Welcome to another Running with Spoons Thinking Out Loud link party where stream-of-consciousness is the name of the game! Thanks to Amanda for hosting!

So. Anyone else get wowed by Monday’s “Waterworks” Full Moon? On the one hand: SO INTENSE! On the other: A good cry can be a great release. It’s important to acknowledge our thoughts and feelings and work on the stuff that needs to be worked on.

I don’t know if anyone else does this, but sometimes I hang on and hang on and keep smiling and then all of a sudden something tiny sets me off and I’m caught in a flood of ugly-crying over things I hadn’t even admitted were upsetting me.

I don’t really feel comfortable writing a typical post today. It almost seems unreal that it’s the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There are so many angles I could approach it from, but I think today I’ll focus on how amazing it was to witness how nice people were to each other in the days and weeks following—how kind and compassionate and caring as they went about their day to day New Normal things.

This September 11th, my little gratitude list includes my family (shout-out to my mom for her early-morning pep talks) and friends and this little dude:

I am also grateful for the presence of caffeine in my life. I love the city I live in and all the strange, wonderful things I didn’t know were in store for me here 13 years ago.

I also feel like this is a good time to drop a friendly little reminder that, as important as it is to care for each other, it’s also important to take care of ourselves. Wherever you are and whatever you’re feeling, I hope you have a beautiful day : )