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

Is is a cloudy Thursday, and I am grateful …

... that I had the time to spice up the science centre’s presentation on Antarctica with a live demo.

... that the first two groups of students I taught this year was interested and involved.

... that I found the session so unstressful that I didn’t feel the need to rush off to the gym during my lunch break to recover. This is a great improvement over the first year I did this. (This is not a good excuse to skip gym, I know.)

... that not trying to remember the students’ names does not make a jot of a difference to the quality of my teaching.

... that I feel tired but not much stressed.

... for a delightful encounter on the stairs.

It is Wednesday, and I am grateful …

... that the new column I installed works very well.

... for the MoU signed in Zimbabwe.

... that moods don’t last.

... for our trusty laser printer.

... for LaTeX.

... for the support I find in Toastmasters.

It is Tuesday, and I am grateful …

... for getting home before dark.

... that the talk I gave was well received, with the children asking intelligent and interesting questions.

... that I could afford the mild extravagance of a long Skype videocall with friends on my 3G modem.

... that I got Skype working at work again.

... for the mood-stabilizing effect of a workout.

It is Monday, and I am grateful …

... that I finally got the column installed.

... that getting the column installed early enough gave me time to attend the research day.

... that the research day was interesting and gave rise to good discussions.

... for delightful bright smiles.

... for video calls on Skype and seeing H&P.

... that I can write these gratitudes from the comfort of my own home. I got myself a 3G modem, so I can do some internet stuff from almost anywhere.

It is Sunday and I am grateful …

... for coffee and rusks for Sunday breakfast, a tradition, and now the only time I pig out on starch.

... that I don’t have to take moods seriously, neither my own nor others’.

... for a nap on a sun-soaked bed.

... for figuring out the date-time stamp thingy.

... for safe, clean water piped to my house.

It is Saturday, and I am grateful …

... that the paper-collection box looks really good in its place. Unobtrusive yet professional.

... that production can start again this week.

... that my new gadget worked straight out of the box.

... for oranges.

It is Friday, and I am grateful …

... that there had been a gas inspection, and that our LP gas installation in the lab has been rendered more safe because of it.

... that my cholesterol level is good and low.

... that I almost got the column installed. Probably next week!

... that I found my car keys where I left them in the last shop I went to.

... for a good excuse to see someone pretty.

It is Thursday, and I am grateful …

... for all the stuff I learned today.

... for my training. I could follow everything in the talks today, even though it is new technology, because I have been trained so well.

... that the HP-IB adapters that we need for getting the donated instruments running was found and that the seminar was a super-convenenient way to get it here.

... for my loyalty card and the cheap movies it buys me.

... for the headache tablets that helps me not carry the stress of today into tomorrow.

It is Wednesday, and I am grateful …

... that the internet came back on before I went home, so that I can write down my gratitudes.

... that I can feel hungry without guilt.

... for my newfound openness to people. This is like a miracle, the ability to catch anybody’s eye and get a smile. It’s a miracle like a flower: it takes a season’s growth to get a blossom.

... that I figured out my problem could be solved by a subtraction sum. (Huh, abstract thinking, here I come. Could become a scientist one day.)

... that there can’t be many more wrong ways of installing the column.

... that tomorrow should to be totally different from today.

This Tuesday I am grateful …

... that the University is going through a programme of installing efficient lighting.

... for 21’05”. That’s the time for 5000m on the rowing machine.

... for discovering another way of not installing the column.

... for a very helpful person in the hardware store.

... that I’ve been paid.

... for a bucketload of cheers today.