It was a good day.

Yesterday was a gloomy day. I've been having quite a few of those lately. But I have decided to write them all off as unpleasant and unavoidable side effects of ending a 12-year marriage and starting a new life for myself and my kids.

My coping mechanisms for these pesky side effects change from day to day, and yesterday's method of choice was a phone call to a very wise friend. Her advice was simple: Think of at least one good thing that happens to me every day and write it down somewhere.

Of course, I can do that. The things that fulfill my life right now don't come to me in the form of winning lottery tickets or Alaskan cruises, but there is always some small blessing for me to focus on when I stop and think about it. Often it's a hug and kiss from my four-year-old daughter, a moment of laughter provided by my comedic son, or a furry snuggle with my favorite four-legged beast.

But today was different, because it brought to me a unique and valuable treasure: The gift of friendship. I took Abi to her weekly dance class at the local community center and spoke to a mom there I'd met last week, who had invited Abi and I to spend some time at her house after class today. I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but I'll be honest, I had looked forward to it all week. The thing is, when you're a mom, having mommy friends is a Very Big Deal, and when you're a mom who has just moved to an area where she doesn't have a lot of mommy friends, it's an Even Bigger Deal. This mom understood that because she has been through such transitions herself. So once dance class was over, I got to spend a couple of hours getting to know a really wonderful mom while our kids played blissfully with the dress up clothes and girly things.

It wasn't just a good moment in an otherwise difficult day; it was actually a good day.