Lobbying

#16 - Randomness - The fact that I can put completely random images in here that I encounter throughout my day regardless of whether they pertain to my gratitudes, just because I enjoy them.




#17 - My friends's influence - that I have friends that help me do things that expand my life. Like asking me to go to a lobby day (5?) years ago and every year since, and that I've gone and always felt good about it.



#18 - Government accessibility - That despite all the complaining people do about the government. They are just actual normal people who work for us and whose offices we have the right and privilege to enter easily - no metal detectors or big procedures (in MN) - an appointment maybe if you want to speak to them, but we can go to the capitol anytime and check out what our tax dollars and values are doing.



#19 - My assistant photographer on these photos when I ask, and who enthusiastically tries new things (like lobbying at the capitol).




#20 The man's voice who was phone banking next to me this evening - I can't recall getting excited about men just based on their looks, however their voices - yes. Today, I had the pleasure of sitting next to a very appealing voice while we were both making phone calls. Thank you!

Coming Alive

#11 - My Dad and Composting - he has always put the nutrients back in the Earth.

#12 - Intelligence of Bodies - This is the outdoor temperature. If it were the Fall or I lived in Florida, it would feel cold, but today it feels refreshingly warm. This is despite the fact that I spend 95% of my time in temperatures of 68°F. How the body is still intelligent enough to adjust my metabolism to the climate, when I am only actually experiencing that climate less than 5% of the time, is beyond my comprehension. These are remarkable vessels we walk around in.

# 13 - Basking in the warm 4°C sunshine (on the only dry spot available - the lid of the compost.)

#14 - Trusting my Center - So I'm going through my day now considering things I could mention/be grateful for. I already saw yesterday how that could switch to a platform - mentioning things I believe in and getting stuck in my head - but I didn't, I returned to what felt true to me. I returned to my center. Sometimes I get lost, sometimes I get confused, but I return to my center, sooner rather than later, and I am grateful for that.

#15 - 6 Friends - who sent me an email in the last 19 hours saying they were excited or enjoyed this. (I'm not listing your names here but if you sent me an email recently this includes YOU). How wonderful to do something that is giving me energy and joy and to find that this extends beyond myself. I mean isn't that the highest aspiration of life? The whole -

"Don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." Howard Thurman

Easy Gratitudes

#6 - This SKY



#7 - The Onion - I am so appreciative of anyone who can make me laugh.



#8 My favorite billboard in downtown Minneapolis and whoever the wonderful people are who fund it.



#9 This Scene



#10 - This Camera - When I was traveling in Costa Rica five years ago I reluctantly brought my camera. I didn't really want it, but I thought I might regret not having pictures later. About half-way through my trip my camera broke. I was actually kind of happy about it. After that, for the most part, I stopped taking photos... Maybe because of the seed planted by Wendell Berry's poem The Vacation. I would re-print the poem here but that might be some copyright violation. It deeply affected me.

This Christmas my brother gave me a digital camera (the one that broke was 35mm). I made a brief attempt to become familiar with it, but I quickly lost motivation. Today though, I thoroughly enjoyed scouting and recording things I was grateful for. Pictures were fun again and brought me deeper into my life instead of separating me from it.

A Month of Gratitude

Keeping a gratitude journal has always sounded like a good idea - like it's a good idea to say thank you before I eat. I know I should be grateful for the food in front of me, but I often don't feel it. Keeping a gratitude journal struck me similarly - in the head, not the heart.

Yet, for whatever reason a day or two ago I had an impulse to keep one. I could figure it out myself, but I looked for ideas on the internet. It seems 5 items a day is pretty standard. I also came upon a suggestion that I am grateful for - no repeats! I can't just go into boring rote- every night be grateful for: my bed, rest, health, quiet, warmth... I can be grateful for those things but then I've used them up. This requirement for specificity opens the door to much more fun.

My goal is to spend a month in gratitude. The month of March. Five items a day. No repeats. I might not record them on the computer every day, but I will still write them.

So here I go.

#1. This Idea - both the gratitude journal - which was a seed planted years ago maybe by Oprah (?) - and doing it as a blog. While skate skiing today I got to that place where my mind was quiet and fresh ideas could enter. A blog never appealed to me, this however feels like exactly the kind of energy I would like to share. It doesn't need to be read, it just needs to reverberate.

#2. Snow - more specifically the great snow we've had for skiing this year.

#3. Skate skiing - after watching people whizz by me on my traditional skis for years. I finally am learning to skate ski.

#4. A Hug - given by Mayu this afternoon when there was a little tension in our house.

#5. Quote - I got a little nervous when the first thing the blog asked for was a title. I had no idea what I was going to call it and this seemed important! Thankfully I headed to my box of journals and started looking at quotes I'd written on the covers. I easily found exactly what I was looking for. "First you pray, but eventually your life becomes the prayer." Stephen Levine