Gratitude notes for February 2020

Today was one of those days that made me feel so full that I don’t want to forget it. It was so full of people who I enjoy and value. Some people I met for the first time. Others I reconnected with after a period of being away from one another. All day was like this. I’m so lucky to have people who choose to include me in their lives.

Somebody today told me that they “collect managers”, which means that once they’re her managers, they’re always her managers. I thought that was really sweet. It says that they have an important role in her life. And “collecting” implies that she’ll carry them with her wherever she goes. I like that. That inspires me. I bet that by seeing relationships that way, she helps create the kinds of relationships that are worth keeping. I’m really glad I got to witness her saying that today.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I love chasing bikes at the beach.

I don’t even think about it. When I’m sorta stuck behind a group of tourists and some local comes whizzing around us on the bike path, I sail in that person’s wake. I’ll basically be running well above my regular pace for a quarter mile behind the biker.

In my head, I’m in a completely different universe. I’m not a smiling, sweaty guy at the beach; I’m the main character in Skyrim in pursuit of a dragon. I’m a spaceship following an alien into a wormhole. I’m a racecar traveling at the speed of highway traffic. It’s exhilerating. In a sense, I’m not even thinking about the biker anymore. They’re just the trigger to my other-worldly experience.

Then a quarter mile is up, and I become acutely aware that the biker might be feeling chased at this point. I’m suddenly ejected from my imagination and thrown right back to the bike path. It’s good timing too, because my body has just about exhausted its ability to keep me moving fast enough to be immersed in whatever fantasy I’m living in. I feel good though, and I’m able to casually take in my actual surroundings.

Today was particularly packed because it was one of those freakishly hot days in the middle of winter. Shadows were long, but the sun was out and people were hanging out in swimwear. That’s when the cityscape feels alive. People are just happy to be there.