Editorial Committee

#186 - Michelle Obama speaking on Childhood Obesity Prevention - again and again I find her authenticity refreshing.

#187 - Two Small things I got a little agitated/worried about today did not happen

#188 - Being a part of the Editorial Committee - my #77 gratitude was that I signed up for a writing class that scared me Poetry on the Radio: From Page to Performance. For this class we are putting together a one hour show for the community radio station KFAI. I am/was on the editorial committee and I am grateful for that new experience.

#189 - Being an Activator on the Editorial Committee - I mentioned the "StrengthsFinder Test" when I wrote about my "Developer" strength a while back. While people debated ideas on the committee, I found something else to do to move the process along. My Activator strength rising to the occasion.

#190 - Kirtan at the Loft - after class there was a poetry reading going on, as I walked near the auditorium I heard........music. I walked closer and to my surprise it was Kirtan at the Loft. I didn't know why this was going on instead of poetry, and I didn't care. I went in, sat down and started singing. Usually I have to search out Kirtan - here it had just appeared. I liked the description the leader gave - "Kirtan speaks to whatever faith we have and tries to deepen it." Amen

Tolle

#181 - "Many people spend their whole life waiting,
for their life to start"
Eckhart Tolle - Living From the Depths of Presence

#182 -

"The sun rises every morning is ultimately not true. The sun doesn't rise at all or set. It is always there."

Eckhart Tolle
Individual Choice

#183 - Speaking of soccer - "Researchers examined what happens when the referee whistles, and then that is the signal for the player to shoot. And those players who do not pause, who immediately shoot after they hear the whistle are much less likely to score, than those players who, when the whistle goes... don't immediately shoot. There is 3, 4, 5 seconds, even more, when they become still and then it happens and the likelihood of scoring is infinitely greater"

Eckhart Tolle
Sourcing Creativity

#184 -

"Remember from time to time to notice that you are breathing."

Eckhart Tolle
One Conscious Breath

#185 - http://www.eckharttolletv.com/

Social Renewal

#176 - My Aunt as Motivation to Watercolor Paint - because she will paint with me

#177 - Writing an Appreciation Note - I'd been meaning to for a few weeks

#178 - Musicians that Can Make Any Song Good (or so it seems)- When Jason Mraz plays Lionel Richie - I like it (which I listened to today). I've heard the Brothers Frantzich play many songs I otherwise didn't like, but when they played it, suddenly they were magical.

#179 - I just learned my friend designed his B.A. degree in '97 to be "Social Renewal"

#180 - "Whoever invented blankets that was wonderful" - my aunt

Clean & Bare

#171 - Clean Sheets

#172 - Improvising a Song About My Aunt's To Do List

#173 - this email -"Really inspired by your gratitude blog. Finding myself more grateful spontaneously, at least from time to time- that was/is a real ministry so to speak!" -Jed

#174 - The Clean Smell in My Bedroom from Hanging all my Bedding in the Sun

#175 - Bare Feet

Shoots

I wonder if this would be the first green thing I'd eat if we didn't truck in food from CA. Edible?

#166 - Lyrics - There are some songs I've heard all my life, but never knew what they were about. This may be obvious to most people, but Bob Marley really has some good lyrics as well as "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.

#167 - In the lobby of Orchestra Hall tonight there was a pre-concert band. Most people were just standing and watching, but one guy was really getting into it. It was so beautiful to see because he obviously wasn't trying to get attention or impress anybody, He Simply Loved Moving His Body to the Music.

#168 - I Moved My Body Too

#169 - "Tammy has an internal GPS."

- my brother

#170 - Driving home there is a small hill before turning left onto our street. Tonight, for some reason, I Found this Small Hill Endearing.

Try a Backbend

#161 - Hanging off the edge of my bed to stretch my back - we constantly bend forward in life, I highly recommend this back bend.

#162 - I've been meaning to pick up a chord chart for the ukulele, but never do. Today, I was early going somewhere and I realized the Home Pickin Parlor (which I'd always been curious about) was 2 blocks away. I couldn't have planned this so perfectly.

#163 - Inexpensive Entertainment - the ukulele has not cost me a single penny until I bought the $6 chord book today.

#164 - I was late to the Taize service tonight because they switched the time from 8 to 7:30. I realized if I had known it was 7:30 I wouldn't have offered to baby-sit beforehand. So I am grateful to have had the wrong time.



#165 - Carlo (8 months old) Clearly Recognizes Me - He was afraid of my aunt and wanted to be close to me.

I'm Still Going

#156 - Being a Part of a Friend's Life - As I went to help my friend Peter move today, I thought about all the changes his life has gone through in the 10 years we've been friends. Like me, he has lived many places and done many different things. I think I've visited nearly all of them. It simply feels good to be a part of his journey.

#157 - Peter's Similar Values - They bought an old home (I like old homes) in a cool neighborhood near a park and the light rail, things that make sense to me.



#158 - Shifting Envy - After moving them in, I tried playing Kaydee's guitar - one chord. I felt the reverberation of the sound fill my chest. I started thinking, "My little ukulele does not compare to this", but then I thought, "No. The more I play the ukulele, the easier it will be to play guitar. So I'll enjoy it and then if I want to play a guitar one day, that can come too."

#159 - A Toilet - not the most pleasant thing to list, but I had some gastrointestinal issues today, and I seriously thanked God that a toilet was available.

#160 - This Group on the Light Rail I Couldn't Figure Out - There were four of them, sitting in 3 seats, so kind of on top of each other, obviously comfortable with each other. I couldn't figure them out. They looked like they might all be siblings, but they looked too happy, which I realized was a strange thought. Anyway, I couldn't figure out how they were connected or their various ages, but they were a group of four people in three seats, and they were happy.