Daily: Reflect on 5 things for which I'm grateful.

1. Unbelievably nice weather.
2. My honey-bun coming to my house was a good spur to cleaning the house more than usual.
3. Nice lunch at one of my favorite Italian restaurant overlooking the sea.
4. The Great Buddha. I’ve visited it dozens of time but it never fails to move me.
5. Vikram Seth’s novel “An Equal Music”.

1. When I have a cold my voice gets husky in a sexy way.
2. A great day with my honey-bun. We saw “My Sister’s Keeper”, ate really good sushi in Ginza, walked around, held hands, etc.
3. I bought some French Roast ground coffee at Starbucks and the woman at the register was really nice. I know it’s part of their job to be cheerful but I appreciate it nonetheless.
4. I got a nice fall skirt on sale.
5. More lovely plans for tomorrow.

1. A day at home which was great because I’ve come down with a cold and could take it easy.
2. My honey-bun fussed about my cold via text messages. So nice to be fussed over.
3. I made cream of spinach soup which seemed to be just what my body was craving.
4. Used books on Amazon.
5. All of the resources available on the Internet.

1．I got some errands done before work.
2. I made a medical appointment that I had been putting off.
3. My classes went well.
4. I was able to sit down on the train ride home.
5. I was very tired but I could just relax in the evening and go to bed early.

1. The bicycle shop in my village. I bought bicycles for myself and my two daughters many, many years ago but they still treat me as a valuable customer and will always tune up the bicycles, etc. when I come in and never want anything for this service unless they actually have to change a tire or something.
2. I got more done in the morning than I expected, which was good because I had a meeting in the afternoon.
3. Lunch with L.
4. At the meeting I sat next to Professor K. who is such a nice, fun person.
5. A chance to talk with Professor W. about research.

1. I got a piece of work done that was causing me stress.
2. A repairman came to the house and will give an estimate later. He seems conscientious and anyway I’ve gotten the ball rolling.
3. I got lots of yucky small things done in the afternoon.
4. When I went out for some errands it was really nice weather.
5. I bought some apples and they tasted so good, just the right amount sour, and nice and crisp.

1. I felt panic over my limitations this morning, but I managed to talk myself into a more reasonable mood.
2. My students, many of whom are just so nice and bright. One student came up to talk after class about Boston, my hometown from way back when.
3. Really nice dinner at a French restaurant with a friend. The food and wine was excellent, the waiters made the customers feel special, and the view out onto a Japanese garden was really nice.
4. My older daughter seems happier now than she did some months ago.
5. Great text messages with my honey-bun.

1. Fantastic autumn weather.
2. I saw my friends A and K for the first time since I got back.
3. I made cookies for them.
4. Later, I saw T. in Tokyo and we had a nice late lunch, went to an aquarium, and went to an interesting bar that specializes in vintage Japanese sake.
5. I talked to my daughter on the phone when I got home and then slept well.
6. My older daughter’s plans for coming back at Christmas are starting to take shape.

1. Seeing T. as usual.
2. Pizza for lunch, first time in a while.
3. Going to a Japanese pub in the early evening.
4. A suprise Skype call from my daughter when I got home.
5. Fall is in the air.

1. A quiet day of hard work.
2. Seeing Sally for the first time in more than a year.
3. Enjoying wine in a small cafe within a short walk of my home.
4. Seeing how much my daughter’s writing ability has improved.
5. A bubble bath.