FireSprite

Grateful that I can always come to this thread & re-happy myself, lol.

Rough day today - woke with a migraine, more water system issues, a client passed away, RAH was in an accident this morning, my alcoholic client (whom I've posted about before) fell & literally broke his face. Dreadful rain all day today & worse traffic than ever... I AM happy to get all the crappy over in the same day though, how's THAT for silver lining it???

healthyagain

Grateful for my art class where I can hang out with some nice ladies.

I am also very grateful I realized something. Today, I was driving home and kept asking myself, "What do you wanna do this evening? What would make you happy? Buy this? Have a smoothie? Eat out?" And the answer was no. And as I kept driving, I heard "I want to do something new, something I've never done before." So, I went driving to the area I've never driven before alone, went to a Chinese restaurant, and got a small meal.

I must polish my bucket list. I love doing little things like this.

honeypig

FS, you and Lexie are under the same dark cloud, I think! http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ruary-yet.html Hope it moves away from you soon.

Healthy, I agree, it is often the small things that give the greatest satisfaction.

shell2516

Can I join in? I hope I'm doing this right.

Today I am grateful that the sun is shining and I feel happier than I have done in a while. I may have only joined this site yesterday but the support and kindness have made me feel better.

I am grateful that that Thursday is guitar lesson day. I may not be fantastic at it yet but chats with my guitar teacher and playing my guitar with him (now it's actually starting to sound good!) brings me a lot of joy and happiness.

Oh and I'm grateful that the sun is shining, that's always something to be happy about!

ladyscribbler

Grateful for the Language of Letting go posts. The past couple of days have been up and down and reading those keep me grounded in reality and anchored in the present.
Grateful that I can feel my feelings without letting them control my behavior.
Grateful for a lot of writing time this week.

FireSprite

Grateful for amazing teachers. DD showed me an email she had received yesterday from her teacher that basically said "Just wanted to let you know that I see & appreciate all of your hard work. Sometimes, when you are a straight-A student people forget that it is still impressive & still takes a lot of effort on your part to achieve that. Congrats on all your hard work!"

I won't lie - I cried. I feel so blessed to have people like this in her life because it truly DOES take a village, IMO.


Welcome, Shell! There's no wrong way to post here, just a place to focus on the positive points in our lives no matter how badly a day goes. Share away!

honeypig

It seems we only hear about the bad teachers on the news and in the paper, but there are so many like this that are dedicated and truly working to help kids grow, not just shuffle them in and out of class. My younger sister, who I posted about here http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...isters-bd.html was one of them.

I have no kids, but I'm grateful for teachers like this AND I'm grateful and encouraged by the fact that there are kids like your DD--again, we only hear about the bad ones...

honeypig

I am grateful today to have hit the 10-lbs-lost mark! *****! I have a total of about 40 to lose, so that's a good start. I've been down this road before, and I know the last 5 is harder than the first 20, but thanks to all I've learned here and from the marvelous Brene Brown, I'm going to rejoice in the moment instead of worrying about how far I have left to go.

I am also grateful for:
1) the internet, and how easy it is for me to find motivation, information, and tracking tools.
2) my job, which has something called "Rally", where I can take on different "missions" and "challenges" and earn virtual coins which I can use to enter drawings for prizes. This alone wouldn't work to motivate me, but since it's a chance to get a reward for something I am doing/should be doing anyway, I take part. Haven't won anything yet, but I've got 11 more months to go!
3) the time and energy to spend on myself, something I didn't have 3 years ago when I first came here--THANKS, SR!!

Off to take a power hike w/the little black dog--Mr. Ned the basset needs a day of rest after our big 4-mile walk on snowy trails yesterday. My big soft boy was starting to lag a little bit towards the end, but what a beautiful, beautiful day under the blue sky, past the little babbling brooks, listening to the trees creak and clatter in the wind...

The whole world just looks so much better than it has in years!

Sending out hugs to everybody on this Thursday AM.

FireSprite

I remember that post HP, but I went back & read it again anyway. Your sister was definitely an angel walking among us mortals, how inspiring to overcome her own challenges only to keep giving back MORE & MORE to others.

People like her humble me completely. I am lighting a candle for her right now, just because. (((((((HUGS)))))))

honeypig

Thanks, FS--she was a really special person, no doubt.

Hugs to you, too, my good friend.

FireSprite

AMEN!!

Wisconsin

I'm grateful that I had another session of my leadership training class today (the same class that, last week, involved a discussion of Brene Brown). It is absolutely amazing to me how many recovery tools are super useful in workplace leadership. My work situation is kind of weird, because I do not directly supervise anybody, but I am responsible for making sure hundreds of people in every different department are doing their jobs correctly with respect to spending taxpayer dollars. So I have to make them "do right" without having any real power to impose consequences if they don't.

I'm grateful that after a really long day, I am finally able to sit down and rest my brain. DS and I made caramel puff corn tonight, to take to the movie night at his school tomorrow. I'm grateful he didn't eat all of it while we were making it!

Liveitwell

I'm grateful to be able to take life as it comes. Without the alcoholism in my home (and all it brought) I have time and space and energy to focus on what really counts-me and my girls, and my doggie. Even a year out I'm finding that although I have days I still struggle (and cry!) I'm grateful to have time and energy that I didn't used to have. My body has been so exhausted lately-someone else posted about this today. I feel like I just need to rest-I feel the weight of the last year plus. It's excruciating at times but I have the time and space to handle it now, without constantly walking on egg shells, getting called names and waiting for the bottom to fall out again. It's nice to breathe and just call asleep peacefully. Hadn't had that for years. Grateful for this!

shell2516

Today I am grateful for simple things that bring me happiness-

A magazine that I've been waiting for came in the mail this morning. I plan to read it with my morning coffee.

I'm having lunch today with a friend I haven't seen in a while.

It's Saturday tomorrow, the weather forecast says it will be sunny so we're planning a long hike (something we try to do every weekend when the weather is nice but it's been raining since Christmas pretty much).

That today marks 300 days till our wedding and I am EXCITED!

I slept well (although I still feel tired this morning...)

honeypig

I'm grateful for having opened my "Earth Prayers" book randomly (?) to this this AM:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

I've been struggling yet again w/the fact that life as I knew it for the past 20 years is really and truly over; I am on a new page and a new day. Sometimes the memories come so thick and fast I think I'll be crushed under their weight.

I'm so grateful to the Universe for directing me to that reading. "To every thing there is a season" indeed...

FireSprite

I can't tell you how happy simple stuff makes me - fresh, clean sheets put on the bed just before I crawl in for the night? Divine.

A WHOLE weekend ahead with no obligations on the calendar? I want to tap-dance!

Honey-roasted sunflower seeds, my new favorite snack food.


And bonus points to whoever changed the electronic sign on the car wash along my commute to read, "Today, Free Snow Removal!" We had snow FLAKES for about an hour, once, 23 years ago.

FireSprite

HP - I listened to this meditation (Deepak Chopra) for the 1st time last night & like it a lot. In the beginning, this part caught my attention right away:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh0BgFM0ogc

"There is only one secret to healing & it is: Enlightenment. Enlightenment means going beyond your ego-encapsulated identity and realizing that You are The Universe, manifesting through a human nervous system, and becoming self-aware."

It makes things like looking at those "seasons" you speak of a little more about the story & the players on stage during those scenes & how it all evolves. Ultimately it's ALL about us as individuals. ((((((Hugs))))))) Sorry you are struggling lately!

honeypig

FS, thanks, I'll listen to the meditation this evening--looking forward to it!

I know the struggling w/memories will get easier as time goes on. It comes and goes. It's just that the two of us lived here for so long and were so deeply dug in--as I've said in other posts, I can't look around me w/o seeing something XAH fixed/built/made. And I just can't get my mind around how that side of him and the alcoholic side of him coexisted. I cannot see how a divide that deep can exist in one human being.

But then I get my focus back where it belongs, on me and my life and the things I need to attend to now. Most times I feel OK; in fact, most times I feel pretty darn good. Like I said just recently on this thread, life is looking better than it has in years, and I do mean that. It's just that sometimes I get caught in a "memory spiral" (apologies to Brene Brown) and it feeds on itself until I manage to look outside the storm raging in my head.

Thanks, and hugs, and off to walk my houndies while we still have blue sky and sun!

Liveitwell

^ HP-I do know painfully how you feel. My ex was a master wood worker-he could build anything. He built some great stuff over the years and I miss that greatly. I always struggled with how he could be so great at this but also not be able to handle alcohol,,,,I guess it's the same way I looked at how on earth the nice and loving side of him could coexist with the violent disturbing abusive side-it didn't make sense! Then I would realize THAT has nothing to do with me....as you said....and back to MY life. Prayers to you, friend.....it does take time to truly heal. I'm not putting a bandaid on this - it's going to take a long time and that's ok you are doing great and deserve to smile, laugh and be happy again!!!

healthyagain

Grateful for some gorgeous weather. They say we might get some snow and rain next week, but at the moment, it seems improbable.

I can feel the spring is coming!