1. I have my progress charts--the monthly ones from years past and a newly made one for December 2005. It's great to see progress in the form of a chart. Looking back at the last two months of 2004 and the first month of 2005, and I'm astounded at how much writing I got done. Without looking at those charts and reminding myself, I get tied up in knots (or nots), especially when inertia is strong, and I could almost make myself believe that I won't ever find that writing flow again. Ha! Not true! Because I have the charts and I know what I must do. Write and complete new charts.

2. A new mattress. There's nothing like a new mattress. We no longer have to sleep on a futon-mattress. The real thing is oh so lovely. Our bed is much higher because of both the mattress itself and the new boxspring, but it's still a very good thing.

3. Ron Collins is doing a dare! This is good because I've missed reading his journal Daily Persistence.