Habitual Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the soothing quiet of early morning and for time with our grandson Leo over the weekend. I was pondering the idea of "putting out fires" recently as I thought about the busy pace of my job. Some days it does seem like it is about putting out fires, one after the other. The kind of fires you don't want to let burn, the kind that are best contained when small. The fires may have to do with students, parents, teachers, or any combination thereof. But then I thought about how educating our young is supposed to be about starting fires. Fires of curiosity and motivation. Fires that need to be nurtured and protected until there is enough fuel to keep them burning strong on their own. It seems a bit contradictory, all this talk of fires. But it really is the stuff of life. Positive or negative. Productive or nonproductive. Helpful or hindering. Warming us up or causing us to run from the heat. Which kind of fire will I feed today?

Today I am grateful to have a house to clean, and for the way that house feels with the soft glow of our Christmas tree lights and other holiday decorations. We have had a really pleasant fall, with mild temperatures. Though some of the Midwest got dumped on with significant snow to start the weekend, we missed it. I am okay with that that for now, though I do enjoy snow when I don't have to drive in it. Both Darcy and I appreciated clear trails and roads on our run yesterday morning. It was colder and more layers were required, but it was manageable. We got to see some of nature's interesting creations that form when seasons change. The picture below is along the shores of the Mississippi River. I stopped to take it during our run.  It took more than cold to create these icicles. It took wind to produce the waves that lapped up against the branch. It seemed fitting that these icicles look like a row of teeth, because that wind did have a bite to it. ...

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to sleep in and for a warm bed and my husband Darcy next to me. I am also grateful that our son Sam enjoyed his 8th grade trip to an environmental learning center in southern Minnesota. He was gone for three days and two nights. Though a young man of few words, he had a good time and has answered all of my questions so far. Thank you to all the adults who helped make the trip possible and helped carry it out. (I know what that takes.) I am guessing that Sam will not be the only one sleeping in this morning after that trip. During the week, I typically will get six to seven hours of sleep a night. I can manage on that fairly well, though I know more would be better. By Friday night of a work week, I am usually wiped out. I was dozing off in the recliner by 7:30 last night. I was trying to start a blog post, but the dozing kept winning.  I went to bed and didn't get up for good until almost 6:00 a.m. For a variety of reasons, I haven...

Today I am grateful for the people I work most closely with-my department. And I am grateful for the nice visit with our recent department retiree Mary Jo. I was determined to go for a run yesterday after work. The weather had turned colder and it was windy, but I couldn't wait to get out there. Running is my escape, my release. It is my grounding, my connection to nature. Running and sanity go together for me. So do running and gratitude, running and endorphins, running and head clearing. I got a later start on my run than I anticipated, so some of it was in the dark. Before it got dark though, I was treated to a beautiful sunset. There was clearing on the horizon and the sunset was a vibrant red. It was worth it. Stride by stride, I ran off the stress and strain of the day. I enjoyed running with Oliver for the first mile or so. Then, I enjoyed running with my radio and some good music. A run at any time is a blessing in my life. A run at dusk was a treat last evening.

Today I am grateful for my sense of touch and feeling the wind and colder air on my skin as I walked our dog Oliver this morning. I am grateful for morning quiet. I have felt thwarted, off-beat, drained, and discouraged in recent days. But I still got up each morning and proceeded to do my best. I proceeded to apply gratitude to my circumstances and found energy to pick myself up. I felt better at times, worse at others. But I got on with life. That is my plan for today as well. Getting on with life can be as simple as making the adjustment to colder temperatures outside by putting on a hat and gloves. Getting on with life minus my breasts took some time to adjust to, but it now falls into this simple category most of the time too. Or it can be so very difficult. . . I think each day about my sister Danita and how she must now get on with life after her husband Roger's death. I think about those reeling from the terrorist attacks in Paris and what getting on with life might f...

Today I am grateful for positive thoughts and new energy to face the day ahead. I am also grateful for laughter, courtesy of a couple episodes of "The Big Bang Theory." I began this post late yesterday afternoon after a draining and discouraging day of work. Writing as an outlet. The story of my life. Helping me write my way to a healthier place. The blessing of being in a profession like school counselor for a few years (this is year #18 for me) is that you know some days will be like this. That is also the curse. Even though you know tougher days are part of the deal, they still are tough. A comment here. A situation there. A meeting here. Another meeting there. Another comment. Another situation. I put the work day behind me and had a more relaxing evening. Drained and discouraged were put to bed. Today is indeed a new day. 

Today I am grateful for the wisdom and support I get from others in recovery. I am also grateful for professional challenges that help me learn and grow. The word syncopation has been milling around in my head since my Aunt Helen used it. She was playing the piano for a few of us and it was a real treat. She used this word which, if I had ever heard it before, I certainly didn't know what it meant. Musically speaking, syncopation is unexpected rhythms which make some or all of a piece of music off-beat. It is stressing the weak beats instead of the strong beats. It seems like it would be more of a challenge to play, but lends itself to beautiful sounds nonetheless. I think that is what Helen was getting at. In broader terms, syncopation can mean a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm. In that sense, life is rife with syncopation at times. And it can throw us off a beat or a few. But it can also lead to new music we never knew we had in us. I find that i...