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Gratitude and Such: 3/26/22

Last weekend the daughter of one of my besties got married. It was the highlight of the decade by far…

My dog sitter bailed on me. At zero hour, the daughter of my other bestie said she would Betty sit.

I am grateful to have been invited to a day filled with love and laughter and friendship.

I am grateful for the kindness of friends.

I am grateful for having two of the best friends in the world!

If you need a prompt for mindfulness or journaling:

Risk

See Nature

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate Oprah Winfrey

The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen Lee Iacocca

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Gratitude and Such: 3/5/22

My cat hurled up a hair ball on my comforter. Which means I had to wash my comforter. Which means I needed the large washer in the laundry room. Alas, the company that services our laundry room has been less than available, so instead of two large machines, we are down to one.

Of course, when I went down to the laundry room I saw someone at the one working large machine. I didn’t have my glasses on so I couldn’t tell if she was putting laundry in or taking out- so I asked her… she was about to start…

I sighed.

She pointed out an empty machine, but I told her the whole cat hair ball comforter story…

She said- “Oh- I just have clothes- I can use the smaller machine” and she proceeded to take out her clothes so I could use the big washer.

I am grateful for what I can only say was an act of kindness…an act of generosity done with no expectation of getting anything in return…

I’d like to think I would do the same thing for someone in that situation.

If you need some mindfulness or journaling prompts:

Perseverance

Know your senses

Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take: the larger kind we feel for what we give. Edwin Arlington Robinson

Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions. Norman Cousins

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Gratitude Saturday- 2/12/22

Different seasons typically introduce different weather. Brisk fall leads to cold winter. I remember those first days that dipped into the twenties. Brrrr. But then magically, after a few weeks of temps in the high 20’s low 30’s, one day you go out and its 25 degrees and you remark- Ok- not too bad today. Your body has acclimated to the colder temps. And then you have a 40 degree day and you go out in a thermal fleece, because its practically tropical…

I am grateful for our bodies- how they adapt to what we need them to adapt to. It’s a beautiful thing.

I am going to incorporate some mindfulness along with gratitude on my Saturdays. I’m not really a spiritual person, but I have found that little bits of solitude and reflection can help my mind.

If you need a word to focus on, let this week be: RESPECT

If you need a phrase, let it be: LOOK EVEN CLOSER

If you need a quote: One can appreciate and celebrate each moment- there’s nothing more sacred. There’s nothing more vast or absolute. In fact, there’s nothing more! Pema Chodron

The things that divide us are far less important than those that connect us. Rachel Naomi Remen

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Life Moments

A few months ago we went to a museum with some friends.

I had already seen the exhibit, so I parked myself in front of a work that I thought was wonderful (because I actually thought this particular exhibit was, on the whole, pretty bland), looked at the painting, and then took out my phone so I could finish reading the chapter I had been reading on mass transit on way to museum.

It was one of the self help books that I love- all about how to live life to the fullest and whatever. I can’t remember what book it was (I know- shame on me) but I do remember what the subject was: the chapter was about being present in the moment…

You know- mindfulness, kind of…

So I’m reading about how we need to pay attention to the little details. How we need to look at what is right in front of us and let the experience wash over us…

I’m reading about how we should let our senses guide us to live in the moment– to hear what is being said, touch what is touchable, smell the aroma of a place, taste what is applicable, and see what is in front of us…

I inwardly chuckled to myself that it was a good thing that I didn’t do that- I mean, personally, I am really good at experiencing life as it comes to me…I’m good at living in the moment. No wait…I am great at living in the moment.

I am the most observant person ever…

All hail me- the Goddess of living in the moment…

It was at that particular moment that I realized our friends D and K were literally in front of me looking at a painting…

Two feet away talking loudly enough that I could have heard them if I was paying attention…close enough that I should have seen them if I were paying attention…

I was so engrossed in reading about being in the moment, that I totally stopped being in the moment…

I decided right then and there that this was one of those life moments that I needed to pay attention to. What’s the chance of reading about something in a book, thinking to myself that it’s a good thing that I’m not at all one of the bad people he talks about, and then realizing that I AM EXACTLY ONE OF THE BAD PEOPLE THAT HE TALKS ABOUT WHO DOESN’T PAY ATTENTION TO THE MOMENT.

One of life’s odd coincidences right there slapping me in the face…

Was reading about things stopping me from experiencing things?

NOOOOOO….

Not reading….

I’m not giving up reading…

But maybe I shouldn’t always pick up my book when I have a spare minute…or spare thirty seconds…

Maybe I should just let time wash over me sometimes…

Maybe I should just be…

Sometimes…

Not all the time…

Because I’m not giving up reading…

but occasionally I guess it’s OK to put down the book…

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Gratitude and Calm June 8

The jackhammering in my building continues in earnest…I went to Target yesterday and forgot to buy the milk that I went there to buy (and I had a list….) Federer lost… I got three calls from, I believe, Azerbaijan in the middle of the night therefore screwing up any chance of a good sleep…

But on the bright side:

Gratitude

I am eternally grateful to my Daughter’s friends and her high school classmates. In NYC there is a tradition called “bedding”. Your friends come over to your house and put snacks the color of your college (my daughters college is blue and grey so she got oreos, graham crackers, pretzel m&m’s, and I don’t remember what other blue wrapping) and they make a cake or cupcakes with the school colors, and put all your merch out, and balloons….it’s really cute. And to see them hiding in her room waiting for her  to come home from her babysitting job….yelling surprise….and to hear nine girls laughing and giggling….I will miss these groups of kids hanging out in my house.

She also got her yearbook yesterday and kids started to sign. Last night we read through, and I couldn’t help buy tear up a little reading all the sweet things these kids had to say about her, seeing her through there eyes….grateful that she had a relatively charmed high school experience…

Calm

I had something on my mind for awhile. I wrote it out. I feel better. Sometimes it’s that simple.

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Gratitude and Calm June 1

In a nutshell, the week that was: they started doing work on the garage attached to our building. Jackhammering five hours a day. Good times. It’s like a continual mini earthquake. Maybe we should charge people, like a ride. Two of my friends lost pets, one a dog younger than mine, a dog that the family got because they saw our dog and just knew they were meant to be dog owners. My daughter did win a small scholarship, so money in a plus!!

Gratitude: I am grateful I bought a full 2019 planner. I had thoughts of winging it this month, as my old planner ended yesterday and the new planners all start in July, but as June 2019 sets out to be the busiest month in recorded history, I need space to plan and deliberate.

Calm: I have had a pretty easy ride with my teen. But of course, with college on the horizon, she is beginning to feel that dreaded push/pull of adult v child. Yesterday she was in a &*^%& mood, and I took 3(or perhaps 300) deep breaths and reminded myself that in a few months she will be gone, and I didn’t get baited by the sarcastic and arrogant hooks she was flailing about.

 

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Buzzing Around Mindfulness

The next thing I’m going to work on next year is mindfulness.  Now, before you start thinking- “Oh good- LA has gotten so trite she is now going to go down the list of 2018 buzz words…” hear me out.

One of our favorite family vacation anecdotes revolves around our trip to Zion Canyon in Utah (FYI- one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen). My daughter was probably about seven, and this was the first trip we’d taken which did not in some way revolve around an amusement part.

We arrived at the park about noon local time.  We’d flown into Vegas the night before, and made the drive that morning. My daughter and I stood on the trail admiring the beauty of the majestic landscape before me. (OK- I was admiring.  My daughter wanted to know when we were going to ride horses…) Husband was about ten feet ahead of us and looked back and said “Come on. Let’s get on with it.”  I walked up to him and said “Where are we hurrying to? It’s not like we’re going to miss the 6 train…”

See- here’s the thing: Me, my husband, my daughter, the people around me are often so focused on checking things off our never ending lists that we forget to stop and think about what is going on in front of us. I often need a literal canyon in front of me to make me stop and take it all in.

Mindful.

Where am I rushing to? Why am I rushing? I need to stop and ask myself these questions at least once a day.  I set phone reminders to make sure I take care of tasks: buy milk- ping, mail stitchfix back- ping, change litter- ping.  I’m going to set reminders to take a mind break.

“LA- stop what you’re doing and take a deep breath. Look at what is right in front of you.” PING.

Why is this so important? Because we’re not here to just take care of to do’s. We’re here to take care of each other.  We’re here to take care of ourselves. To take of our bodies, our minds and our souls.

And that’s the most important thing to check off the list.

And in a strange coincidence, something really good just happened in our household, so I’m going to savor the moment!