscles going again. I use the term “again” loosely.

I admire writers who can put together a thoughtful post that people feel compelled to read to the very end-even if said post is 500-1000 words.

I’m in no mood for that right now. I’m tryna get a few words down every day to establish a habit.

I’m not stressing over SEO, images, alt text, tags, etc. My goal is to write a post every day for 30 days to establish a habit of writing a post every day.

I write nearly every day with paper and pen. I don’t read that gibberish. I get it, this is gibberish, too but I think because it’s public (let’s be honest, nobody reads which is totally cool with me), it makes me a tad more accountable to myself.

I might feel like putting work into more thoughtful writing if I establish a habit. That’s not my goal right now. Also, I don’t read blogs very often and usually lose interest in long posts. I’m keeping it simple and enjoying other things while I enjoy this challenge.

The USPS and weekly curb side trash pick up are two services that I continuously appreciate.

The idea that I can pay .50 to mail a piece of paper anywhere in the country in a day or two is bonkers. I don’t love all the junk and with other private services, it’s probably obsolete but still.

Maybe I have geeked out about trash collection before. My guys will take nearly anything and as much as I put out, God bless them.

The only thing they didn’t take were the middle row seats that were in my garage when my old Honda Odyssey was totaled in Cleveland. The good news: someone picked them up anyway! (Low key, I have as much appreciation for dumpster divers (aka salvagers) around here who haven’t been quite as active since the price of metal has been down).

I hope this makes you think about daily or weekly things that you would miss if they weren’t there.

I’m thinking about the power of language.

The idea that we should choose our words carefully and be intentional about our language came up twice last week so I took notice.

In the past year, I have been more intentional about a lot of things, including how I phrase things. I’m a little better but I have a lot of work to do.

Words have power. (If you’re Christian, you accept that God created the world by speaking it into existence, #amirite?)

Words can also indicate an attitude, a perspective, a mood, an expectation. Words can wound or encourage. Words can convey fear or joy. Words can change an entire relationship or start a movement.

It’s easy to be casual about language and I know I have been most of my life. I’m trying not to be.

It matters to me to be broadcast the best, most encouraging, optimistic words for any situation. I don’t always get there but I try and I’ll get better.

I voluntarily immerse myself in words constantly (in contrast to images) by reading, writing, listening to podcasts and texting, to name a few.

I’ll be looking into a couple of resources to make me more aware or words that matter: “Word Up” by Dani Katz and Watch Your Words by Christy Whitman (I’m starting to like these 30 day challenges, wink).