find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday for a year

I love to visit the shore and watch the ocean. Northern California coast is rugged and beautiful and an easy drive from the city.

I generally use 43things as a reminder to be grateful for the small everyday things that too often get lost in the hustle of life. Flowers, sunsets, my cat, get togethers with family and friends. This past week has illustrated what a fantastic place the nonprofit firm I work for is and how much impact we can have on others. First, we had our 39th anniversary fundraiser last week. One part of our organization provides employment and life skills to troubled young people looking to turn their life around and we had one of the successes came and speak. He has gone from someone who acknowledged that he was headed for jail or the grave to a valued employee at a local company and has dedicated his life to his kids. Then on Friday I had a chance to visit an affordable housing project that we developed twenty years ago and meet some of the residents including a hardworking couple with an adult disabled son, who could not have been able to take care of their sons needs without a housing unit designed to accommodate a wheelchair. Finally, today was the grand opening of a building that provides housing and support to transitional aged youth (TAY), young people who have aged out of the foster system but still need the support and help normally provided by a family.
I am so grateful to be part of an organization that helps people make thier life better. We, like other nonprofits struggle in these financial times and the political arguments about entitlement hide behind numbers and rhetoric, but these are real people who can have wondrous lives with just a little help.

I just love that shade of green that you see in early summer

Early summer and a the shade of trees

Day 119: lazy Sunday mornings
Day 120: hearing about my friends trip to Peru
Day 121: music on my iPod
Day 122: watching the sunset after work with a big iced tea
Day 122: a new pair of jeans
Day 123: the day off and getting new books at the library. New books have such promise
Day 124: a little shopping for a baby shower next week
Day 125: the New York Times crossword puzzle app for my iPad.
Day 126: lunch with coworkers
Day 127: went to the art store afterwork and bought some printmaking tools
Day 128: played with my cat and snuggled
Day 129: brainstorming ideas at work I like watching our new trainees arrive to learn carpentry and get a new chance in life
Day 130: committing to kettle ball workouts in addition to walking so that the dress I have been shopping for online for a September wedding fit
Day 131: brunch and a baby shower

Day 112: a great big salad and a big glass of iced tea
Day 113: watching an old movie after work with some popcorn
Day 114: lunch at a new Ethiopian place with a coworker. Great vegetarian food.
Day 115: smiling at a stranger on Bart and getting a smile in return
Day 116: talking to a friend I had not talked to in a while
Day 117: shopping at Nordstrom for new clothes in a smaller size and a long hike in the redwoods
Day 118: the chance to take a nap on the couch because the living room can stay messy for another day

I love the smell of freshly mown grass as I walk around the lake

Sometimes it is the little things that make me happy…..

Day 105: great Sunday weather perfect for a long hike in the Redwoods. A perfect mix of sun and shade.
Day 106: just grateful that I do not dread going into work as I have in the past.
Day 107: long walk home after work and a little good quality chocolate as a treat.
Day 108: a good glass of iced tea. It’s not quite the fix of coffee. But I am trying to get the coffee habit back under control.
Day 109: walking to a meeting in the Mission and seeing that there is still some diversity in San Francisco.
Day 110: Fridays off work and a lazy start to the day.
Day 111:getting a lot of cleaning and laundry done. Fresh sheets, towels, and clean dishes are worth the effort.

from Vista Point in Tilden Park above UC Berkeley. Again I love that these parks are less than 15 minutes from the urban center