Week 14: Gratitude

This is such a timely topic for me.  See, my sister is in town visiting.  For a while.  And things have been interesting.  She's not "used" to life back "home" anymore.  In her mind, everything here should be the same, despite the fact that she hasn't called "here" "home" in over five years.

She was very disappointed that the world continued to move, that people continued on with their lives, and that people weren't catering to her.  Which led to temper tantrums.  Yes, from an adult.

What does this have to do with gratitude?  Well, these days? My sister is the perfect example for "anti-gratitude" which is so not fun to be around.  We go out to dinner?  She hates the restaurant.  She gets to pick the restaurant?  She thinks it's over priced and wants to eat at home.  All she has done, essentially for the past five days straight, is complain.

Her behavior reminds me of what I don't want to be like.  It reminds me of what may happen to me, if I choose to stop working as hard as I've been in life.  If I were to quit therapy, quit with my recovery, quit with everything except for going to work, I'd be very ungrateful.  I'd become a complainer, too.  Well, maybe not, cause it's just not in my nature to outwardly complain, but, you get the idea.

I am so grateful for so many things in my world.  My therapist, my dietitian, my doctor, my whole treatment team, actually.  I'm grateful for the Pup.  I'm grateful for my home, even if it isn't the "perfect" home, it's works well for me.  I'm grateful for my job, even if the stuff that goes on outside my classroom is very unpleasant, inside my room, with my students?  Awesome stuff happens and for that I'm grateful.  I'm grateful for chocolates, I love the sweet treat.  I'm grateful for my friends - few but mighty.  I'm grateful for the gift of blogging, and for my readers.  I'm grateful for clean air to breathe, even if some days, I'd rather bury my head in a pillow.

There's a lot to be grateful for, if gratitude is what you're looking to find.......

Week 12: Meaningful People

This is a tough topic for me, because I feel like I've talked about the meaningful people in my life multiple times on the blog, and I hate for you all to get bored reading about them!  You can read about the first round of the blog challenge here.  You can read a little bit more here.  Finally, you can read even more about them here.

You'll probably notice a common thread.  Each of the posts refers to the same two people in some way, shape, or form.  And you can probably guess that I'm going to write about those same two people now.  That's how meaningful they are to me.

(I apologize if I repeat any information!)

E and MJ.  Amazing women that I have walking the path of life with me.  I used to see MJ every week, then every other week, and now, usually, our visits are only once a month.  That doesn't mean we don't email as needed between visits as she makes sure I'm working toward nutritional balance.  Cause we do.  Sometimes, well...... sometimes I email a lot.  But MJ is ok with that.  She knows what I need to hear.  She knows when I need reassurance, or just a little reminder.  She knows when I need an extra hug, and when a high five will do.  She's six feet of awesomeness and she is one of the two people in this world who knows some of my darkest secrets, yet, still thinks I'm an ok person.

E.  How can I describe E?  I don't know.  Role model wouldn't cut it.  She's more than that.  Mentor?  Guide?  All of the above?  I don't know.  This woman listens to me endlessly banter on, and somehow, finds a way to make sense of it all.  That's when my work begins, cause while E might be able to make sense of the messiness in my world, I'm the one that has to clean it up.  E will hold the flashlight for me, to make the task a little less painful, but I have to walk through the mess, where a life that is a little more peaceful waits, and so does E.  Always.

365 Days of Giving Thanks - Year 2

Day 16 - Thursday 12/5/13 - Thankful for my amazing ability to blow things out of proportion.  It's always fun when my therapist shrinks said things back into reality.

Day 15 - Wednesday 12/4/13 - Appreciate that others recognize my abilities and look to me to help them hone theirs.

Day 14 - Tuesday 12/3/13 - Thankful that I recognized when I was being treated unkind today.  I didn't do anything about it, but recognizing it is a good first step.

Day 13 - Monday 12/2/13 - Thankful that my therapist pointed out that I have, actually, started standing up for myself and did so twice alone today!  I never would have recognized it had she not pointed it out.  Small as it may be, it's progress!

Day 12 - Sunday 12/1/13 - Kinda surprised and pleased that I managed to get super detailed lesson plans written for the full-on-crazy week ahead!

Day 11 - Saturday 11/30/13 - Thankful for the unseasonably warm weather that made a nice long walk with the Pup quite pleasant!

Day 10 - Friday 11/29/13 - Grateful to finally have made time for reading, it's been so nice getting lost in the pages of books again.......

365 Days of Giving Thanks - Year 2

Day 9 - Thursday 11/28/13 - Thankful to have family to celebrate this feasting day with....... even if I don't like them some times......

Day 8 - Wednesday 11/27/13 - Thankful for my doctor, who is such a patient, warm, kind, caring, patient human being on top of being an incredible doctor!

Day 7 - Tuesday 11/26/13 - Thankful that today begins a nice, long, 5-day mini-staycation!

Day 6 - Monday 11/25/13 - Grateful for friendship that extends to the far reaches of requests....

Day 5 - Sunday 11/24/13 - Grateful and hopeful that I never have to do this prep again.....

Day 4 - Saturday 11/23/13 - Appreciate the fact that the inch of snow we were supposed to get never arrived....... thanks for the accurate weather prediction!

Day 3 - Friday 11/22/13 -  Grateful for reminders that I am in the right profession.  Today one came in the form of a former student visiting.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 2 - Thursday 11/21/13 - So thankful that I have been able to be a positive influence on the 25 kiddos in my class this year, and in past years, the feedback from their parents reminds me that I'm definitely in the right profession!

Day 1 - Wednesday 11/20/13 - Grateful for cupcakes.  Yes, cupcakes.  That's what I had for dinner tonight.  It was that kind of day.

Day 365 - Tuesday 11/19/13 - Appreciating my life experiences these days, as they have helped many of my students...... in many, many ways....

Day 363 - Monday 11/18/13 - Grateful to be a part of an organization so much bigger than me, that is putting together a massive event that will impact thousands of kids and give them memories to last a life time!

Day 362 - Sunday 11/17/13 - So thankful to have the Pup, today, and every day.  He makes my life so much brighter!

Day 361 - Saturday 11/16/13 - Grateful to my dietitian..... I was in such an uncooperative space today, yet, somehow, she made things feel ok.......

Day 360 - Friday 11/15/13 - Very appreciative of words like "homophobes" and "impotent" as spoken from the mouths of my students, who meant to say "homophones" and "important" but are still learning....

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Exactly one year ago today, I decided to jump on the November gratitude bandwagon, with one exception.  I wasn't going to share my gratitude for just the month of November.  Sure, it's a great month to do so, with Thanksgiving and all..... but one month isn't enough for me.

Gratitude is something I'm supposed to be working on every day.  Every day I'm supposed to try to find something that I'm grateful for in my day.  Something that I'm proud of.  Something worth being thankful for.  Ideally, these are supposed to be things I'm proud of myself for participating in, but.... we're still working on that part!

Today marks day 365.  While my weekly list will be posted on Thursday, as usual, I wanted to mark this somewhat momentous occasion.  I also want to encourage those who jump into the gratitude pool in November to consider making it a year-round event....  I know I'll be continuing the tradition!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 359 - Thursday 11/14/13 - Grateful for my students and their innocence.  Today's giggle? "I wonder if he has ammonia like Mrs. Teacher.  She missed two weeks of school because her ammonia was so bad!"

Day 358 - Wednesday 11/13/13 - Thankful for my students and how they inject such personality into everything at school.

Day 357 - Tuesday 11/12/13 - Appreciate the warmth of my down coat.  Makes walking the Pup in the darkness of after dinner a lot more pleasant!

Day 356 - Monday 11/11/13 -Grateful for my therapist's insight, patience, and sense of humor!

Day 355 - Sunday 11/10/13 - Thankful for a day of nothing - or, more positively thankful for a day of relaxation that allowed me to stay home all day.

Day 354 - Saturday 11/9/13 - Had a surprisingly nice evening with "friends" from work!

Day 353 - Friday 11/8/13 - Thankful that dinner with my parents was peaceful tonight, despite the upset stomach I had upon returning home.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 352 - Thursday 11/7/13 - So grateful that I get to come home to the Pup every day!  It's nice to have someone to come home to.......

Day 351 - Wednesday 11/6/13 - Appreciated the feeling of warmth showering me as I soaked in a long, hot, shower after this dreary day.

Day 350 - Tuesday 11/5/13 - Thankful that a potentially challenging parent meeting went really well this morning!

Day 349 - Monday 11/4/13 - Extremely grateful for my therapist and how well she knows me.  She uncovered a rather interesting pattern today, that provided a lot of insight!

Day 348 - Sunday 11/3/13 - Thankful for my extra hour of sleep!  I took advantage of it, that's for sure!

Day 347 - Saturday 11/2/13 - Grateful for a semi-quiet girls night with my BFF and her two munchkins.

Day 346 - Friday 11/1/13 - Beyond appreciative that my doctor is as attentive as she is.  What other doctor would return my call after 7:00pm?

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 331 - Thursday 10/17/13 - New doctor today started off really shaky, but grateful that it had a great outcome!

Day 330 - Wednesday 10/16/13 - SO thankful that the state testing is over!  A challenging eight days is now behind us and done for the year.

Day 329 - Tuesday 10/15/13 - Thankful for a day that got me home early enough to enjoy some time with the Pup AND get in a nice shower and dinner.

Day 328 - Monday 10/14/13 - Thankful for my therapist.  That's all.

Day 327 - Sunday 10/13/13 - Grateful for a peacefully and unseasonably warm Sunday!

Day 326 - Saturday 10/12/13 - Thankful for a lazy Saturday with a long, mid-day nap!

Day 325 - Friday 10/11/13 - Loved being a part of a special family's special day.  Much appreciation for letting me share these celebrations.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 324 - Thursday 10/10/13 - Grateful that tomorrow is Friday.  Today was unfun, to say the least, and I'm glad it's over.

Day 323 - Wednesday 10/9/13 - Thankful I held it together while getting a stern "talking to" from my boss today.  Especially considering this time, I actually did nothing wrong.

Day 322 - Tuesday 10/8/13 - Grateful that the first day of the state assessment went smoothly.  Even more grateful that there's now only 4 days of testing left.

Day 321 - Monday 10/7/13 - So glad we never got the storms we were supposed to get.  Better for the Pup to not have to deal with the thunder when I'm at work.

Day 320 - Sunday 10/6/13 - Thankful that the Pup, who was up sick all last night, is doing much better today.

Day 319 - Saturday 10/5/13 - Got my errands run, got a great nap in, and got a great massage.  All in all, thankful for a nice Saturday!

Day 318 - Friday 10/4/13 - SO thankful the week is over, and even more thankful that I got to have a great impromptu dinner with my BFF tonight!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 317 - Thursday 10/3/13 - This morning, I am thankful that I have a half day today and my sub plans are already done. Only five hours....

Day 316 - Wednesday 10/2/13 - Thankful for the nice weather.... loved the sunshine today.

Day 315 - Tuesday 10/1/13 - Thrilled that what could have been an explosive parent meeting before school ended up going better than I could have ever imagined!

Day 314 - Monday 9/30/13 -  Grateful, as usual, that I have such a wonderful therapist.  To trust someone as wholly as I trust her is starting to feel less scary.

Day 313 - Sunday 9/29/13 - Grateful the corn guys were at the Cider Mill, despite the rain - in fact, because of the rain, the hot, freshly roasted corn tasted even better!

Day 312 - Saturday 9/28/13 - Grateful for my nutritionist.  Always appreciate my time with her.

Day 311 - Friday 9/27/13 - Thankful the week is over.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 310 - Thursday 9/26/13 - Grateful that what started as a really bad morning (read: so tired I could hardly breathe) turned into a very productive day!

Day 309 - Wednesday 9/25/13 -  Thankful that I showered last night and am able to go to bed early tonight.

Day 308 - Tuesday 9/24/13 - Grateful that the Pup's dog-walker was able to adjust the schedule, now providing an extra day of love to the Pup.

Day 307 - Monday 9/23/13 - LOVED running into a former student at the library and chatting it up with him.  He may be only in grade eight, but he sure has matured and it was great hearing him talk about his future!

Day 306 - Sunday 9/22/13 - Thankful that my errands were quick-ish this morning and allowed me the afternoon at home.

Day 305 - Saturday 9/21/13 - Grateful to have a day at home, in my jammies, with the Pup.  Yeah, I got my schoolwork done- it's easier to do it from the couch.

Day 304 - Friday 9/20/13 - So grateful that conferences are done.  They are always such an energy drain, purely because they require extra hours after an already full work day.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 303 - Thursday 9/19/13 - Thankful that the Pup has developed patience when it comes to me getting home on time......

Day 302 - Wednesday 9/18/13 - Thirteen hour day.  With ten year olds.  I survived.  Enough said.

Day 301 - Tuesday 9/17/13 - So pleased that the first "late day" of the week went well.

Day 300 - Monday 9/16/13 - Grateful to my therapist.  Seriously.  I don't know where I'd be without her.

Day 299 - Sunday 9/15/13 - Pleasantly surprised that the corn roast truck I missed in the morning showed up at the cider mill in the afternoon while I happened to be there!  Yum!

Day 298 - Saturday 9/14/13 - Grateful to sleep in, and even more, to wake up with the sweetest Pup snuggled in close!

Day 297 - Friday 9/13/13 - Thankful for an impromptu happy hour with my BFF and her family - delicious dinner, too!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 296 - Thursday 9/12/13 - Loved seeing a double rainbow tonight!  What a nice treat to end an otherwise not-so-nice day.

Day 295 - Wednesday 9/11/13 - Grateful that my evening plans came through and a delicious dinner with good company was had at a fun food truck rally!

Day 294 - Tuesday 9/10/13 - Very thankful that tonight's parent night went so smoothly.

Day 293 - Monday 9/9/13 - Thankful that I have the Pup to snuggle with after a long day.

Day 292 - Sunday 9/8/13 - Happy to have found another Violet-friendly bakery - this one only a few miles from home!

Day 291 - Saturday 9/7/13 - SO thrilled to finally see my nutritionist!  It was only three weeks, but it felt like forever......

Day 290 - Friday 9/6/13 - Thankful that the first week of school went so smoothly!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 289 - Thursday 9/5/13 - Thankful for the delicious treat I gifted myself - my first caramel apple of the season!

Day 288 - Wednesday 9/4/13 - Thankful for a great evening with my BFF - with our busy schedules, it was really nice to be able to sit and catch up with no time restraints.

Day 287 - Tuesday 9/3/13 - Grateful that the first day was relatively uneventful.

Day 286 - Monday 9/2/13 - LOVED being able to spend the entire day with the Pup. Nice break before a hectic week!

Day 285 - Sunday 9/1/13 - Appreciate the calmness in which my DBT handled my disheveled-ness today.

Day 284 - Saturday 8/31/13 - Thankful that I kept my massage.  After all the physical labor happening in the classroom this week, it was a much needed treat.

Day 283 - Friday 8/30/13 - Grateful to have finished my room!  Bring on the kids!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 282 - Thursday 8/29/13 - Grateful to come home after a 12 hour day at school to a wiggly, happy, snuggly pup!

Day 281 - Wednesday 8/28/13 - Wow!  Still buzzing after an ah-may-zing and inspirational day of professional development!  Best we've had yet!

Day 280 - Tuesday 8/27/13 - Thankful the color printer was fixed so I could finish my printing and such.  Nice to feel a bit more organized than usual this time of year.

Day 279 - Monday 8/26/13 - Grateful for the work time today - it's nice to not have the imposed schedule of tasks, and instead have the choice to work how we want.

Day 278 - Sunday 8/25/13 - Loved running in to two wonderful friends on our trek to the farmer's market today!  Such a sweet treat to spend time catching up!

Day 277 - Saturday 8/24/13 - Yummy  nap today....... led to a productive evening getting things ready for school!

Day 276 - Friday 8/23/13 - Grateful for the weekend.  The last two days have been exhausting.

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 275 - Thursday 8/22/13 -So thankful that I actually am able to work in my classroom now that we're back!

Day 274 - Wednesday 8/21/13 - Grateful that I had such a good summer..... the Pup was a wonderful summer brightener, and I hate to leave him when I head back to school tomorrow!

Day 273 - Tuesday 8/20/13 - So happy that I was granted permission to order new bookshelves for my classroom!  Even more excited that they will actually arrive before school starts!

Day 272 - Monday 8/19/13 - Excited to be a part of the ground floor of a project so much bigger than me, that will impact so many..... let the planning begin!

Day 271 - Sunday 8/18/13 -  Thankful to have found another Violet-friendly bakery!  They are so few and far between, I gotta latch on to them when I find em!

Day 270 - Saturday 8/17/13 - So grateful to be a part of a special family's milestone celebration today....... they exemplify the true meaning of family, and I hope to have a family like theirs one day.

Day 269 - Friday 8/16/13 - Thrilled that I was able to stick to my plan, which involved cleaning out the cabinets at school until I filled one garbage barrel. 

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 268 - Thursday 8/15/13 - Thankful for some lightness and laughter in therapy today..... it's going to be a long week next week........

Day 267 - Wednesday 8/14/13 - Enjoyed a nice evening with siblings and friends at a local food truck gathering.  Believe it or not, I ate.  A lot!  I kinda enjoyed it, too.......

Day 266 - Tuesday 8/13/13 - Appreciate the chance to pull out the winter clothes today, but would really appreciate the return of summer ASAP, please.

Day 265 - Monday 8/12/13 - So appreciative of how well my doctor knows me and my schedule of life, really makes me feel cared for on so many levels.

Day 264 - Sunday 8/11/13 - Excited about the work I accomplished at home today.  That, and the tasty fresh roasted corn from the Farmer's Market this morning.

Day 263 - Saturday 8/10/13 - A much appreciated day of rest........ long overdue, or so it felt.

Day 262 - Friday 8/9/13 - SO thankful that today's workshop sessions went well!  Even better, I had fun presenting them, too!

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 261 - Thursday 8/8/13 - So grateful that my presentation went well today.  Two more to go....... so much for taking the summer off!

Day 260 - Wednesday 8/7/13 - Grateful that the move went well and the majority of my grandmother's things are settled safely into their new homes.

Day 259 - Tuesday 8/6/13 - Thankful for a day of rest.  Or at least, sort of a day of rest.

Day 258 - Monday 8/5/13 - Appreciated the light rain that sprinkled down on the Pup and I during our evening walk.

Day 257 - Sunday 8/4/13 - Very grateful for a down day, literally and figuratively.  It was practically mandatory after this past week......

Day 256 - Saturday 8/3/13 - Appreciate the walk down my parents memory lane that we took today, visiting the houses where they grew up, as well as some of their favorite childhood haunts.

Day 255 - Friday 8/2/13 - Grateful, I think, for the sizable stash of chocolate covered raisins I now have.... hidden so I don't overindulge..... gotta go wash the chocolate off my keyboard now......

365 Days of Giving Thanks

Day 254 - Thursday 8/1/13 - Grateful to all who came to pay their respects to my grandmother this week.  She will be missed by many.

Day 253 - Wednesday 7/31/13 - Appreciate the Pup's silly antics - he just ran into the couch, literally, and after I checked to make sure he wasn't hurt, I cracked up.  I needed that laugh.

Day 252 - Tuesday 7/30/13 - Grateful I got through the eulogy without breaking down.

Day 251 - Monday 7/29/13 - Grateful that today is over.  It was a very rough one.  Grateful that my parents didn't murder each other.  Yes, that's how rough it was.

Day 250 - Sunday 7/28/13 - Thankful to have been able to enjoy a nice family dinner for my Dad's birthday tonight.

Day 249 - Saturday 7/27/13 - Beyond grateful that I went to visit my grandmother last night, and thankful that she is no longer suffering.

Day 248 - Friday 7/26/13 - Grateful, so grateful, to whatever it was that compelled me to go visit my grandmother tonight.  I know it meant the world to her.