Gratitude Days 9-10: Amanda, Amelia, Carolyn

I had a bit of a struggle initially to think of something to be grateful for initially. But only for a split second, because even though some not great things happened, they do not outweigh the good. This is what I am noticing the more days I do this gratitude thing. 

You may not know this about me, but I do not like driving 90% of the time. (I am grateful I work with my husband and we can carpool most days.) Yesterday, I was driving Caleb's car and it died on the center lane on the highway during rush hour. Today, I was driving my car and got rear-ended. I am fine, the rear-ending was at a very slow speed and my car has no damages (to my untrained eye). I have never been in a car accident before, so I am thankful that this one was not terrible, but it still made me want to give up driving. 

I am grateful for these women:

Carolyn, Amelia, Amanda

Amanda and Carolyn are two of the awesomest friends anyone could ever wish for. 

Amanda is a storyteller and spends a lot of time weaving words together to tell about beauty and hard things. You want to visit that link and read her blog. She also asks really good questions. I have experienced this with her in person and on the phone for many years. We actually used to celebrate our friendiversary (that's like how couples celebrate how long they've been together, except we celebrate our platonic relationship). Our friendiversary is sometime in January 2008. 

Carolyn was my roommate until Caleb became my roommate and I cannot sum up how awesome she is. She is a great listener and problem solver. Also, she helps me be stylish and not look like a hippie all the time. She is fluent in español, and she loves to teach middle schoolers. [Caro, eres la leche.] Also, she is adorable and looks like a model. 

Amanda picked me up after my car mishap yesterday and took me to Carolyn's house, where we ate, swapped clothes, and went for a walk. They made my day so much better, it was hard not to feel anything but grateful for an evening with them. 

Amelia is my cousin and therefore holds the title of my oldest friendship. We played and imagined together for many years and now we're all grown up and she has two beautiful babies. (AND I GET TO MEET THE NEWEST ONE ON SATURDAY!!... not that I'm excited or anything.) 

I remember when I was growing up, if Amelia was not going to be at a family gathering, I was certain I would be bored out of my mind. Did you have relatives like this? She loved all the coolest things: dolls, Barbies, catching frogs, turtles and baby mice, swimming, reading, cooking, dressing up, and convincing our parents to walk out to the pond and protect us from... well, I'm not quite sure what they were protecting us from, but we were not allowed to climb over the fence by ourselves. Also, we were the only two people who didn't like softball or baseball, which gave us an extra special bond. 

So, as you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for today and yesterday. What are you thankful for?

Gratitude Day 8: The little things

Today, I am grateful for some simple things.

1. A free evening at home after being away
2. My bed and the weight of my blankets
3. Living in a country where I can assume that the law and my social circle will protect me. I have been reading this book and realizing what a small percentage of the world has both of these protections. Definitely food for thought at work and hopefully a catalyst for change in the world.
4. Realizing that we live in one of the only integrated neighborhoods in our city. Profound gratitude for our neighbors, even if they can be a little on the noisy side. :)

Gratitude Day 7: Perspective

Perspective

Today, on the eve of returning to work, I am grateful for the perspective that stepping back gives. 

This vacation was especially a good time to explore the effect of a lot of BIG changes at work. I knew I needed a break, and it was even better than I could have imagined. Not that it always turns out that way, but this time it did, so I am full of gratitude and relief. 

I am grateful for hard conversations with friends. Sometimes, in order to not grow apart, you have to carefully have hard conversations, and the mess of it all can be overwhelmingly beautiful. Perspective. 

Gratitude Days 5 & 6

I realize that it seems a leeetle like the easy way out to start my gratitude practice on a week when I am going on vacation.... but maybe it was a wise way to start a new habit. Either way, here are yesterday's and today's:
Yesterday: I am grateful for playing on a beach all day with these lovelies plus our two (non-pictured) men.

Today: I am unendingly thankful for water.

Gratitude Day 4

Today, I am grateful for time spent reading with friends, napping, and starting to relax.

Gratitude Day 3

Today, I am grateful for Caleb, who remains very calm while I stress out about packing for our vacation.

See? Look how calm he is.

Gratitude Day 2

Today, I am grateful for an evening with no plans... For the first time in too long, we slowed down, caught up, slow-danced in our living room. Eating on the front porch, and a hot shower. And now, on to packing!

Tomorrow, the promise of sunshine and vacation...