For a good while now, I've been feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for all the wonderful things in my life - from the big, important things: my husband and my beautiful child - to the important but often taken for granted things: a place to live, a good job, reliable transportation, and food on the table (even when we don't have a table!) - to the little things that make every day so enjoyable: the beauty of the city around me, a great song on the radio, a rare good-hair day, or my little kiddo's funny little alien drawings.
I believe that happiness is much more possible than most people seem to think - but I also believe that it doesn't just come to you. It takes some work. Not hard work, just... consciousness. You have to pay attention to the things in your life that make you be happy. It's not always easy, because the monsters are usually much bigger and louder - but if you really take the time to seek out the little happiness-bringers, they outnumber the monsters by a lot. They get bigger and brighter if you speak their names out loud - acknowlegement has that effect on most things.
So in the spirit of this season of Thanksgiving, I'm going to spend some time each day acknowledging the things and people that bring joy into my life. I expect to be a much happier person because of it.
I believe that happiness is much more possible than most people seem to think - but I also believe that it doesn't just come to you. It takes some work. Not hard work, just... consciousness. You have to pay attention to the things in your life that make you be happy. It's not always easy, because the monsters are usually much bigger and louder - but if you really take the time to seek out the little happiness-bringers, they outnumber the monsters by a lot. They get bigger and brighter if you speak their names out loud - acknowlegement has that effect on most things.
So in the spirit of this season of Thanksgiving, I'm going to spend some time each day acknowledging the things and people that bring joy into my life. I expect to be a much happier person because of it.
10 October 20101
Today I am thankful for:
- the beautiful fall weather
- bacon & eggs & hummus!
- my sweet little red-headed midgee who is at the pumpkin patch today
- my husband who is driving around town somewhere feeding the people
- my job, which I love & my boss, who is awesome.
12 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a short workday, with no homework
- new Sharpie pens
- yellow paperclips
- tired muscles that tell me my body is working
14 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
Today I am thankful for:
- my warm fuzzy fleece vest
- finally having a subject for this week's studio project
- my row of red & purple flowers on the white board!
- moments when the laughter of my coworkers drowns out the elevator music
19 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- popcorn
- pink & brown argyle socks
- salt!
- catching a problem before it becomes a monster
- 3:30pm
20 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- having food at my desk again
- cranberries
- re-reading an old favorite book
- a good idea for tonight's homework
21 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- being back on PFC calls
- great hold music
- a Halloween block party in my neighborhood,
which I found out about on Twitter - neighbors who give toys instead of candy
(but who also have wine for the parents of small superheroes!)
22 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- finding an Amazon gift card in an old bag
- long-time friends, like the one whose birthday is today
- actually getting training when I ask for it!
- a doodle that started badly but turned out great
28 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- an actual day off, all by myself!
- replacing a lost album and bringing back music that I love
- the parts of my day that are not productive, but restful.
29 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- living in a city where a pirate with a light saber
wouldn't be all that unusual, even if it wasn't Halloween! - renewed ability to do my job, after a week-long slump
30 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a fun day at home with my family
- the first pumpkin-eggnog pie of the season!
- a husband who loves to bake and is good at it
31 October 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- Target, which has saved us for two Halloweens in a row now!
- my brave little kiddo who decided today to finally ride a horse
on the Jantzen Beach carousel - my husband who remains calm in the midst of getting-ready chaos
- a lovely Halloween spent sitting around a roaring fire
at the home of some friends, sharing great food & great fellowship
1 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a new desk
- a new assignment
the number 14the number 15!- my amazing husband
- a warm cozy house after a ride home in the rain
4 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- leftover minestrone
- an office full of superheroes
5 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my decision to go ahead & put my helmet on,
even though I was only going half a block across the street.
6 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- the soft, squooshy, oh-so-comfy spot in the corner of the couch
- cuddling in with my little one and watching Sesame Street
7 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- pop culture
- feeling stylish in six shades of brown
- Authentic Community
- watching my child learn to write their name
8 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- not feeling "in need" as this holiday season approaches
- being done with the grocery shopping for this week
- my patient and understanding husband,
who helped me survive the grocery shopping!
9 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my husband, who fixed the lights on my bike
- peppermint hot chocolate
before a ride in the rain & the dark - a boss who came through, just at the right moment!
10 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my poor tired muscles, which took me the long way home even though they really wanted to jump on the streetcar!
- a school that doesn't do final exams
11 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my child, who just took a three-and-a-half-hour nap!!!
14 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- feeling the morning sunshine warm my skin in a cold room
- finding a batch of old videos from when the midgee was a baby
- cool water on a sore, scratchy throat
15 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- Roy Lichtenstein
- my trusty kneaded eraser, which can defeat even Sharpie smudges
- a new-to-me top that now fits great!
16 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a pair of canvas sneaks, which I've been wanting, and which will soon be ready to be painted!
- my husband coming to pick me up when the Yellow Line mysteriously quit running on my way home
17 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a day out of the office
- a driver who knows the neighborhood and has GPS
- Miss Jasmine's oh-so-delicious wicked good
homemade chocolate chip cookies - my amazing husband,
who came through yet again in a tight situation - an early Thanksgiving feast shared with good friends
18 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- knowing that I am competent and reliable, someone that my boss and coworkers can depend on -
what an amazing change from years past! - everything that I know to be true,
even when I don't feel it
19 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my boss' kindness and generosity
- the weekend!
- a lovely hour all to myself, to spend painting on a Friday afternoon
21 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a clean refrigerator,
and my husband who got it that way - a six-pound stockpile of unsalted butter -
all ready for holiday baking - groceries for Thanksgiving dinner
- a kid who likes Beef Burgundy as much as I do
- red wine & Oreos!
24 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- John Popper's voice singing "What Remains"
- Jordan Katz's trumpet on "The First Time"
- All of my favorite music
and its power to soothe a bruised spirit - My husband, who got me lots of fun socks
and a clean kitchen for my birthday - My boss, who also gave me a birthday present
without even knowing it!
25 November 2010
Today I am thankful for so many things:
- my beautiful, amazing family -
my husband and my sweet little midgee,
as well as all of my family that are in other places - my friends, both here and elsewhere -
and the technology that allows me to keep them all close and send them my thoughts and good wishes, no matter where they are - a job that I enjoy, my wonderful boss,
and my coworkers - my husband's job
- our snug little home up in the "tower"
- my kiddo's school
- our Thanksgiving feast - turkey and cranberries, vegetables and jello salads straight out of my childhood, and perhaps the best apple pie I've ever had!
- another three days to spend time at home with my family, to paint, and to work on various other projects before going back to work - especially because I know that when Monday comes I will be glad to go back to work
30 November 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- 2 more weeks
- mint chocolate!
- Christmas music
- acrylic paints that I can "erase"
when I smudge my finger through them - spending an evening doing nothing-much
with the love of my life
3 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my husband. again. always.
- being such a big ol' geek
- a Harry Potter film that finally, finally got it right -
the first one since the second one! (or maybe the third.)
9 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- still having a job
- having a life outside my job
- my own Pollyanna tendencies
which keep me sane & smiling
when everyone around me is hating life - music!
10 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- people who call me back and sign up
for whatever event I'm working on - Beth, and her awesome & inspiring snowflake drawings
- my own snowflake drawings - so fun!
- more music
17 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- being on a plane again!
- a huge success in Astoria yesterday
- a two-week holiday in New Mexico with my family
22 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- my husband's courage
in standing up to someone he loves - the strong, amazing woman that my sister-in-law has become
- getting out of here tomorrow
30 December 2010
Today I am thankful for:
- a safe trip home
- success in finally lugging all of our suitcases home from the airport
- my own bed!
6 January 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- having enough, and for knowing that I have enough, even when I'm wishing for more.
7 January 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- a whiff of rosemary on the way to work
- the sight of our Regional Coordinator dancing in our office first thing in the morning
- the fact that my kid's teachers have to ask them who they are going to be each day
- tomorrow being Saturday so my tired little midgee can sleep.
10 January 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- starting a new class
- pretzels & orange juice
- my new gig as tattoo designer
- businesses with great names
like Blank Zebra and Elegantly Funky
13 January 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- the 50th teapot!
16 January 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- my favorite hymn
- a good round-table discussion
and a friend I didn't really know I had - Ben & Jerry's Neapolitan Dynamite
12 February 2011
Today I am thankful for:
Today I am thankful for:
- an opportunity to try something new
- a fun day on the mountain
- a great workout!
14 February 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- a busy, productive day
- finally getting all of our bills paid
- a lunch date at the Yogio cart (What? What?)
- getting to spend Valentine's Day with my husband
22 February 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- BOOKSHELVES!
- finally, finally getting all my books out of the boxes they've been in for nearly two years
- my amazing husband, who built the bookshelves and rearranged the living room to find a place for them.
1 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- my first sale!
- an opportunity for some shameless self-promotion
http://www.etsy.me/MollyGrue
9 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- the bike that didn't get stolen
- a wonderful husband who took me to breakfast at Pine State Biscuits
to make my day a little less irksome. (it worked.) - The Portland Community Cycling Center
11 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- my husband finally being out of pain
after weeks of barely being able to walk
13 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- 50% off canvases at Michael's!
- another fun project to do with the midgee
17 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- a delicious Irish-themed potluck - corned beef & cabbage, bangers & mash, colcannon, soda bread, Irish coffee and Guinness cake!
- a great evening of authentic community
- my husband being able to join in the festivities
(even though he didn't have a matching shamrock shirt.)
18 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- finally being able to bike to work again
- a short day at work
- a long weekend ahead
19 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- an afternoon with my kiddo
- another sale in my Etsy shop
- an all-day creative flow,
and an opportunity to do some meditation while I worked on a favorite painting
22 March 2011
Today I am thankful for:
- still having a job
- other ways to keep doing what I love
- my husband -
who has more faith in me than I have in myself today - an idea for a new project, born out of necessity
