A daily dose of gratitude #1

I am a big fan of gratitude. Honestly, if I could give people just one thing, it would be that they would have more gratitude. I think its the best soul medicine around.

And no one should preach a life-style they aren't willing to live up to. 

So I thought I'd share a little gratitude idea I have. I have a facebook account with a 100s of "friends." In the past I used to do clean sweeps and delete anyone I didn't have regular contact with ... but then I figured out how important networking is and that if I ever moved back to my hometown, I might want to see a few of those highschool people that were pretty awesome and nice (and still live in town!) but who I don't always talk to when there isnt a chance for a get together. However, I am still strict about only "friending" someone I actually know.

About 2 years I began a little gratitude project. I am slowly working my way through my facebook "friends" and sending each one a personalized thank you message. I'm thanking them for a life-lesson, impactful moment, or some other thing they did that left a lasting effect on me. I really lagged on it last year, but I am picking it back up now with the intention of having emailed each and everyone of my "friends" by the new year. 

The project stems from my own belief that every interaction, no matter how small, has an effect of some kind. Which is why I try my hardest (though I don't always live up to it as much as I'd like) to live with the intention of having positive interactions with everyone... regardless of how large or small that interaction may be. This belief system also allows me to view all others as teachers. 

This project is also a warm and fuzzy. There are plenty of emails that never get a response back. Thats fine - I'm not looking for a response. But then there are some emails that do a get a response that just warm my heart. Sometimes I get a thank you in return. Sometimes I get a reply that says that I gave that person a boost on a really shitty day. Sometimes I get a reply that says that they really appreciate feeling appreciated. And wow - that just seems like a gift all over again.

What are you grateful for today?

(and today, specifically, I'm grateful for my hubby and his homemade latte that he woke up at 5:30 am this morning to make so that I would have it while I was sitting in rush hour traffic on my way to start a 13 hour work day. Poor guy normally doesnt wake up until 9:30 or so.)

Making an upcycled coffee table

Hubby and I wanted a coffee table. But we werent willing to spend more than $10 on it. Sure there were a few in our price range at thrift stores, but they were all WAY beyond our taste range. Since we couldnt find anything we liked without going above our budget... we built one.

To keep the project cheap we used pallet wood, and pallets are easy to find completely free!
The legs were upcycled from a previous life and were found at a local recycling center for a few dollars.

Then we just had to use a few tools we had laying around to cut the wood to the length we had in mind, nail it all together, and sand it down.

The only thing we bought that cost us was the stain used to create a darker, more finished look. I think the whole table cost us $7.



And now we are kinda on a wood-project idea kick. Nothing else in the makings, but I'm sure there will be!

Happy Friday 9.9.11

When I was in undergraduate college, there was a guy on campus, who every Friday would carry red balloons around with him and greet everyone he met with "Happy Friday." I got to know him and he was so inspiring. Before college he had been in a severely bad car accident that resulted in multiple physical and cognitive disabilities. Even though it took away his talents as an athlete and set him back drastically physically and mentally, he was just so positive about life. And part of that positivity was recognizing that every Friday is a celebration. He had made it one more week!

Although he and I have lost touch, and I don't even remember his name, every Friday I think of him. Every Friday his positive spirit still reminds me that no matter what is going on in life at the moment, it is still a celebration to have made it through one more week.

I think he has forever changed my life and my outlook.

This Friday. I am celebrating these things that make me happy:

1. The end of Today!!! I will be so thrilled when the work day is over. I have to be at my first appointment at 7:30 this morning and probably won't be done with my last until 7:00 or so tonight. 

2. The fall weather we are having. Sweater weather is perfect weather! 

3. Coffee dates with favorite new coworkers

4. Little happy messages on tea bags and food containers. 

5.  My supervisor's salted chocolate chip cookies.

6.  My ability to only eat a few and not go overboard. 

7.  Getting an over-due library book returned.

8. Getting some mail off my desk and on its way to the people it belongs to.

9. The bubble bath I plan to take tonight.

10. Did I mention how excited I will be when I finally get home tonight?! YAY! Its the weekend!

This is me offering you a red balloon of celebration. What is making you happy this fine Friday?

Say YES

The following is from Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google:

Find a way to say yes to things.
Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new.
Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids.
Even if its a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new, and make a difference.
Yes lets you stand out in a crowd, be the optimist, see the glass full, be the one everyone comes to.
Yes is what keeps us all young.

Happy Friday 9.2.11

When I was in undergraduate college, there was a guy on campus, who every Friday would carry red balloons around with him and greet everyone he met with "Happy Friday." I got to know him and he was so inspiring. Before college he had been in a severely bad car accident that resulted in multiple physical and cognitive disabilites. Even though it took away his talents as an athlete and set him back drastically phsycially and mentally, he was just so positive about life. And part of that positivity was recognizing that every Friday is a celebration. He had made it one more week!
Although he and I have lost touch, and I don't even remember his name, every Friday I think of him. Every Friday his positive spirit still reminds me that no matter what is going on in life at the moment, it is still a celebration to have made it through one more week.
I think he has forever changed my life and my outlook.

This Friday. I am celebrating these things that make me happy:

1. The LONG weekend ahead! I'm so thankful for the extra day! 
2. The end of the work week. Man, this new job is EXHAUSTING. I've been pulling far too many hours. Hello regular 10 hour and 12 hour days. I'm going to have to figure out how to get a handle on that (particularly because I dont get paid for those extra hours!). I am so happy that after a long day today... I get to come home and sleep! 
3. I'm really happy about my bed. It is so comfy and I think in my current state of mind is on a bit of a pedestal at the moment... like the most perfect place to be ever! ha. 
4. Although it is exhausting, this job offers a lot to celebrate: It counts towards my licensure. I'm getting a pay check. The team I'm working with is AWESOME and so supporitive. I'm getting good exposure by working with all the multiple systems involved - the schools, courts, social workers, parole officers, etc. It is an opportunity opener known as "bootcamp for therapists."
5. Bright cheerful coffee mugs. Fabulous start to an early morning! 
6. Coffee inside said coffee mug. Mmmmmm.
7. The bright teal and blue nailpolish I've been rocking all week. 
8. My garden is producing mass amounts of vegetables and herbs. 
9. My slow cooker made some mean ratatouille to come home to at the end of a long day. Many of the ingredients were home grown! YUM.
10. My hubby. He has been working crazy hours lately too. And yet, when we get home, we are able to put all the grumbles of the day behind us and just enjoy eachother's exhausted company. Thats nicer than I can possibly explain. 

What are you celebrating this fine Friday?

PS. Wish me luck. I have to speak in court today as a "professional" for one of my cases. Its a little nerve racking to be considered professional enough to present to a judge.