All posts tagged: Gratitude

M is for…

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One of my best friends from high school remembers everything. Whenever we talk, she reminisces about our old shenanigans as if they happened yesterday. Things that we did decades ago; things I’ve long since forgotten. Last year, I (briefly) dated a man who reminded me of her. Our conversations were like time travel; we’d always end up in the 70’s or 80’s! Sometimes I wondered why the two of them weren’t dating. They both had this weird connection to the past—as if that past still existed.

Nothing But Grace

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Before I say anything about the “G” word, I want to share where my thoughts were headed last night. It occurred to me that I need to keep these alphabet posts simple. The idea was to use the letters as a prompt, to do some quick, fun, and easy gratitude exercises. The next thing you know, I’m writing these wordy posts about contentment and dreams. Not that that’s a bad thing, I just know it’ll be hard to stay on that path once the holiday is over. Anyway, I jot down words that come to mind when I think about particular letters. Some of the letters are still blank, but “G” has been seeing some serious action. Gratitude was a no-brainer, but it seems redundant to say “I’m grateful for gratitude.” Gummy Bears and Graffiti Art popped into my head; I can enjoy both of these for hours! Growth made its way to the list this afternoon and, of course… God has been in my thoughts throughout the entire process. I wasn’t sure what to …

Contentment

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“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” Guillaume Apollinaire I’m on the letter “C” today and this quote is perfect. I’m starting with a word that I’m not necessarily a fan of, but I won’t make a habit of that. Contradiction: a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another. Sometimes a professor will say something that totally contradicts what another professor said. That’s confusing, and sometimes annoying, but that’s not why I brought it up.

Blog and Butterfly

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Not to be confused with Heart’s song of the 70’s, Dog and Butterfly. Continuing The Alphabet Game, my ongoing series about the things that I love—from A to Z—today I’m on the Bold & the Beautiful letter B: Blogging and Butterflies I’ll skip the details about blogging (for now); you all know how awesome it is to blog. As for butterflies, they’re a bit like the ocean, lightning, sunsets, rainbows, and other wonders of nature—they’re beautiful in photographs, but seeing them with your own eyes is simply magical. I mentioned before that it was time I started planning some things. Well, I checked into where these beauties can be found, and The Coronado Butterfly Preserve is a two hour drive up the coast. According to their site, the best time to visit is between November and February—with peak viewing in December & January—just in time for my winter break. So… it looks like I’ve got some plans to make! Of course, this all circles back to my love of blogging; I’ll have an interesting story …

The Alphabet Game

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I thought it would be fun to do a new series while I’m on my “time out.” I realize that sounds a bit paradoxical, but I’ve had a long weekend—with plenty of time to ponder the idea. After posting the little things, I was amazed at how it affected me. Taking the time to think about the things you love (or are grateful for) really does change how you feel. That being said, I’m going to attempt an ongoing series about the things that I love… moving slowly (but swiftly) from A to Z, and I’m calling it The Alphabet Game. Feel free to join in anytime and add your own. Here goes the first letter:

the little things

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I love… morning coffee to tinker; a little bit of this and a little bit of that thunder and lightning, especially when I’m enjoying coffee and tinkering the sound of rain on a tin roof rainbows and butterflies the way my body feels after doing something strenuous (rare, but happens) swimming in cool waters when the sky explodes into colors (missing Colorado) road trips—I’ll get out there again, eventually walking on sand the ocean

Gratitude Hour

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Time can be a little deceptive. It’s been two months since the fall semester ended, and—to be honest—it feels like it’s been a year. I’m grateful for the “down time,” don’t get me wrong, but that old familiar feeling… that it’s time to get moving… has taken hold, and Tuesday can’t come soon enough. It’s kind of like long, out of town vacations. They’re awesome! They’re fun, relaxing, and refreshing, but eventually you reach that point where you just want to go home. So… Daily Addiction’s word today is Inspire, and I’ve been thinking about that word quite a bit (burning the midnight oil again). In my pondering, I realized that one of the reasons my life, and this blog, have morphed and grown so much over the past couple of years is because so many of you have inspired me. Undoubtedly, I’ll be online much less once my classes start… so it seems like the perfect time to express my gratitude for that inspiration. To all the photographers out there, thank you for sharing. …

New Perspectives

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Oftentimes I tell the people I meet about my transformation; how much I’ve changed since entering recovery and coming to believe. The way I usually describe it is that all of these changes are internal… they can’t be seen. Well, aside from the fact that you won’t “see” me drinking anymore. Sometimes I refer to it as a “new attitude,” and other times I say that a lot of it has do with “gratitude.” Even so, I still find myself complaining or whining at times (especially when I play softball), but I’m able to recognize my behavior, pull out my tools, and work on fixing the problem. While pondering the word angle—I realized that looking at life, myself, and others from different perspectives is probably one of the KEY factors behind my transformation. My new attitude stems from seeing things from new angles, and the ability to do so keeps me grateful. One of the greatest things I learned in recovery was that I need to look at my own reflection when something is bothering …

Introspection

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Fear, like a giant boulder…Stays weighted at my feet.—Afraid I’ll miss the curtain call, I stay paralyzed…Gazing at the stage to find my cue. Impatience, like a cold wind…Sends me sailing into a flurry.—I shatter into pieces, chasing a million things…Until all that’s left are tiny shards. Reason, like a brilliant scientist…Wants to put me back together.—Like a puzzle to be solved, I inspect the fragments…But many of the pieces have been lost. Acceptance, like a soft embrace…Whispers I am enough.—The mystery becomes magical, and I feel love. But, Gratitude… Sweet, sweet Gratitude—Like a burning flame…She warms my soul. … Inspired by the Word of the Day Challenge: Gratitude Today’s Accomplishment: Write a poem without a rhyme Dr. Seuss likes to whistle tunes to me when I even ‘think’ about poetry, so this was extremely hard for me. Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. —African Proverb