Icy Streets

I'm grateful that the damage seems, at first glance, to be minor. I'm grateful Amy had the presence of mind to stop the other driver from leaving the scene and collect his vital information, and a commitment to split the cost of repairs. I'm grateful no one was hurt. And I'm grateful that the wave of fear, sadness, and queasy stomach (mine) has passed.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

I am grateful have this beautiful, talented, amazing woman in my life. She certainly keeps me on my toes!

Good morning, birthday girl!



Between work and school, we celebrated with her favorite: ice cream cake.

Amy enjoying her birthday dessertS

Amy enjoying her birthday dessertS
Originally uploaded by shrnmc

Happy birthday, Amy!

Romantic Dinner

Some of my favorite things today ... working from home and a romantic dinner with my guy.

I'm grateful that I have a job where it's possible to work from home occasionally. Today, this was my office:



Being able to make lunch in my own kitchen, from my own healthy ingredients, was pretty sweet, as well:



And finally, a lovely dinner beside the fireplace in a wonderful restaurant with my fabulous husband.

Taking note

I accomplished a LOT today at work, and was honest and forthright about what I needed to get it accomplished, despite a persistent headache and stuffy head.



It's cold enough outside again (we lost 20 degrees or so in the last few days) that I am reminded how fortunate I am to live in an age of central heating, synthetic fleece, and means of transportation that are warm, quick, and comfortable.

Tomorrow I get to work from home, and the best part of that is not having to share restroom facilities with 10,000 college students. Well, that, and the fact that I get to dress in fleece from top to toe, and be cozy in my own home. And get paid for it. Yes. Life is good.

Yesterday, the Chancellor's message was encouraging: not likely to lose our jobs, expect to pay more for retirement and health insurance, and we won't get any raises for the 2009-2011 biennium. But, with any luck, we'll still be employed and that's definitely more than many others can expect.

I'm very happy, together with John. :-)

I'm grateful that my visual mindfulness journal, currently focused almost exclusively on food choice -- but soon to be expanded to other areas of my existence -- is doing good things for me. I'm remembering my vitamins and other supplements more often, I'm able to see at a glance where I need to adjust my food choices, and I'm also able to give myself some much-needed pats on the back! Mindfulness rocks! Now I have to get moving, too. All things in good time.

I'm grateful for the job that made today fly by, and keeps my docket full of important work.

I'm grateful for the wonderful man I married, who fills my life with love and caring and comfort and companionship and ... so much more.

I'm grateful for two daughters who are healthy and stretching themselves to reach their goals -- each on her own path, each outstandingly wonderful in her own ways.

It really seems ungrateful to narrow my focus on a few of the wonderful people and things in my life ... I'm grateful for so much!

Catching up on Gratitudes

Last week, Shannon told us about a series of things that have happened to her. I'm grateful that all of them left her just a little shaken, just a little irritated, and with just a little less in her savings account set aside specifically for car maintenance. The car accident that happened right in front of her, the trials and tribulations of teaching college students, and the flat tire that resulted in purchase of 4 new tires -- all manageable. This is good.

Come to think of it, I have some deep gratitude for things in Amy's life, as well: a boyfriend that appreciated the hand-made deeply-thoughtful gift she gave him; whatever made her look up from her phone in time to run from the SUV that was flying through the air toward her and landed where she could reach out and touch it, but left her without even a piece of broken glass touching her; continued safety on each trip to Kenosha and Racine and Brookfield and everywhere she goes; a friendly home to take care of her dog while she finishes school. These, too, are good.



And the fact that they both love me. And John loves me.



Life is good.

A Little Sadness

I stopped at the local bookseller's on the way home tonight. I didn't buy anything because I was shopping for Valentine's Day, and not for myself. I expected a rack of beautiful, unusual Valentine's cards ... there were none. Or, at least, none *I* could find. I wonder whether it is because they are going out of business at the end of March. No sense getting stock in, under those circumstances, I guess.

You're wondering, I suppose, why I'm writing this here, in my gratitude journal. It's because I'm grateful for the presence the local bookseller has been in our city all these years. I'm grateful that when my children were small, I could take them to see the larger-than-life diorama of Goodnight Moon's "great green room," which surprised and delighted me decades ago when I first encountered it at their old location, and has always brought a smile to my face when I see it.

I told the man behind the counter in the children's section, "I have a question," and realized I was teary. "I have a question," I started again, "but I'm afraid I might cry ..."

"March thirty-first," he said quickly.

"Thank you. But that's not my question." Again, I was surprised by the emotion I was feeling. "I'm wondering what will happen to the Great Green Room." I had to wipe a tear when he told me they didn't know -- they were trying to find someplace for it, but it would cost a fortune to move, and it's very fragile.

I didn't even take a picture of it today. I will another day. And I've had an idea that maybe, someday very soon, I will make a video of the Great Green Room, and recite the words to the beloved bedtime story. Maybe my future grandchildren would like that, someday. But it won't be the same as standing just inside the threshold and seeing for themselves the telephone, and the red balloon, and the picture of ... the man in the moon ... and the three little bears sitting on chairs, and the comb and the brush, and the bowl full of mush, and the little old lady whispering "hush." Goodnight moon. Good-bye, room.

Everything

The challenge of this practice, for me, is not finding 5 things a day to be grateful for. It is focusing on only 5 things, because I am overflowing with gratitude about nearly everything in my life. (I'm honest ... see? "nearly everything" ... realistic, too!)

So, in random order, and with awareness that too many things are not on the list, today I am grateful for ...

- mild winter weather that has melted most of the snow, allows me to wear a jacket instead of a coat, and lets me believe winter will not last forever



- lengthening days -- I wonder what it would be like to live near the equator, where the dramatic shifts do not occur, season to season; sometimes, I think I could go for that; sometimes, I think I am more grateful for abundance when I have had the contrast of scarcity, as well

- companionship and love -- I am so grateful for John in my life, I cannot adequately express it in words

Oh, where can I go from there? Best to leave off basking in the glow of that last one. Aaahhhhh.

February Thaw

It feels like spring!

I've been cleaning all weekend with our new space-age-shaped vacuum (see "Technologies!" post for a photo). I opened windows and aired the place out, the temperatures have been so mild!



John and I took a long walk through Kletzsch Park today. The waterfall is flowing, the ice is melting, and people are out and about.



Kathe was sweeping debris from her beautiful brick driveway, so we stopped to say hello. Gordon came by with Annie and Molly, and we enjoyed a long talk.



I love when the weather is warm enough for people to come out of their houses and visit!

And I love sunshine, long walks, and my sweetie!

Humor is Healthy

(My niece sent this to me ... one of those endless email "forwards" ... but some of them are cute. And they remind me that taking things too seriously is simply not a healthy way to live! Thank you, Shari!)



The Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking
five miles a day when he was 60.
Now he's 97 years old
and we don't know where he is.

I like long walks,
especially when they are taken
by people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I'm doing..

I joined a health club last year,
spent about 400 bucks.
Haven't lost a pound.
Apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs,
but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day
is so when you die, they'll say,
'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise
the last few years,......
just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older,
because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

AND

Every time I start thinking too much
about how I look,
I just find a Happy Hour
and by the time I leave,
I look just fine..

Gearing up for Summer Assembly

The brochure arrived in the mail yesterday! The website is up and wonderful! The Planning Council monthly conference call was full of nothing but good news: completed tasks and deadlines either met or postponed with no repercussions.



I am posting here my photos from my visit to the site in November 2007. It's beautiful. I'm not looking forward to the long drive or the hard work, but I am looking forward to the feeling of community and spending a whole week with people I care about, making something happen that can only be described as "magic".



And I realize that, like most things in life, without the hard work and the difficulties that bring people together, the experience of being on the Planning Council would be "flat." I think the degree of emotion is matched in each direction -- I feel as excited about things going well as I felt frustrated when they went less smoothly. And without the challenges, there would have been less opportunity for bonding.

Sigh. Yes, I'm grateful for MUUSA in my life!

Technologies!

So, to be honest, without technology, my current job wouldn't even exist, and the University certainly wouldn't need me to help support instructors in their use of a complicated software application. I am grateful for technology for providing me a pretty good way to make a living. And I truly enjoy almost everything about my job and the people I work with.

But I'm also grateful for technologies because they are fun and useful and exciting.







Facebook lets me keep in touch with people that I would normally not have contact with, except on very rare occasions. Blogs let me express myself here, where I'm not sure anyone is reading ... but ... the important part is that I get to say what's on my mind and in my heart, with the tantalizing knowledge that, at the very least, I know a few people that I care about will wander into this space sometime and get a glimpse inside.

Our laptop allows me to sit comfortably and companionably on the living room sofa near my husband while the television presents its disturbing and/or amusing fare ... and I don't even have to pay attention, because I'm otherwise occupied!

Today, another kind of technology arrived at our door. Its design, I believe, originated in the 1950s, but ours is brand new. It looks "space aged," and it floats on air. I'm looking forward to using it!



Technology ... I guess that makes me some kind of geek, eh?

Oh! Did I mention the technology I'm grateful for that allows me to capture images of my world, my loved ones, and to learn more about myself in the process? Ah, yes ... I'm grateful for my camera and Flickr and Picasa, and ... yeah, all that. :-)

The Importance of a Good Pair of Shoes

I've been intending to let Shannon and Josh know that the gift they gave me some time ago ... which had, originally, looked as if it wouldn't work out ... has become a pretty important part of almost every workday for the last several months. I'm talking about a pair of shoes that they gave me (I think it might have been for Mother's Day last year, but it might have been my birthday last summer). At first, they hurt my foot where the leather rubbed on the ligament above the big toe. Perhaps it's because of the cushion of heavier winter socks -- perhaps it's because I let Shannon wear them a few times ... but they don't hurt anymore! And now they are the shoes that stay at work so I can wear them when I take off my winter boots. They're so comfortable it feels like I'm wearing slippers all day! Thank you so much!

I'm actually grateful, sometimes, for winter. Especially when the cold weather gives us a good excuse for warm, home-made food like oatmeal for breakfast (cranberry-orange with Lingonberry sauce, this morning) and soup for dinner (hearty root vegetables simmered in vegetable broth, seasoned with Penzey's spices, and thickened up with fat-free half-and-half). Mmmmm.

A quiet evening at home with my love, with a contented cat curled up beside me (and not butting me with his hard head!) ... who could ask for anything more?

Good work, good food, good friend

Making progress on a couple of projects at work today -- and confirming that a "fix" for a problem that's been plaguing me for a week (and others for even longer!) actually works -- several things I'm grateful for today!

My tastebuds were pretty pleased today, and some of the things were even good for me! Breakfast of pineapple/raspberry/lemon yogurt oatmeal, lunch of eggplant with marinara sauce and cheese, and um ... Dove ice cream bites for dinner. Okay, two out of three ain't bad.

And, I got to have lunch with my friend Tanya -- a break in the middle of the day that gets me some sunshine, some nutrients, *and* some friendship, all at the same time.



Life is good.