Daily: Reflect on at least 5 things for which I'm grateful (Happiness Manifesto #2)

Today I’m grateful:

1. That I’m mostly managing to stay out of the drama swirling around my workplace lately (nothing to do with me personally, just a pain to coexist with…).

2. For the GORgeous weather we’re having, and are supposed to continue having all week.

3. For all my little friends that visit me at the library. :)

4. That there’s always something new to learn.

5. Technically, this happened yesterday, but I’m still grateful for it today – for the chance to see exactly where my some of my food comes from and the chance to meet one of the people who raises it. For the chance to put my dollars directly toward a business I can support wholeheartedly.

Today I’m grateful:

1. That my old, old car is still putting along, not hemorrhaging any fluids or developing any problems apart from those related to normal wear and tear (at least according to the quick once-over at the oil change place).

2. For the times when using what you have turns into a new favorite discovery. Today’s discovery: a smoothie with frozen pineapple juice, kefir, and mint leaves. Ultra refershing!

3. That I’m getting back into fermenting foods. Some people find it kind of weird, but I love and crave lactofermented vegetables, and they are cheap and good for you. Tonight I put together a jar of saurkraut (which I’ve done before and liked) and a jar of fermented salsa (a total experiment…hmmm).

4. The audiobook versions of these books which are read by this guy (he might be the most entertaining reader I’ve ever heard; must be all the practice on Hitchhiker’s). I am almost done with Book 2.

5. A good long phone call with one friend, and a good short email from another.

Today I’m grateful:

1. That the weather has cooled down a bit.

2. For all the good interactions I had with kids at the library this week.

3. To have not just a job, but a job I care about.

4. For the MeFite that linked to this tattoo artist’s work (the abstract ones are my favorite). Holy cats. I never really wanted a tattoo before, and now I want 10. So pretty!

5. That it’s FRIDAY!!!!

Today I’m grateful:

1. That summer reading is for all intents and purposes OVER for the year (I’m still letting the younger kids report on books and get prizes until the end of the month…but that doesn’t require much work). I am so pooped. I feel like I learned more in these past 3 months than I did in the 5 semesters I spent getting my MSLIS.

2. For the volunteer moms I had helping me tonight. They made a somewhat stressful evening much, much, much less stressful.

3. For the great folks that I work with. They are still being SO gracious about all the stuff I forget and/or screw up. And they are all, in their own ways, fun to work with.

4. For steak and beer.

5. For chocolate ice cream!

Today I’m grateful:

1. For figuring out something kind of cool on the guitar tonight.

2. That my calluses are DEFINITELY coming back, much more quickly than I could have expected.

3. For the great conversations I had with kids about books today. There are some scary-good young readers out there, including one kindergartner who plows through everything in sight and reads aloud to her older brother (who doesn’t like to read as much, but likes his little sis to read to him :). So. Awesome.

4. For the several moms I met today who were so excited about the free movies we show in summer. Probably the easiest program I’ve done so far, but they love ‘em. With the cost of movies and the tightness of incomes these days, it’s a bigger deal than usual.

5. That tomorrow’s FRIDAY!

Today I’m grateful:

1. That the medium-large frustration from yesterday is on its way to being resolved, hopefully.

2. That summer reading is going like gangbusters! We are going through goodie bags like mad, and the library has been hoppin’ every day.

3. For story hour! I was really missing story hour. It’s nice to be doing it again.

4. That the kids REALLY loved yesterday’s program. So much so that one little story hour girl interrupted me today just to say, “Miss Nicole! Miss Nicole! That puppet show is still in my HEAD!”. Awesome.

5. For the nice driver that let me turn left on the way home from work today. A tiny thing, but it made my evening better.

Today I’m grateful:

1. That I did not freeze up with worry and annoyance when a medium-large but ultimately unimportant frustration arose today.

2. For my guitar! Yay!

3. For a really excellent, successful children’s program today.

4. For the great volunteer who just walked in the door yesterday! She was super-helpful.

5. For my extremely rewarding job – even though it’s tiring, I always feel like I’ve done something worthwhile by the time I go home.

Today I’m grateful:

1. For a good talk with a friend.

2. For a successful teen program! Eleven of them showed up (at our library, that’s a lot). They ate ALL the pizza; drank ALL the soda; seemed to more or less have a blast for 2 hours; and thanked me politely afterward!

3. For one of the older teens, who very conscientiously helped me pack up all the Rock Band equipment after the program. A true young gentleman!

4. That I’ve developed a rapport with most of the clerks. They have the toughest front line job, and they make the rest of us look great.

5. That I was able to find awesome books for engaged kids that excited them EVEN MORE, and also (hopefully) some books for a reluctant (but clearly interested and knowledgeable about other stuff) child. It is SO NICE to finally know the basics of my collection.

Today I’m grateful:

1. That I’m somehow keeping all the balls in the air at work!

2. That although it’s difficult, keeping multiple balls in the air is really my preferred way of working and keeping myself motivated. I thrive on working hard and being busy.

3. That I’m getting to know my collection better and better with every reference question.

4. That I went to the gym and ate relatively well today despite being stressed and low on sleep.

5. For all the large and small ways that my job allows me to help people out. I am blessed.

I was in a bad mood today. But I’m grateful

1. That I got a few things done despite feeling both apathetic and fearful.

2. For a good meeting with a bunch of other children’s librarians. I got a ton of inspiration for music and fingerplays from one of them especially (plus she brought an autoharp! I forgot how awesome those are!).

3. That tomorrow’s Friday!

4. That the weather is supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend.

5. That I recognized my bad mood early on and refused to believe the terrible things that my brain kept trying to tell me. Foo on you, broken brain!

and 6. That nothing lasts forever.