Day 25: About Nature

 

I am grateful for clouds. I am grateful for how much drama they bring into a moment. I'm grateful for how you can imagine shapes into puffy cumulus clouds. I'm grateful for the reminder of God's power in a huge wall cloud moving over the Midwest prairie. On road trips, my kids will sometimes try to give the sky Myers-Briggs personality types, and I'm grateful that clouds give the sky so much personality that this is a plausible game. 

Day 24: Challenge

This has been a year of many challenges, one serious thing after another, and if I'm being perfectly honest I can't say I'm grateful for any of the challenges. I thought about writing something along the lines of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", and it will be wonderful if that turns out to be a result ten years down the road, but that's not where I'm at today. There are two things I can honestly say I'm grateful for right at this moment: 1) When you get through a thing you think you could not survive and you do, that is knowledge to take forward when the next scary thing comes along. 2) It's been a year of chances to see that God's mercies are new every morning; to grow dependence on God and understanding that He is the only sure and steady anchor for my soul; and to take the grip of control I try to keep on my life and try to give it more and more over to God. To the extent that all the things in that second category take hold, I am immensely grateful for that.

Day 23: Smell

 I am grateful for the ways smells can trigger memories and feelings. Both generally and very specifically. Baking chocolate chip cookies remind me of safety, warmth, home, and childhood. A particular perfume smell reminds me of my Grandma Eileen. The smell of campfire smoke brings memories of happy times singing, roasting S'mores, and hanging out around the campfire. A fish / ocean smell reminds me of the Oregon beach. I am also grateful for a book I read this summer - Jitterbug Perfume - that celebrates all things related to the olfactory sense. 

Day 22: About Your Parents

 

I am grateful for so many things about my parents. For my mom, I'm grateful for how she role modeled so many things for me: how to earn an education and work a career that you're proud of while also being an involved mother of multiple kids; how to take care of yourself by eating healthy, exercising, reading lots of books, and regularly tending to your faith life; how to laugh; and how to treat people with kindness. For my dad, I'm grateful for how he taught us the fundamentals of so many sports, he taught me to care about the details and to finish strong, and he also role modeled how to balance being involved with your family while managing a demanding career, and how to live a life of strong faith. For both of my parents, I'm grateful that they have always been there for us and always encouraged us; always treated us fairly and kindly; that they both continue to be among the very most important relationships in my life; have shown what a long and happy marriage looks like; and have always loved us so well. I am so grateful for my parents.

Day 21: About your Partner

 

Kenny and I celebrated our 20 year wedding anniversary this May, so this year I am grateful for our long shared history. I am grateful that we have this rich bank of memories, starting from our first dates and continuing on through engagement and wedding, first law jobs, having children, and moving around the country. We have weathered many hospitalizations, enjoyed many vacations, and learned together how to parent toddlers and now teenagers. There are so many memories that live in both of our heads but that no one else (except, often, the kids) also shares. It's an amazing thing, to build that kind of treasure trove of memories together, and I'm grateful for it.

Day 20: About Your Body

Something I am grateful for about the human body is its ability to strengthen in both body and mind. I am grateful that if I get completely out of shape, whether that means lack of strength or cardio or fueling / sleeping correctly, it is possible to just start putting in the work again and the body has the capacity to build and get better. I am grateful that the mind works similarly - that by giving it challenge, purpose, and better neural pathways rather than worse ones, the mind is also able to get higher performing and more into ruts that work for you and not against you. One of the reasons I do these gratitude series on my blog is to try to build up my brain's capacity towards positive thinking. I'm grateful that these bodies we live in are receptive to input and capable of positive change. 

Day 19: Technology

 

I am grateful for the technology that goes into epic movies like The Odyssey. It's amazing how much filmmakers can now make you feel like you're really there with the giant Cyclopse or the Sirens or next to the Trojan Horse. It helps you be fully immersed in the story. I'm thankful to see this example of technology working to enhance the work of super talented human artists of the past (Homer) and present (everyone in this cast and crew), rather than technology replacing great human artists.

Day 18: Colors

 I am grateful for the colors of my schools. First, for my high school colors, black and gold. I wore these for volleyball, basketball, and track; sang songs and cheered cheers that included these colors; and still get a rush of dopamine when I hear a reference to black and gold. 

Next, I'm grateful for my college colors, red and brown. I remember considering these a negative in choosing which college to attend (it didn't help that my younger brother frequently reminded me that brown is the color of poop). But again, you wear these colors as an athlete and make all these memories alongside your teammates ranging from exhausting workouts to long hours on the bus to thrilling moments at track meets - and all of a sudden, you feel great love and loyalty for these colors.

 Finally, I'm grateful for my college colors of blue and white. I only wore these colors as a fan, but this is a school where being a fan is a bit like being on a team. You have to campout to get tickets to men's basketball games. You learn the players, the cheers, the traditions. You learn that royal blue is the best, while UNC sky blue is the worst. 

I'm grateful for all the memories associated with these colors and for the fun that can go along with an education.

Day 17: Sights

 

I'm grateful for pink skies. What a thing, that so many mornings and so many evenings we can look into the sky and view, free of charge, the best piece of art you could possibly imagine. Painted across a canvas the size of the horizon, only existing for a few minutes, giving you twice daily chances to feel wonder and awe just by looking up.

Day 16: About Your Life

 

I am grateful that my life has afforded me the opportunity to live in different regions of the United States. I spent my first 18 years, plus several summers and one bonus year, living in the Midwest. I had 3 different spurts, totaling 11 years, living on the East Coast. And then I have lived in the Mountain West for around 15 years. 

I'm grateful to have experienced particular things in each region. In the Midwest, I'm grateful for the wide open plains, the way communities come together and support each other, and the slower pace of life. On the East Coast, I'm grateful for all the trees!!, the thicker sense of history, the culture found in museums and restaurants and shops that come with the bulk of population being located back East, and the bolder and brasher way people relate to each other. In the mountain west, I love the beautiful mountains, the laid back west coast vibe, and the appreciation of individuality and freedom. I'm grateful to see the enormous geographic and sociological diversity that exists within the United States. 

And even with the significant differences among region, I'm also grateful to see some of the things that are common across all the regions. There is of course McDonalds and Starbucks everywhere you go, but there are also parks and libraries and churches; there is generally a chance at economic prosperity and a safety net for the most vulnerable; and a government that helps administer life and keep us safe while also allowing us to keep our fundamental freedoms.

Day 15: Friend or Companion

 Today I am thankful for our dog, Bear. I am thankful for the personality of pugs: their playfulness, their surprising strength and athleticism that comes out in brief flashes, and (definitely the defining feature of a pug) their love and loyalty expressed through clinginess. I'm grateful for dogs in general and what wonderful companions they make - a comforter on hard days and a playmate / walkmate on good days. The steadiest of companions who is always there and never says the wrong thing. Here's to dogs!

Day 14: Relative

 Today I'm grateful for the feeling when the whole family gets together. (We were actually missing one brother and his wife, but most of us were together.) I'm grateful to see the interactions between cousins, between grand parents and grand-children, and between adults siblings. I'm grateful for old traditions carried on and new ones formed, for lots of laughs and memories made. And today I'm also grateful for the cause of our get together, which is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I'm grateful to live in Anerica and for the values put forth in the Preamble to the Constitution.

Day 13: Place

The place I'm thankful for today is the airport. I'm grateful that air travel makes it possible to get across the country and even around the world in such a compact amount of time. I'm grateful that arriving at the airport signals excitement and anticipation - going on an adventure, seeing a favorite spot or favorite people. I'm grateful also for the positive feelings upon returning home.  There's lots that can be challenging about air travel these days, so it's good to also remember what a mind boggling wonder of technology and what a fantastic portal of connection and experiences it can be.