Gratitude notes for March 2019
On my run today, I started to pass this big guy. He was strong and he was running, and I passed him for just a moment. Almost immediately, he starts to pass me again. We both enter the underpass at the Santa Monica pier. We stay head-to-head, keeping a solid pace. As we exit the underpass, he suddenly breaks stride; it was the end of his routine. I loved that he pushed himself to keep up with me. We smiled and fist-bumped, then I was on my way.
I had a sensation today I hadn’t had in years. When I was younger, our family would take vacations to the beach. It’d be hot and sunny outside, and we’d all get sandy and beachy all day. When we came back inside, something about the air-conditioned home we stayed in always felt so great and soothing, like taking off your ski boots after a long day. I had that sensation with my own apartment today. It felt wonderful.
I saw the same man on the street three separate times today: once by jogging past him, once from my car, and once from someone else’s car, all instances at least half a mile from one another. I see him sometimes on my jogs, but never more than once or even twice in a single day.
My replacement phone arrived today. The transition from old phone to new phone was very easy. Remember how much of a headache that was 5 or 10 years ago? Remember how daunting most technology was 10 or 15 years ago?
I don’t think I have any weird pains or injuries. This is the first time in a while that I don’t remember hurting on an ongoing basis. I always think I won’t recover when an inexplicable injury occurs. It’s awesome that I still do.
A girl in the elevator wore flashy pink shoes. I said “hey, nice shoes”. She got them at Target and that I should get some too. Funny thing is I’ll probably think about them when I go to target now.
I roller skated to work today. For the very first time, I decided to travel a mile in one direction on my brand new roller skates. I SUCKED, but I was a bit better by the time I finished than when I started. Falling doesn’t actually hurt that bad. I was able to apply some of my knowledge of skiing and going off jumps to my skating.
I must’ve run into and chatted with half a dozen people throughout my day, not including people from work. It feels like this is more-or-less the norm now. I like the change, even though I can’t pinpoint the moment it happened.
I saw a teenager doing pushups on the roof of a minivan parked on the side of the road in Utah today.
I’ve managed to reduce a 15-hour car ride into something to look forward to. I essentially spent the day doing what I’d do if I couldn’t use my computer or go outside. I got so immersed into Brandon Sanderson’s “Steelheart” and “Firefight”. A few hours in, I actually forget that I’m driving and I’m completely engrossed in the novel. I wonder if driving monotonously helps that or if I can achieve that in other ways on a regular basis.