Josh

Today, I’m grateful for…

1. – Waking up early and making it on time to the Buddhist Teaching being given by the Dalai Lama.

2. – A very interesting morning session at the Dharma talk being given by the Dalai Lama. He discussed what spirituality is from the perspective or Tibetan Buddhism.

3. – A tasty lunch of fried rice and water with my cousins Julie and Lindsay.

4. – An outstanding formal presentation by the Dalai Lama on Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. I really got a lot out of the dharma talk and I enjoyed the chanting and presentations by the monks from the local Tibetan Buddhist Monastery.

5. – Amazing musical presentations at today’s event, too. Famous jazz musicians, world renowned cello and flute players, and original piano compositions.

I was grateful for…

1. – Getting to sleep in a little.

2. – Meeting up with a friend for breakfast at a little diner.

3. – Having an awesome time listening to the Dalai Lama give a public talk at the Yum! Center in Louisville, KY. I never realized how funny he is until seeing him in person. He has such a humble spirit and a great sense of humor. I really got a lot out of his message about engaging compassion in our lives, as well.

4. – Getting to spend sometime with my friend Bill and my cousin and some of her friends while at the Dalai Lama event.

5. – Tasty vegetarian Mexican food for dinner. My friend Bill and I had a great discussion about the role of religion in modern society, as well.

I was grateful for…

1. – Sleeping in a bit.

2. – Being able to volunteer. I helped out with a fundraiser a group home for foster children. My martial arts school did a demonstration and grilled hotdogs for everyone in attendance.

3. – Having a good outing with the boy I am volunteering with in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program. I took him to the martial arts demonstration. Afterwards, I let him watch me and another friend break some boards and then gave him a little self defense lesson. He really enjoyed the demonstrations and seemed to have a lot of fun. There were also people at the event doing face painting, and he got a mountain range painted on his cheek. He also got to pet a llama and two alpacas and hold an iguana. Afterwards, we went for a walk across a pedestrian bridge that spans the Ohio River and connects Louisville, KY to Jeffersonville, IN.

4. – Having the time to run some errands after I was finished volunteering for the day.

5. – Enjoying my new nightly routine. I let Bunny out of her cage for 2-3 hours and she hops around my room playing and exploring while I lay in bed while reading. She hops up on the bed and begs for pets and treats and usually ends up sprawled out on the bed close by before the night is over.

I was grateful for…

1. – Getting up early to work in my garden.

2. – More awesome thunderstorms. I love this time of year.

3. – Finding both the time and the motivation to go grocery shopping.

4. – Handing feeding Bunny kale… she loves the stuff. Afterwards she lowers her head for pets and sometimes licks my arm. She’s a very sweet rabbit.

5. – Finishing the day with a book in my hands.

I was grateful for…

1. – A day off from work.

2. – Meeting up with a friend. I’m helping him build some boffer weapons. It looks pretty fun (and maybe a bit childish… which is probably why is looks fun). I might go to one of the meetings and try it out later this summer.

3. – Awesome thunderstorms and rain. I love hearing it hit the metal roof of my house and covered deck.

4. – A great workout at my martial arts class.

5. – Being able to have a restful night reading.

I was grateful for…

1. – A short but productive workday.

2. – Having lunch with a friend. Awesome Mexican food, too.

3. – Being able to help my sister. I baby sat my 3 year old niece while my sister and her husband saw an early showing of the new Star Trek movie. My niece and I ate pizza, watched Shaun the Sheep, and played with Play Dough.

4. – The poetry of Charles Bukowski.

5. – Rest.

I was grateful for…

1. – A productive workday.

2. – Making some, hopefully profitable, business contacts.

3. – Redbox…. it helps me catch up on the movies I miss in the theater that don’t make it to Netflix. _{I watched Jack Reacher… It was okay.}

4. – A great workout at my martial arts class. _{I broke 4 boards with a front kick, too!}

5. – Subway… I was really tired on my way home, and it was easy to pick up a sandwich. _{Sometimes I forget to be thankful for the many conveniences that are available to me. I’m working on being more mindful of that.}

I was grateful for…

1. – A productive workday. _{Though a very hard day, as well.}

2. – Having an opportunity to talk about scuba diving with another diver.

3. – Having the time and the proper weather to get my garden planted. _{It was a long day… I worked till dark, but I enjoyed it.}

4. – Bunny, my new house rabbit, is settling in nicely.

5. – Rest… it was a very long day.

I was grateful for…

1. – My mom! _{Hope all of the mother’s out there had a great Mother’s Day!}

2. – Getting to cook a Mother’s Day dinner for everyone. We had grilled steak and chicken, au gratin potatoes, green beans, rolls, and persimmon pudding.

3. – Finishing up the paperwork for a large bid that I am submitting.

4. – Being able to help my brother-in-law’s brother fix a weed eater (gas powered string trimmer).

5. – Bunny hopping up on my back and doing a floppy.

I was grateful for…

1. – Sleeping in just a little.

2. – Adopting my new rabbit, Bunny. _{I didn’t name her.. but she’s three years old, so I thought I’d leave it the same. She’s a spayed English Angora rabbit. With a little luck, she’ll live to be 10-12 years old.}

3. – Having the time to work on some paperwork.

4. – Gorgeous weather outside.

5. – My 3 year old niece wanted to come over and see me. :-)

I was grateful for…

1. – Waking up to rain and thunderstorms.

2. – Having the opportunity to meet with a client to discus a large bid.

3. – Having the time and the money to make a trip to Petsmart to get some things for the rabbit I’m adopting.

4. – Awesome Chinese food for dinner.

5. – Finishing the day reading more Charles Bukowski.

I was grateful for…

1. – Sleeping in a bit.

2. – Having both the time and the proper weather to mow my lawn.

3. – Having the time and motivation to mix up the last of the soil I needed for my raised beds in my garden.

4. – A great workout at my martial arts class. Broke 4 boards, too!

5. – The poetry of Charles Bukowski.

I was grateful for…

1. – Sleeping in a bit.

2. – Having an opportunity to place a bid on a large job.

3. – A trip to Lowes and Home Depot to buy some more things for my garden.

4. – Awesome evening thunderstorms.

5. – Relaxing meditation.

I was grateful for…

1. – A short but productive workday.

2. – Getting to pet a goose. :-)

3. – Making arrangements to adopt an English Angora rabbit.

4. – A great work out at my martial arts class.

5. – Silver Linings Playbook… love that movie.

I was grateful for…

1. – Remembering to put the new license plate on my car.

2. – Light rain showers throughout the day.

3. – Having the time to work on some of the e-learning portion of my PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver certification.

4. – Getting to book a trip to Aruba.

5. – A restful evening reading.

I was grateful for…

1. – Sleeping in a bit.

2. – Having a (mostly) lazy Sunday.

3. – Getting a couple loads of laundry done.

4. – Starting a new show on Netflix, Hemlock Grove.

5. – Making a really yummy pot of potato soup and relaxing with a book for the evening.

I was grateful for…

1. – Getting to go to the Kentucky Derby. _{My friend Bill recently broke up with his girlfriend… and he had an extra ticket. $400 a piece box seats. I wouldn’t have splurged on this for myself, but he had the extra ticket and didn’t want it to go to waste (and he didn’t want to go alone).}

2. – Making a lil money betting the ponies.

3. – Getting hit on. :-) _{I had three different women come up and talk to me during the day. Most of them were in various stages of inebriation… haha… but it was still a bit of an ego boost. One kissed me after asking which horse I was betting on in the next raise… then she did this weird disco dance thing with her hands and just started talking again telling me which horses she was betting on.}

4. – Mint Juleps. I’m not sure why people only drink them in and around Derby… but they are tasty.

5. – A hot shower. It was raining most of the day and I got cold and damp. I didn’t really realize it till I got home (thankfully), but I was chilled to the bone.

I was grateful for…

1. – A productive workday.

2. – Awesome weather.

3. – Having the time to go shopping for groceries before a busy weekend.

4. – Clearing up a misunderstanding with a friend.

5. – Tasty Chinese food for dinner.

...had 5 outings now with my Little Brother (Big Brothers and Big Sisters program), and things are going really well. Our 3rd outing was to see a movie. He is eleven years old and it was the first time he had been to a movie theater. We saw The Croods in 3D. We both had a lot of fun on this outing, and I also took him to his first Mexican restaurant and to get ice cream afterwards. Our 4th outing was back at the laser tag place we were at on our 2nd outing. He had a lot of fun on that trip, and when I asked him what he would like to do next, he asked if going back there would be a possibility. On our 4th outing, we also went to the mall and walked around for a while and we ate at the mall’s food court. Our fifth outing was back to the movie theater to see Jurassic Park in 3D. We both had a lot of fun on this trip, as well, and we got pizza for dinner. I haven’t scheduled my 6th outing with him yet (we try to have an outing twice a month, no average), but we are going to go bowling.

All in all, the volunteering is going well with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, but I have let going to the homeless shelter slip a bit. I started volunteering there in September of 2010, and since then I have been there “most” Fridays (except for the 5 weeks I spent in Haiti volunteering in 2011). I haven’t been to the homeless shelter now in about a month. I really miss being there because I’ve made several good friends there with both the staff and some of the men who live there. I need to make an effort to get back to the shelter soon and recommit myself to this. I really feel like I do a lot of good there, but I also get a lot out of being there myself.

I was grateful for…

1. – A productive workday.

2. – A yummy salad for lunch at Culver’s.

3. – Having the opportunity to take a 45 minute afternoon nap. I really felt drained, and it helped me to feel refreshed.

4. – A great work out at my martial arts class.

5. – Subway. I love their sandwiches… and I really didn’t feel like cooking anything last night. It was nice to just unwind on the front porch, eat a sandwich, and feel the breeze blowing in. It was a nice way to relax before calling it a day.