Gratitude notes for June 2018
- I really don’t like putting myself into a weak position, and I did that today. What took me by surprise was how swiftly my teammates came to my aid after. I’m so lucky I get to share time with these people every day.
- I took the long way home today. I didn’t expect so many people to be out around my local museum. There was a band playing, and people everywhere, dressed up to go out. It was a very lively scene, and it was playing out just blocks from where I live.
- I was really hard on myself today about not accomplishing what I’d set out to. I want people to trust me, and I don’t want it to become the norm that I don’t complete what I say I will. I actually like that this kind of thing bothers me. I’m happy that I feel strongly about making people feel safe trusting me. Even though nobody else saw my failure as damaging as I did, I know I’ll be motivated to do a better job promising what I can do as a result of these strong beliefs.
- I’m grateful for a sweet new shirt I got today. I’m going to wear it dancing tomorrow.
- On my morning run, a man looked up and gave me a big thumbs-up as I passed by. It was cool that I could put a smile on his face just by enjoying myself with my daily exercise.
- It’s so awesome to experience moments where my life experiences culminate to form an outcome I’d always wanted but never matured enough to pull off in the past. I’m grateful that I learn and turn my mistakes into tools I can use going forward. It makes my time meaningful.
- I’m grateful that I’m not on-guard at home or at work. Sure, I get to work on problems and challenges, but I’m not engaged in any relationships or environments that seriously threaten my safety or well-being. I’m not being hunted, nor are my basic human rights being challenged at any point. That’s a huge advantage in life, and I’m very grateful that I’m not preoccupied by things like that in my daily life.
- I put on my company’s mascot outfit today to delight a guest conducting a user interview. I had so much fun doing it, and I think my co-workers had just as much fun, too! I love that we do stuff like that!
- Lunch was so much fun today. Everyone made a point of going out and we all got along so well. It’s just a pleasure being with people where having fun is effortless. I’m very lucky to be in a place like that.
- I don’t know why, but I thought about the movie Saw today, and how it’s really a movie about gratitude (once you get past all the blood and gore). That movie really reveals how incredibly bad our life experience can sink to, and being grateful for not being in those situations is an obvious given. Not being in those situations is something I’m very thankful for, no matter how inconceivable it may seem.
- I saw this really old woman at the grocery store. She was so old. Her natural standing pose was at a 90 degree angle, and her head seemed to dip down another 90 degrees. I’m so incredibly grateful that I can stand up straight.
- I’m grateful that I work with a team of people who really seem to cherish each others’ company. That closeness really matters on a daily basis and makes me feel like I’m investing in them, not just in my career or skills, etc. I’m grateful that my time means something in an immediate, proximate way.
- I was reminiscing about a time when I worried a lot more about physical safety than I do now. It’s not gone, but it’s not distractingly in the foreground anymore. The thing is that my sense of security can be shattered in the matter of an instant, and I’m grateful for not being preoccupied with that at this point in my life. Even if it shatters tomorrow, I’m very lucky to have enjoyed today.
- I got one of the sweetest looks from a person driving her car today. She waved me on to cross the street, and there was just something in her smile that was so genuine and just lifted me. I cherish little moments like those.
- Today was an overall great day. It’s hard to describe; every interaction just seemed to go well and have resolve. I’m grateful for those days, because I have no idea how to systematically create them. They just seem to happen.
- Dance class tonight was bananas. I don’t know what it was, but I was in a radiant mood and I was able to just let my body take over. I think part of it is that my instructor, Casie, is leaving for the summer, and there was an air of preciousness about our last class of the season with her. Scarcity really does seem to drive appreciation. I’m grateful for the lesson and so lucky for the class.
- Today I jogged outside like I wouldn’t be in this city much longer. I’m not planning on leaving soon, but regarding my time here as scarce really made my jog downright precious. I wonder where else I can apply this perspective…
- I really appreciated my phone call with Mom today. Two and a half hours went by without us noticing. I’m so lucky I have that kind of relationship with my mother and that I can give that same experience to her.
- I’m grateful for the chain of people who’ve helped me form the perspective I have today. I recognize that my influencers have been a mere matter of luck, and that I could just as easily been born into a much more malevolent environment like so many others.
- I’m thankful for the city tour buses full of tourists that I get to wave excitedly at as they pass by. I hope I make somebody’s day.
- There was a seemingly-small moment today when somebody spent just a short amount of time with me. I don’t know if this person knows it, but it meant a lot to me. I’m so lucky to have people like that in my life.
- It does seem kind of crazy how many opportunities I have in my life. The access I have to people who care about what they do and how they affect people is really amazing to me. Not that I think that’s uncommon, but rather I know how some people who don’t have that are desperate to be in an environment and even mess up their chances as a result. I’m very lucky to be with who I’m with right now.
- There was a time when I’d see my mistakes as irredeemable and worth beating myself up over. Today, I feel a sort of levity about it, like “oops, nothing I can do about it now”. I learn now. I’m thankful for that new license to fail.
- Sometimes, you get to see a glimpse of how people treat their relationships when they don’t think about anybody watching. I got to see for a moment today how somebody I know treats their significant other. It was really sweet and genuine. It’s not that I didn’t expect it, but it’s always uplifting to see relationships out there that feel that way.
- I’m grateful for chicken and potatoes. The combination totally fuel me, and I got to have both tonight! I’m so lucky for the option and opportunity to eat foods as seemingly simple as that. I really do feel lucky that I got to have those things while I’m still here.
- I’ve been bumping into the same guy at my gym lately, and we’re gradually building a rapport with each other when we do. I love that. In our own ways, I’m so glad we’re working toward being familiar instead of defaulting to being strangers.
- I’m really grateful for people during the day who aren’t afraid to take a chance and make themselves vulnerable by talking about their lives and their families. It’s a gift everytime somebody opens up like that, and I got to be part of that several times today.
- I had a great dance class tonight! I’m getting better at letting my body do its thing, which is more rewarding in every way, surprisingly; I used to equate effort with reward, but I’m learning that dancing is more about how genuine you are than how hard you try (which don’t always go hand-in-hand).
- I’m thankful for people who have patience with me as I learn how to better communicate. I can sometimes get a little stuck in my perspective, and I’m lucky to have people who can either see through it or have the patience to wait it out until I get to the other side.
- I read an article this morning about American slaves recounting their roles tending to dinner parties. The idea of living out my life as a slave makes all my current problems seem utterly insignificant.
- I’m thankful for a fantastically-productive weekend. I often struggle to find something worth dedicating my time to, and stripping things down and getting to the crux of the idea makes execution seem to happen on its own. I’m grateful for being able to get myself to such productivity.
- As an experiment to analyze my dancing and see what I should do better or more of, I’ve been recording myself dancing from time to time. Today, I watched back the video, and there was a portion of the video where I didn’t recognize the dancing person as myself; I’d lost myself so completely in the moment that I no longer saw myself as “I” but rather as “him”. It was a really cool feeling, and I’m grateful to have found a lead into what might make my dancing more fun and help me be a more genuine version of myself.
- I had a great dance session tonight. I went into it with pretty low energy, just accepted it, and ended up finding a really effective flow that had me fully hustling by the end. I feel lucky the days that I can turn my energy around.
- I’m lucky to have had all the mentors I’ve had leading up to today. Each has shaped my perspective in some forward-facing way and have equipped me with the ability to look forward to almost everything I do, from exciting projects to peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I’m free to pursue what I’m personally interested in because I believe that I’m able to pursue those things. Not everybody believes that they’re able, and many do an effective job of sabotaging their own opportunities by not believing in themselves. I’m grateful that I don’t have that particular handicap in life.
- I’m grateful for people who make my day more meaningful, from the homeless person who cheers me on in my morning jogs to my co-workers who I get to have a good time with each day. It doesn’t take much to make someone’s day a bit brighter, and plenty of people make mine brighter on a regular basis.
- When I got home today, the sun was shining through my window in such a serene way. I kept the lights off until it was too dark to see, just to savor it as long as I could.
- I’m so fortunate that I possess such an in-demand skillset. The opportunities that come with it are tremendous, from the type of work I do and people I interact with each day to the exposure I get of what it’s like to pioneer a new market. The endless opportunities to learn and act of what I’ve learned is such a gift I’ve been lucky to receive.
- I’m very lucky for the safety I’ve enjoyed throughout my life. I’ve very rarely feared for my physical safety and have never been afraid of going hungry. Not everybody is afforded those things, and I’m grateful that I’m able to have them and build a life on top of them that I can feel good about.
- I was kinda groovin to the music playing at the mall this afternoon. As I walked by, a guy looked up, smiled, and said “you’re feelin it!” That guy made my day.
- I’m so thankful that I’m aware of how much there is for me to learn and experiment with. The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know, and the more incentive I have to “just try” things.
- I found that having my values articulated was useful today. I was able to point to it to make sense of a dilemna I was facing and figure out what my side of the issue was.
- I just discovered that drawing from my shoulder (instead of my wrist) can yield me exactly the kinds of results I’ve always wanted from pencil and paper drawings. I stumbled on it by mistake! I feel like I just gained a superpower.
- I’m grateful that I was able to go to the beach today and jog along the bike path. Everything was just kind of perfect. People were out enjoying themselves, the weather was excellent, and I was able to stay engrossed in the moment for the vast majority of my time outside.
- I’m grateful that I was able to apply sunscreen evenly all over my body today. Sleeping tonight would be much more difficult if I’d missed a spot, and I didn’t!
- I’m thankful for the time to contemplate things like this and my desire to keep up this gratitude list. It really does turn my attention outside myself in my everyday life, and I feel like I get more out of my life by staying conscious of the good things. I’m lucky I had somebody to inspire me to start it.
- There’s something special about driving a car with the windows down on a warm summer’s day. It’s a very freeing experience, and made even more special by the fact that I only use my car for fun things recently.
- I had a great time at Twerkshop this afternoon. I learn something different each time I go, both from our instructor, Amy, and from other students in class. Everyone has a style, which makes it infinitely interesting each time I go.
- I’m grateful for my relationship with each of my parents. It’s not that I spend more or less time with then relative to years in the past, but somehow our relationships just feel deeper and more precious to me today. I don’t know if it’s because I know it’ll end one day or because we communicate differently, but I’m so lucky that I have those relationships as they are today.
- I always feel lucky when I’m in a musical mood in the morning. I don’t choose those special mornings; they might be caused by the previous day’s meals or fortune or nothing at all, but I’m grateful for the treat, regardless.
- I’m grateful that I get to spend time with people who enjoy spending time with me each day. I worked from home for the first time in a while, and it was a stark difference from being in the office with everyone. Even though I’m aware that I’m fortunate to have people around, it’s still a little surprising when I feel the difference circumstantially.
- I’m grateful for my health. I’m not sick, hurting, being famished, or losing my mind (I don’t think). That in itself is a huge opportunity to take advantage of life, and I’m very thankful that I have all the options that come with the lack of those things.
- I had a moment today where I was operating outside of my comfort zone. It was nervewracking, but I was acting in accordance with my principles and ended up achieving what I set out to. I"m grateful I went for it at all.
- I’m thankful for conversations I had throughout the day. Several of them were deep, and I think the people I spoke with got as much out of our conversations as I did. I’m lucky that others care to spend time talking with me and value me as much as I value them. That’s a gift.
- I’m grateful for steak and potatoes and the ease with which I can walk to the grocery store and cook them for myself. I’m thankful that I get to do these things so easily today.
- I’m glad that I got to have some deep, meaningful comversations today with people who are into that sort of thing. They’re opportunities for us to be a little vulnerable, and that’s always a rewarding experience when it goes well.
- I’m grateful for grilled chicken wraps with cheddar cheese, salsa, sour cream, and hot sauce. They’re trivial for me to make and are as desireable as anything I’d order at a restaurant. I’m so lucky that I can make it whenever I want.
- I’m thankful that I grew up with strong mentors. I’ve had not-so-strong mentors, too, but they never made lasting impressions on me. I think many of my advantages in life come from lessons I’ve learned from my role models.
- I’m grateful for people who invest in one another. I’m thankful that I have people around me who look out for one another and are genuinely interested in each other’s well-being. Not everyone gets to be with people like that.
- I know that there are things in my life I don’t control. Almost everything, it turns out, has a lot to do with luck and circumstance. I’m just fortunate that I haven’t lost my life yet and that I don’t live in debilitating pain or fear. Those are both plausible scenarios that I’ve been lucky to evade in my life so far. I’m grateful that I’m not forced to experience them now.
- I’m grateful for the freedom to focus on what I enjoy and not what I need to do to survive minute-to-minute. I’m also fortunate that I enjoy things that both fulfill me and improve my life in various ways. Learning keeps life infinitely interesting.
- I noticed a young couple driving behind me in my rear view mirror. He was driving, and she was spoon-feeding him cereal at every red light, and he looked so delighted with every bite. I almost cried I was laughing so hard.
- I had a phenomenal dance session this afternoon. I’m thankful that people want to get together on a Saturday afternoon to let loose for 90 minutes. So simple yet so rewarding.