Gratitude notes for May 2018
- I had a run before the sun rose today. It was on the verge of drizzle and made street lights and lamps have soft halos. It ended up being really fun despite waking so early.
- I’m grateful that I haven’t gone through trauma terrible enough to break my connection with reality. There are homeless people here who seem to relive their traumas on a regular basis, playing them over and over again in their heads and out loud on the streets. I’m thankful I haven’t been cast into a role like they have.
- I’m thankful for the people who spend time with me and talk with me each day. It’s mostly a natural thing for all of us, and that’s what makes it so precious.
- Something came over me this morning where I was just thankful I woke up at all. Then it became a game of being thankful that I’m alive just one more day. It made my morning feel extra special, like extra recess.
- I’m grateful for my Zumba ladies back East. I told them this morning when my trip date this summer would be, and they just came back with the greatest responses. I’m so thankful to have people like them in my life.
- My afternoon was a little rough, but really, it’s downright amazing how not bad my rough days are. It really highlights just how great my normal days are and how even my “eh” days need to get a lot worse to compare to the kinds of days I really dread. I wonder when I’ll face those kinds of days again.
- I had myself my first good look at a museum next-door to my apartment today. It was full of people and felt like one big outdoor garden party. It’s great to see all walks of life enjoying themselves in a single space.
- I had a great run this afternoon. Temperature was perfect. Sun was out. People were filling up restaurants, and then I came home and hot tubbed. I am very, very lucky to be able to make a day of sightseeing like I do. I wonder how many places are suitable for that kind of day.
- I’m very thankful for people in my life who have changed it. I probably don’t thank them enough, and I keep finding ways that they’ve improved my life, even years after I’ve last spent meaningful time with them. Thank you to those people.
- I didn’t put my headphones in during my jog at the beach this morning. People were out and about in a really contagious way. I just took my time and soaked it in. I half expected that vibe, but it still delightfully surprised me.
- There’s something magical about finding new music. Dancing doesn’t even become a decision at that point. Jess Glynne’s No Rights No Wrongs did that for me today.
- I’m really thankful that I have a strong relationship with each of my parents. It’s great that I have that now, so that I can take advantage of it while we’re all still here and alive. A lot of people fail to have those connections until much later in life, if ever. I’m grateful for each of them.
- I found something new I can do on my morning jogs while I wait for red lights: practice dancing. I try not to be obnoxious while I do, but it’s time well-spent trying to learn parts of this dance.
- In a way, I’m really grateful for mild conflict. When it’s overcome, the relationship that results is always stronger than it was before. I’m lucky I have my half of the tools to make that happen. There are people who can’t see the opportunity that conflict creates.
- I had SO MUCH FUN at board game night tonight. We played The Resistance, a game where we try to detect each others’ lies. I love the group of people I was with; so lucky we all played together.
- I scolded an old woman on the street today when she tossed her cigarette butt into the street. Next time, I think I ought to point out the person who has to clean it up instead of vilifying her, but I’m grateful that I’ve learned to confront situations like that now instead of ignoring them like I used to.
- I’m very thankful for the sense of honesty I acquired a few years back. I’m finding that tough honesty yesterday is making a lot of situations much simpler and easier to handle today. I’m lucky that I had role models and experiences that made me pursue honesty so rigorously.
- Today, a comment to a co-worker turned into a full-on dance sesh after lunch today. We got our sweat on had a blast right there in the office. What a fun surprise it was! I can’t wait for it to happen again tomorrow.
- I’m really grateful that I have a good job that treats me well and co-workers who are interested in investing in one another. Looking at it from the outside, I really couldn’t ask for more. I live a very lucky daily life.
- I saw online that Sweden sent out a pamphlet called If Crisis Or War Comes to its citizens. I’m grateful for how effortless it has been to live life without worrying about these types of situations so far. I believe I’m the very lucky minority.
- I had a moment of distinct sobriety today at a busy outdoor shopping mall. It was stunningly clear to me how everyone is trying their best, no matter their circumstances. It reminded me how I’m just so lucky to have a life at all.
- I’m so thankful for my health and for living in a safe, friendly place. People walk around with their families and enjoy themselves outside thoughtlessly where I live. That’s simply not possible in some places.
- I’m grateful for the little experiments I run constantly. Weird and silly things, sometimes. I’ve recently been spending time figuring out what my natural, personal dance style is. I try moves out in new contexts, feeling what my body feels most comfortable with. I stumbled onto and adopted a totally new perspective this weekend that’s made dance fresh and novel all over again. I wonder how pervasive this new perspective will be.
- I’m encountering lots of healthy challenges right now. None of them get me down; they’re all things that make me uncomfortable but prompt me to learn how to overcome them better next time. It’s the best place I could hope to be.
- I had such a great dance class tonight. Besides my body feeling great, I felt more people than usual glowing in the moment tonight. You can really feel it when it happens, and it makes your dance feel great, too. I don’t control this stuff; I’m just lucky when it happens.
- Today was a great overall day. I was with people all day, and each time just felt like we were in the “flow”. I mean like all day, even small in-between conversations. There may be a time I look back on moments like this and cherish them. I’m so lucky this is the world I live in.
- I’m lucky that I’ve adopted the belief that experimenting is the best way to go when faced with the unknown. I try all kinds of weird stuff, and some of it works! I wonder how that value found me.
- I really enjoyed our lunch conversation today. It’s fun when we all get into the flow and find mutual interest in the conversation. It’s even more lucky that we have the rapport necessary to have discussions like that. I’m very lucky to have people like that around me each day.
- I’m grateful that I’ve got my journaling habit. It’s been such an asset to my reflection and learning. It’s like I can spill out my emotions onto it and then sort out the pieces in a way that makes sense. The process has been invaluable to me finding my own character, and I’m lucky I started doing it at all.
- I am very lucky to have people in my life who feel safe being vulnerable with me, and me with them. I can remember a time when I’d have trouble doing that myself, so I really am grateful for how abundant it is for me today.
- I loved the look on Steven’s face today when he heard the team clap at the end of our daily meeting for hte first time. His expression and exclamation were priceless!
- I’m grateful for sweatshirt weather. It just feels so comfy and cozy. Something I can only feel with my good health, too.
- I’m thankful that I decided to reach out to somebody who also keeps a gratitude journal online! I’d almost forgotten that others might be doing the same, and I’m glad to find others who share this habit.
- I’m so lucky that I still have time with my dad. Someday, it won’t be possible anymore, and from that standpoint, I feel like each day I have with him is my precious last. I’m still here now in a time when we’re both alive and well.
- I really enjoyed the gloomy weather today. It transported me back to my time in Connecticut where I got to be in the elements every day. I’m grateful for those memories that trigger happy feelings because of nothing more than the weather.
- My trip to lunch today couldn’t have been any better. I don’t know how to describe it; it just felt right. Dad and I found a restaurant that really gave us the best of the area we were in, simultaniously making us a part of the area, ourselves. Stuff like that, I really have no control over. I’m so lucky I got to have that time today.
- I’m grateful for tools I’m able to use to reflect and learn. The ability to iterate on myself and learn whatever I need to overcome my immediate problems is a gift I wouldn’t know what to do without.
- I’m thankful for my incredible resiliance to sickness and health defects. My body is by no means perfect, but I’m so lucky that I don’t exist in a state of waiting for pain to subside or in agony I can’t control. Just the ability to focus on anything not related to survival really is a breath of the good life. I’m lucky to get to experience so much freedom in life.
- I grateful for inspirations like this guy dancing to Uptown Funk. It doesn’t take much to make others happy.
- It’s a great feeling when I encounter a challenge that flustered me in the past but is hardly a challenge now. I had a moment like that today, and I’m grateful that my learning is making a lasting difference in my life.
- I’m finding that the communities I occupy are becoming closer-knit than they were yesterday. Close-knit communities are incredibly rewarding. I’m thankful for the opportunity to help build communities like this.
- I’m really enjoying my bike-ride to work each day. I’ve learned how to jump my wheels up over obstacles one at a time. I guess today is just a day of being grateful for the things I’ve learned and now use on a regular basis. Learning really makes my life rewarding.
- I’m still glowing from a dance class I had YESTERDAY. I feel lucky that I was able to get closer to my “center” today as a result of having so much fun yesterday. What a great feeling.
- I had somebody make a comment/give me a compliment today about qualities I aspire to yet am not sure whether I host them yet. I’m really thankful that somebody the door to that dialogue with me; I’m lucky that I have others who will help me become what I aspire to, even just by reaching out with their observations.
- I knew I’d be out of my personal stash of peanut butter at work today, and I was very happy when I found a jar in the back of the cabinet. I love having my toasted peanut butter + banana sandwiches each day; today was especially exciting when I thought I couldn’t even have it.
- I ended up helping an old lady cross the street today. I thought it’d feel really corny doing something like that, but it actually felt really good to help her. I hope I get to help more old ladies cross streets in the future!
- I’m thankful that I get to be around a happy, friendly group of people each day. I’m finding that, while the work I do is significant, it’s the people that are irreplaceable and that make my time as good as it is.
- I’m grateful that my dance instructor will be teaching for the next few weeks. She travels in the summer, and I’m lucky to have her as long as I have.
- I’m thankful that I have a job that allows me physical comfort and the freedom to sort out any misunderstandings that may cause myself or others pain. I’m grateful that I have the power to carve out the life I want for myself.
- I’m so lucky that I get to spend time with Dad as liberally as I do. We won’t always have this kind of time together, and I’m glad we both recognize and take advantage of the time we do have.
- I’m really grateful for the countless good things going well for me. I’m not facing anything traumatic in my life right now, and that’s a gift in itself. Someday, I’ll find myself in trauma again, and until then, I’m going to enjoy this moment.
- I had a fun idea to delegate the physical part of my run to my body (if that makes any sense). I just put myself on autopilot and ended up having a very rewarding run today. I’m lucky I stumbled onto this delegation thing. I’m gonig to continue seeing where I can go with that mental trick.
- I had a great time playing with a German Shepherd puppy this morning who plays the same way I do, being somewhat rough without any biting. I’m always thankful when the owner lets me encourage their dogs like that.
- I feel lucky that I can get into a “mode” that let’s me concentrate on making progress with my goals. It can be so easy to get distracted with the endless amount of entertainment available to me at my fingertips and delicious food for me to gorge on. I’m lucky I can be productive on my own.
- I’m really appreciating Ray Dalio’s Principles. A lot of his ideas vibe with me and make me feel part of a community of sorts. I’m also thankful to even have resources like Principles available to me to help me broaden and deepen my perspective; there are lots of people don’t have that kind of opportunity who miss out its rewards.
- Someone suggested that I put my bread in the toaster before making my peanut butter and banana sandwiches with it. Today I did and re-experienced my own favorite snack sandwich in a fantastic light.
- I’m grateful that audiobooks are a thing. I get to read while walking and cooking, time I’d otherwise spend (subjectively) less productive and mind-expanding. Even though I’m reading enough to recognize patterns in stories and ideas in today’s books, it’s still a great opportunity to engross myself in a story or reflect my thoughts and beliefs against that of another.
- I’m thankful I’m free to pursue acitivites that I personally find fulfilling, instead of just carrying out a destiny that another has prescribed for me that may not fit. I don’t miss the dread that comes with doing things I don’t enjoy on a regular basis.