Gratitude 28 August 2016

• Relaxed. I needed to be an introvert for a day.
• Went for a 2 mile walk, then walked the dogs.
• Wore my new apron and made lunches for next week.
• Read a good book.
• Wore my cactus bolero.

• Read article "A Writer's Guide to Hacking the Reader's Brain (in 5 Steps)" by Lisa Cron.
• Made a simple bouquet.

• Saw these animals getting ready for bed (including a dragonfly perched on a leaf, but I didn't get a photo of the dragonfly because my dog sniffed it).

There are 2 lizards in this picture. See if you can find them. 

Gratitude 22 August 2016

• Learned how to sew a button on a sleeve.
• Worked alongside my mom to mend several items, which was great because my mom is very good at sewing. I had been keeping a plastic trug of broken things. Together, we fixed:

• The clasp on 1 shirt.
• The straps on 1 overnight bag and 2 backpacks.
• The button a thrift store Anne Taylor coat.
• Tears in my favorite quilt comforter.
• A ribbon belt on a dress.

• We added yellow ribbons to my backpack.

• I appreciated this because I was able to inexpensively repair some favorite things, spend time with my mom and learn from her and continue to use several items rather than throw them away.
• These are the types of things I'm getting done now that I'm no longer in school!

Quote from Harold Jarche - Connected Curiosity

"Some people seem to be naturally curious. Others work at it, while some just lack interest in learning. You can notice this when traveling. Some people can describe many aspects of their local vicinity while others don’t know anything about why certain features exist. They say that the most interesting people are those who are interested in others." - Harold Jarche, http://jarche.com/

Gratitude 23 August 2016

• Very happy I got all these things on my list accomplished. My car smells great and I found lots of time to spend by myself and get everything done that needed to be taken care of before going back to work from vacation.

• When I read a random poem outside, a brown skipper butterfly landed on my pen and I watched it unfurl its proboscis. 

Source and to read more: Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Special Projects Lab

• My dog jumped on the picnic table and inadvertently alerted me to a Christmas cactus plant/pot that had filled up with rain water. I was able to drain the water from the pot before the plant rotted from being too wet for too long.
• I learned that arco iris means rainbow in Spanish.
• Need to investigate the bullet journal and 21 day projects.
• "Everything else waits its turn." - Gretchen Rubin

Gratitude 21 August 2016

• I am so happy the first ever "Swamp Stomp" mud run at HRSP went well. 
• We decided to run it again at the end of the day with staff and volunteers. I am sore, but proud I worked out hard and completed the race twice.
• Then, we sat under the tent in the beer garden and drank our local Cigar City beer and ate sandwiches. We laughed a lot and camaraderie was everywhere. It was a special day.
• I am learning this is what is important to me. 

Source: https://cigarcitybrewing.com/introducing-lager/ 

Gratitude 20 August 2016

• Today, I volunteered to help at the Hillsborough River State Park (HRSP)"Swamp Stomp." I took pictures of runners and helped with event registration.
• At the end of the day, staff, family and volunteers ran the race together. I was able to climb a wall on my own and learned I have more upper body strength than I thought, but that I could also dig a little more and overcome a difficult challenge.
• We finished as a family. Even my 8-yr. old niece ran the race and earned a medal!

Gratitude 19 August 2016

• Made a hearty chili and used a new ingredient: dried New Mexico chilis. I put them in the oven for a few minutes until they puffed up and were fragrant, then I blended them with spices and added them to my chili.

• Had delicious Mexican food with Brian (my husband), Wesley (my stepson) and Randi (my sister-in-law). Now that I'm done with school, I have more time to spend with family and it feels really nice to relax and to see everyone. 
• Created a banner photo op for our park's (Hillsborough River State Park) first ever mud run called the Hillsborough River "Swamp Stomp." It was so much fun. I brought my giant speaker down to the park rec hall and we blasted music while making the banner. People used the banner on Saturday and Sunday as a post-run picture spot. The banner graphic is similar to the medals that race finishers received.

Gratitude 18 August 2016

• Finally getting over a 2 day migraine at about 8:30 PM EST. I know a lot of people have much more significant health concerns that they are dealing with other than migraines, so this is nothing like that. However, I felt like I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think, be happy, concentrate or be creative. It hurt right above my eyes and nothing helped (home coffee, Starbucks coffee, Excedrin migraine, chewable aspirin, healthy food, fried food, fruit smoothie). I just wanted to lay down and then got frustrated because a) I didn't have time to just lay around, and b) I felt unlike myself. I am very grateful this headache has gone away. 
• Spotting a book that I think someone may enjoy and buying it as a present for him.
• Working on something I didn't want to do and getting it done.
• Reflecting on finishing my Master's degree and graduating August 6, 2016.
• Learning about microbes and how they affect immunology.
• Hearing the catchy song "Cake by the Ocean" by DNCE. 

Gratitude 15 August 2016

•Spending time with my mom
•Being able to work remotely (even though it was a vacation day)
•Buying fresh herbs, peppers and mushrooms from the Asian market
•Getting a > $1,300.00 medical bill last week and learning today most of it will be covered by insurance
•Finding a blue pair of Grasshopper sneakers, an Anne Taylor skirt, a pair of Gap pants, shorts, 2 shirts and sailboat earrings from the thrift store for $22.27

Gratitude 14 August 2016

•Laughs with my husband
•Dogs in the bed
•Daydreaming
•Fish & chips
•Spicy bloody Mary's
•New choral music, Eric Whitacre
•Sandcastles with horses

•Discovering a new beach, Upham Beach
•Easy drive & cool water
•Peace & quiet
•Great playlist by a German

Currently reading I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Things I've learned or appreciated from reading this book:

• "Like my mother, Akbar Khan may not have had much of a formal education, but he had another kind of wisdom. My father often spoke of the kindness of Akbar Khan and Nasir Pacha to illustrate that if you help someone in need you might also receive unexpected aid." pg. 42
• "But my father is an optimistic man and never deterred by practicalities." pg. 49

Yousafzai, M. (2013). I Am Malala. New York, NY: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Company. 

Quote from a book picked up from the La Terraza de San Juan hotel book exchange in Puerto Rico

"No, I do not weep at the world. I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife." 

Hurston, Zora Neale. (1928). "How It Feels to be Colored Me." The World Tomorrow, p. 17. 

excerpted from:

Cannon, K. G. (1988). Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press.