#365Gratitude:Lubble, Frubble, Squee and no Trouble

So this past weekend was a really, really big deal for me, and for Missy, too.

My girlfriend Squee came to visit us.

 I took off time Friday and Monday for her visit.  Missy and I did a fair amount of prep work to be ready.  We bought a bed for the guest room, put it together, realized we had it wrong, fixed it, realized we bought the wrong bed frame, returned it, put it together, and then collapsed in a sweaty, satisfied heap.

Missy agonized for days over finding good nightstands to put in there, and ended up rigging up some ersatz ones with plastic drawers, and a sheet or two.  (This was a total thoughtful surprise for me by the way - I love her so much.)  We just moved, and all the furniture money we had available really went towards the bed, so that was a lovely solution.

Squee told me that it was all amazing, but we didn't need to trouble ourselves, because the most important things she was coming to see weren't things at all, they were people - me, Missy, and my sister-in-law.  

There's this funny word that gets thrown around in polyamorous circles, frubble.  Frubble is (to quote Urban Dictionary [I know, but don't judge me, in this case it's great]) "Total joy over someone else's happiness."  In the case of polyamory, it's when you're happy that your partner is happy.

See? Cuddling!

We were positively dipped in frubble the whole visit.  Missy was thrilled for me.  Then Squee gave Missy and MB these amazing duct-tape wallets her daughter had made for them, and I was happy for them.  And we all spent time, and everyone was happy for everyone else and for themselves too.  There was a whole lot of cuddling on couches.

That's my wife, and my girlfriend, and if you look really closely, me sitting behind them (See my arm?)

We were family-building, forging all our individual feelings for one another into something greater than the sum of its parts.  I commented to Missy that frubble wasn't quite what I was feeling, because this joy I was feeling wasn't just someone else's happiness, it affected me, too.

She suggested a new word "lubble."  Maybe that's "total joy over the happiness of people you love, that makes you all love one another more"?  I don't know, it's a work in progress.

MORE CUDDLING?  Yep.

We spent amazing quality time together.  We hunted for Pikachu near our house.  We wandered around small charming towns near our house.  We ate Waffle House hash browns.  We felt love, connection, and closeness.

I am so blessed.

#365Gratitude:Getting the band back together

I'm very, very fond of my girlfriend Squee, and my friend Moliére.  We did the Littles Express event as a power-trio (with awesome help from many friends) two years ago.  Life stuff happened, and our little trio broke up for a while, which made us all very sad.

But we've got the band back together, as it were.  This morning I had a nice little Skype call with them both to show them something cool I'm working on, and just spend time.

It felt good, damn good. 

#365Gratitude:Traveling

There's this Lao-tzu quote I particularly like, "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon their arrival."  This is about a lot more than taking a trip, it's really about living ones's life.  You're always on your way somewhere.  

Take this morning.  It's a busy day for me.  I've got to go into the office for a big meeting, had to stop at my mechanic's to get my car looked at (because it's making some funny noises), and I've got this side software project of mine loudly clamoring for attention in my head. 

I decided to do a little JavaScript studying while I wait for the mechanic to give my car the once over., and that got me thinking about the no fixed plans thing.

That's my iPad, with a JavaScript video on it, on my lap in the mechanic's waiting room.  Yes, the waiting room has a kid's area.  No, that is not why I picked them.  

At first when I got up this morning, I was all overwhelmed with everything I had to do, and everything on my mind.  It got me out of bed around 4:30.  After some time thinking, a good hot shower, and a few morning chores I had my loose plan in hand.  It got me out the door plenty early, and got me here to the mechanic on time.

I don't have to solve every problem, reach the end of every goal right now.  In fact, I can't.

But I can (and will) keep traveling. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some studying to do.  

#365Gratitude:My cat is a bed anvil

This morning my alarm went off at 5:45am. A minute later, my girlcat Yin was up, on the bed, and on my chest. She was being a bed anvil, plopped like a lead weight on me, holding me hostage so I would pet her.  

It was wonderful.  

#365Gratitude:Good friends

My friend Moliére and I are really tight.  

We talk all the time. We both work in technology, both are cat people (like that we love cats, not that we have tails and fold-over ears), both are film and sci-fi nerds, all sorts of similarities. 

And we talk. Just about every day. We support one another through things.  

That matters.  Good friendships like ours are very precious things.