I’m thankful the week is over and I accomplished what I needed to in order to start the new semester next week. Classes begin on Monday. I’m not necessarily looking forward to that, but I can’t stop it. I’m excited about my student workers, the updated lab space I have, and the changes I’ve made to our tutoring program. I hope it’s a good Fall.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
August 14
It was another early morning. I’m thankful for my years of throwing together lesson plans on the fly because I was able to get through a day of tutor training without being fully prepared. I’m thankful for the amusing mix of student tutors and their willingness to put themselves out there. For the help I got rearranging the lab and making the space more inviting. I’m thankful for donuts and zucchini soup (not together). For laughter that makes kissing difficult. For coming home to a cleaned up kitchen. I’m grateful for the neighbor who rescued my puppy after he escaped from my fenced-in back yard. For funny texts from my mom. And for puppy snuggles, cat purrs and kid hugs. It was a pretty good day.
August 13
I was going through old photos in my photo stream and eliminating ones I didn’t need or want anymore. I love my iPhone but it seems like I run out of photo storage too quickly. I mean am I the only one who needs to carry around hundreds of photos at all times? I may need the 10 blurry shots of my moving puppy or the endless concert pictures that are mostly silhouettes or the Snarky ecards that will come in handy one day to post as a Facebook comment. It’s curious that I find it difficult to part with these photos, yet I don’t necessarily feel compelled to have them printed and put in a photo album. Maybe that’s because our worlds have become so digital. There’s a strange comfort in having everything on a small device that barely leaves our person or at the least our view. Our lives can sit, literally, in the palm of our hands. At dinner tonight my friends and I talked briefly of the evolution of technology as we teased one in our party for his lack of smart phone savvy. Most of us have apps downloaded to take us to every small bit of information we could want: emails, Facebook, banking, weather, tv, Internet…I even have my home security programmable on my phone. I can watch tv, post to my blog, listen to music, play games, and browse through my photos. I could be stuck in an elevator happily for hours if I didn’t lose phone service. Well, ok, that’s a stretch but only because I get claustrophobic. At any rate, I find our current technology amazing and am thankful to have access to it. I remember the days of Dos so my iPhone is like a piece of magic.
August 12
I woke up exhausted. And stepped in puppy pee on my way through the kitchen. It was not a good morning. The gloomy sky only accentuated things, so I didn’t show up to work very excited for the day. But I saw when I got there that Randy from maintenance had finished painting the walls in my tutoring lab. That was the start of an upwards swing. And I’m happy to report that my day has ended well. Some gratitude highlights:
My broken kitchen faucet is being replaced under warranty. I got the email shipping confirmation today which means hot water in my kitchen again soon.
My daughter borrowed my car so I got to drive her little sports car. I really do enjoy manual transmissions.
Lately my bible verse, daily Goodreads quotes, and decorating blog emails have been interesting and timely.
I tackled a pile of papers on my desk and won.
Lunch included a milkshake.
I finally used a wine store gift certificate I got at Christmas–on seasonal craft beer.
Someone brought me tomatoes from his garden.
My puppy is back in crate training, but only whined for a short while at bedtime. Maybe I’ll get some real sleep tonight.
August 11
I admit, I was really shocked when I heard of Robin Williams’ death today. And saddened more than I thought possible. After all, I didn’t know him personally. I’m also not someone who normally follows celebrity news carefully. So I was surprised to find myself in tears over his loss. But then again, he had been an actor since I was a small child. He’d been around in movies for pretty much all of my life. Hearing about his death today felt a little bit like losing an uncle I didn’t get to see that often. In his memory, I rented and watched one of my favorite films What Dreams May Come. And I’ve been thinking about what his death means to me. And why I feel so affected. I think the key is simply to look at some of the characters he’s played over the years: Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, John Keating in Dead Poet’s Society, Chris in What Dreams May Come, Daniel in Mrs. Doubtfire, Adrian in Good Morning Vietnam, Peter Pan in Hook, Alan in Jumanji, Armand in The Birdcage, Hunter Adams in Patch Adams…The bulk of his characters were inspirational. Characters who were compassionate, often struggling with their own issues but trying to help others overcome theirs as well. Because Robin Williams was such a great actor, it was easy to believe that he was just like his characters, which makes his loss to apparent suicide seem so much more tragic. He’s supposed to overcome. He’s the guy who’s always searching for the answers and fighting the good fight. How could he have found himself no longer able to?
I posted back in June about a friend of mine who had committed suicide and how much it affected me. My disbelief now is not as great as it was then, of course, but it’s familiar. When I hear of anyone’s death from suicide I immediately think of all the wonderful things they’re missing out on. However, that’s my view and I know that and I’m thankful that it’s my default. It helps me personally when I’m struggling. But there’s a line in What Dreams May Come that seems poignant What’s true in our minds is true, whether other people know it or not. We can’t always tell what struggles people are going through, and even if we did, we may not understand them anyway. Not all of our demons are the same. But there are many people living with depression or anxiety or any other illness that becomes a daily struggle. We may not be able to see it. Robin Williams is a perfect example, a man who always seemed so full of energy and laughter on the outside. While I’m sad to hear of his battles with depression and his death today, I’m thankful we were blessed with his talent. I wish his family peace tonight.
August 10
The outside of my house is about 98% painted. I’m thankful for the help I had today with my boyfriend on the tall ladder and my kids helping with trim. I also borrowed a ladder stabilizer from some friends which helped a lot. It took longer than I had hoped to get things as far along as we did, but it’s about there. Another half a day and another gallon of paint should do it. That’s a big one off my list. I’m also thankful that I finally got my closet organizers put in. The huge mess that has dominated my upstairs for the last few weeks can now get tackled. I had my kids help me tonight decide on whether to keep or toss some of my clothes. I tried things on and they gave me their opinions. That was brutal. I can now imagine how the folks on What Not to Wear feel when stepping into the dressing room of truth and getting Stacy’s and Clinton’s feedback. My kids do not soften their criticism. And I now have a pile of clothes to give away. However we did have some pretty hilarious moments too. Once you realize something looks ridiculous, it’s easy to make fun of yourself. In fact there were a couple of items we saved for the Halloween costume box. At any rate, it was good to get some movement on the to-do list today.
August 9
This. A day of dog visiting and playing.
Turned into this for one very tired puppy.
I’m thankful for a good doggie day.
August 8
Like most places, there are things about where I work that frustrate me. There are a lot of politics and egos and groups who feel under appreciated and treated differently than others. There are people who are difficult to deal with and people who don’t pull their weight. But there are also many things that are good and for which I’m grateful. One of those things is the amount of vacation time I get. I hope one day to actually take a vacation with it again. But in the meantime, I’m using it mostly to finish my projects at home. Today I took the day off and actually got back to painting my house. And this time my kids were around to help. Together we got the sides about done. There’s just a little trim work to finish. Neither one of my girls is comfortable on a ladder, so I had to get the top stuff. Unfortunately I’m the shortest, so for me it’s a gymnastics event. I’m always pushing my luck by teetering on the top rungs–you know the ones that say don’t stand on. Usually I have one foot there and one foot on, oh, maybe the roof. At least my fearful children held the ladder steady for me. So I didn’t fall today and we got a lot done. One more half a day and the entire house should be complete. I’m very thankful for that.
August 7
I was invited to a four year old’s birthday party last night. She got the scooter she had been wanting for the last several months and her reaction was just what you’d expect. That’s just what I wanted she said several times. And as she opened her other gifts, she was smart enough to show some enthusiasm, even commenting on one of the board games that my boyfriend and I gave her that it, too, was something she had always wanted. But the scooter was a definite highlight. She wanted to ride it immediately after gift opening, going in circles inside a few times until finally getting to go outside with it. But what was sweet is that she didn’t want to ride it alone. She asked if I’d walk with her. So we went up and down the driveway a few times until she decided she was done with the scooter. Then we played with other toys for a while and then raced a few times up and down the driveway. She pointed out where her mom had written happy birthday in chalk on the sidewalk. She explained why she loved a Wisconsin postcard she was given. We made faces in a plastic mirror that she found in the garage and sat outside and ate birthday cake. And that was pretty much it. Complete excitement. She got the scooter she wanted, rode it for about 10 minutes and was perfectly happy with her birthday celebration. What a great reminder to appreciate the small stuff. I think sometimes our expectations for things, especially things we have been anticipating or waiting for, are too big. Adults sometimes expect the things we desire to fill more than what they’re designed to…we expect the attainment of “things” to somehow drastically change our lives, whether those things are objects (new car, nice clothes, new house) or people or jobs. But really, a scooter is just a scooter. Good for about 10 minutes of fun. Getting the things we desire won’t change anything unless we are somehow content already. At least reasonably content. Because if we aren’t, then we simply start looking for the next thing on the list that we think will make us happy. And the next thing. I’m thankful to have been reminded by a four year old that the things I yearn for will only be gifts (realistically or metaphorically) when I see them as additions to my life, not panaceas for any discontent. Once again, gratitude is key.
August 6
It’s a quick one tonight because I’m seeking refuge from a rather miserable headache by going to bed early. I’m thankful for help with the puppy today, for an afternoon off work, for a nice evening regardless of the aforementioned headache, and for chocolate cake.
melissagratitude 