1. God
2. Cassie’s good news
3. Light named Lindsey
4. Claudia on the same wavelength?
5. Someone anonymous
6. Someone writes what I am thinking
7. People willing to help
8. Mike talking about the best kind of problem to have, I mean more people to help than can be assigned tasks, or at least at the moment
9. Humor
10. And then silence
1. My mental health and stability
2. The privilege of listening
3. Invitations- even when you decline, so nice to be invited
4. Taking yourself by surprise by knowing what you’re doing!
5. Inhaling a scent that makes you reflexively break out into smile
6. Seeing what makes a person tick and appreciating the uniqueness of them
7. Nurturing houseplants
8. Feeling as though you’ve accomplished a lot, then realizing it’s only mid-day
9. Mail carriers (especially ours! Thanks, Dave!)
10. A clean home.
Very Grateful for ~
God’s support
A warm day
Time to complete car maintenance (or watch other people actually do it)
Carl’s insight
Janet’s note
Cousin Nancy’s anniversary
A new idea for the back flower beds
An afternoon without sickness
The freedom to make choices
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that receives it. ~ Edith Wharton, whose birthday is today
I finally made it back to the gym with my Dad today – as sore as I was it felt good to do. Depending upon how I feel in the morning I’m planning on going again.
Today I Am Grateful:
1) To have enjoyed my 40 minutes on the treadmill today, watching as little snowflakes gently fell from the grey sky. It made me doubly grateful to be walking indoors in a comfortable climate.
2) That my Dad reminded me (by having his radio today) to come home and find my mp3 player to charge so I can have it to listen to tomorrow – I have two discs of an unabridged book on CD ready to listen to tomorrow while I walk. It’s a book I’ve been wanting to either read or listen to and it looks like I’ll finally get to listen to it first!
3) For a new round of books borrowed from the library and the previous round safely returned. This round has a number of books on how to beat Arthritis – I will find a way to make myself stronger!
4) That I already know the areas I’d like to specialize in, to earn some of my Continuing Education hours in, once I get my MT License number. It feels good to have a direction planned no matter what. (And yes I have a few library books on those subjects too LOL)
5) For actually being a little under my calorie range for today and not feeling hungry at all. I had a decent breakfast, a warm & yummy lunch and a simple yet filling dinner. I had dessert after lunch and can actually have another smaller dessert now and not go over my calorie range – that’s a good feeling!
Ability is what you’re capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it. ~ Lou Holtz
Motivation is what gets you started.
Habit is what keeps you going. ~ Jim Ryun
1. Snow-dusted tops of the Sierras- majestic backdrop of a drive to here and there
2. Ability to read, to write, to think, to walk
3. Ideas- tumbling around, tumbling together, tumbling out
4. The way very small and simple self-care rituals transform everything
5. Someone who gently presses a palm to your heart when you’ve woken in a curious funk, and calmly whispers, “Wait. Start over. Breathe. Fill up with good before you go.”
6. Hot air balloons over undulating mist-seas and sunflowers arching and reaching
7. Power of articulation
8. Depth of vagueness
9. Unrivaled freshness of a river- babbling and singing and calling from uncanny distances
10. Feeling that stuff stir inside you again, unseen and abstract, yet somehow pourable, splashable, golden and glowing, danceable, alive… You know the stuff.
Today was the coldest day here in Chicagoland so far this winter. When my hubby left for work his car’s thermometer told him it was 1 degree outside at 5:50 AM. By the time I was getting the boys moving for school the thermometer on the screen saver told us it was 0 degrees out at around 8:15 AM. Around 2 PM we’d finally warmed up to about 9 degrees. Now at 10:30 PM it’s a balmy 10 degrees! LOL Hardest part to today was that I could literally feel the cold through my whole body – bones ached, muscles were sore and tight and Ray was in all his glory causing me pain I’m still not quite used to. Despite that I got some little things done around the house and honestly just enjoyed the time to do some leisure reading that I haven’t done enough of lately. That’s always a plus in my book!
Today I Am Grateful:
1) For quiet time at home this morning. Walking at the gym may have helped me some today, but it was nice to stay in where it was warm and just enjoy the moment.
2) That although the aches and pains were more uncomfortable today than normal, I still made myself get up and move around the house every hour or so just to make myself move. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it.
3) That I am taking care of myself in my own way – yes I’m hitting the gym with my dad when I can, but I’m also exercising my brain with two books I’m using to help me on my weight loss journey: “A Course In Weight Loss” by Marianne Williamson and “The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size” by Julia Cameron (if you’ve read the book “The Artist’s Way” yes it’s the same author) – Both books are amazing at helping with the mental side of lifestyle changes because there is often a lot of mental clutter that needs to be cleaned up as well. Give them a read, they’re worth it.
4) For being active on my SparkPeople SparkTeams today – it felt good to interact with other people who are on the same journey, just with a different point of view. What an amazing group of people!
5) For the countless numbers of possibilities and opportunities that tomorrow always brings with it – what will I see? what will I learn? what will I chase after? What might Life bring to me??
You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. ~ Wayne Dyer
1. The super heroes we encounter each day
2. We all have a “special power”
3. Courage to use our unique skills
4. Choosing to be a force for good
5. The humility to ask for help (Hey, we all have our Kryptonite, but accepting help will always save your butt if you’re willing to ask!)
6. Challenging limits, pushing bounds
7. Looking beyond and behind someone’s villainous behavior
8. The presence and insight to drop the adjective from “bad guys” and “good guys” to recognize that in the end, we’re all just “guys”
9. Shifting from power struggle to empowerment
10. Saving the day! -from mindlessness, distraction, illusion… Be your own hero. Be someone else’s hero by showing a simple kindness. We’re all heroes!
Today is Martin Luther King’s Day – what an inspiration that man’s whole life was. His whole life was a message – not just his most famous speech.
Today I Am Grateful:
1) That the boys and I slept in a little this morning – they weren’t up as early as usual but they didn’t quite sleep as late as I’d hoped either LOL
2) That the boys and I spent part of the day all settled in on my bed reading – Will for school, Wyatt just for practice and me because I have a number of books I want to get through :-)
3) That hubby had an okay day at work and came home at a nice hour today – he hasn’t had much sleep the past few days so I knew he was tired.
4) For the safe travels of everyone today in the bitter cold that finally bit into the Chicagoland area
5) For my Dad taking Gene & the boys to a fun indoor mini golf place today – one final fun thing on the long 4 day weekend before they go back to school in the morning. They had quite the time too from what I’ve heard :-) I haven’t gotten to the pictures yet, I’ll take care of those tomorrow
You are not just a mind & a body, you are born of God, you are a soul of eternity, remember this when life seems dark. ~ Spiritual Truths (found on twitter at @TheGodLight )