River City Connections — 2026-01-30 (Patreon)

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GOOD MORNING

Well, I am waking up again to a cold icy day. Last night just before sunset I ventured to the mailbox and took a picture of the street.

You can see that along the edge there was some melting. But you can also see that there's still quite a bit of ice/snow/sleet which has become pretty much a continuous chunk of ice still on the ground. I do know that some of the busier streets are getting cleared because I can hear traffic going by.

Michael and I talked about him coming out this evening and having dinner. I think that's gonna look more like him picking stuff up and bringing it! And that will be awesome… It's been way too long since we were able to spend time together.

Earlier, I said how much I had enjoyed the reset brought on by my current minimalism. And I stand by that.Despite not having anywhere to sit besides the air mattress or… other places… it has been refreshing. It's left me wondering how much we connect things that we rarely need to our ideas of wellbeing. I wonder how many people have furniture they almost never sit on?

(And if that's you, send me a sofa!)

So I am here in my kitchen with my Keurig and microwave, counting my blessings. I have everything I need and a lot more comfort than many people in the world. And that is enough… More than enough.

I'll leave you with a verse that I think captures this idea.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)—And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

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STOCKING UP by Cindi Curtis

I’m not sure if this is a weather report or an update on my day! As you can see, I have ventured out to the Walmart Neighborhood Store.

The streets nearest my home were pretty much still covered with ice and snow. However, once I got to the feeder street leading into the neighborhood, there were clear driving lanes.

Then at Walmart, it was obvious that they had attended to the snow and ice… It looks like they had a plow or maybe a bobcat clear the parking area. They had also salted.

Half the reason that I came to the store was just to see how the streets were. But I suppose you can never go wrong buying a few bananas.

After what happened a week ago when I came in the afternoon, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see how many of the shelves are bare. I suppose also in the aftermath of the shopping frenzy, deliveries were delayed resulting in a lot of things missing. I glanced down the potato chip aisle and was a bit amazed by the absence of—you know—potato chips!

But, there was an abundance of bananas, which is kind of what I came for. I’ll also add that the milk cooler was about half empty and there was almost no almond milk. So if I had a blender and had wanted to make smoothies and had wanted to use almond milk, that wouldn't have been happening!

I guess this is enough of a check-in to call it done. But when I went out to test the streets, I thought I would just grab some pictures and share them with you.

As always, I am extremely grateful for your engagement, your comments, and your support. You mean a lot to me!

AS IT SHOULD BE by Cindi Curtis

I'm not gonna take a lot of time to say much here, and I guess it's obvious why. I did want to check back in, however, to let you know that Michael made it!

I'm at a loss to find words to explain how different it feels to be with Michael. I know that's sappy, perhaps a little corny, but it's true. If I've learned anything over the last 11 months, it's that I didn't know what I was missing. I let my anxiety and fear—and just being afraid that I would have a panic attack—keep me isolated and away from others.

In no small way, the encouragement and support from those of you who have been reading my posts and following my story gradually gave me courage to make changes. I have a silly metaphor…

Imagine you have spent years and years peeling potatoes with a paring knife. It works, it's tedious, not particularly fun. Then one day you discover potato peelers. It's still not particularly fun, but it's a lot better! You didn't know you needed one until you had one.

Could I go back to using a paring knife? Of course… Do I want to? Never!

Now project that metaphor into my relationship with Michael. I would extend it to say that he is not just something that made my life more convenient and easier. Being in a relationship created a qualitative improvement! It was a change I needed, even though I wasn't aware that I did.

I hope everyone reading this has people in their lives that add as much meaning to them as Michael does to me. And with that, I'll close the post.

Be your best you!

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