Tag: TToT

gratitude

TToT — June 30

Sally7 Comments

I looked back and saw that I haven’t done one of these (Ten Things of Thankful) since March! Yikes! Here we are on the brink of July!

I won’t bore you with my excuses. I’ll just tell you ten things (in no special order) for which I am thankful.

I got a new hip!1 I think I’ve mentioned it elsewhere in posts, but not in a thankfulness post. I am truly thankful for the wonders of medicine. I reported for surgery at 6 AM on May 21, was taken into surgery at 8 AM, have very fuzzy memories of them getting me up to walk on my new hip at I-don’t-know-what time, and was home by 2 PM. Tomorrow I have my 6 week check-up. It’s all so amazing.

I have a new granddaughter!2 Little Polly was born a little over two weeks ago. She’s pretty wonderful. She is more wonderful than a new hip, and that’s saying a lot. Parents, sister, and Polly are all doing great.

My sister came to visit!3 She stayed ten days to help me sort and organize stuff in this house. It was really nice to spend time with her. We talked. We drank wine. We went to visit some of my kids and all my grandkids (Polly included). We drank wine. We ate at favorite local restaurants. We drank mimosas. We got together with our brothers. We drank wine. We also sorted and organized stuff. I am so so so thankful for her visit.

I went to a Celtic Fling. Wait, wait — let me back up. I went to a graduation.4 My last child in college graduated back in May. I’m so proud.

Now I have 8 children who have all graduated from college AND are working in their chosen field, which leads me to…

    I went to a Celtic Fling.5 The lovely graduate pictured above was a theater major in college. She got a job at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire working in production. I went to see her this weekend where she was managing one of the stages. First, I LOVE Celtic Music and sat through three sets at her stage. Second, I loved seeing my daughter at work.

    The college graduation was pre-hip surgery. I was so worried about driving to Virginia on my own — but my oldest daughter offered for me to ride6 with them. A fair amount of that ride was spent in the back seat with my granddaughter, Willow.

    Willow was so much fun. It turns out that she loves the song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” When she got antsy in her car seat, we would sing and she would be happy.

    Also, during this interim of TToT posts, I witnessed Willow’s first visit with the Easter Bunny.7 I think it says a lot that she was not even remotely intimidated by a 6 foot tall rabbit.

    I’m thankful for the birds8 whose songs I hear every morning. Mr. Robin tends to dominate the chorus.

    I’m thankful for blogging challenges9 like the Unicorn Challenge or W3 which usually get me to write at least twice a week. Such nice people. Such talented bloggers and poets. So much encouragement.

    Lastly, I am thankful to you, dear readers10, especially when you post comments. I don’t always respond because I feel so overwhelmed with… hmmm… gratitude? Undeservedness? Bashful humility? I don’t know what to call it, but I know that it leaves me speechless.

    So, thank you.

    gratitude

    TToT — March 30

    Sally2 Comments

    Well, I finally let my employer know the date for 1my hip replacement surgery. Yes, I’m thankful that it’s going to happen. It gives me hope that when the pain is bad it will not always be so. It took me a couple of weeks to put that date on the work calendar, in part because the news had to settle in my head before I could share it. I haven’t had a surgery in close to 25 years so this is a little anxiety-provoking.

    My son had 2hip surgery on Monday. His was a bigger and different surgery than what I’m having. He was told he should plan on five days in the hospital following the surgery. He went home on Wednesday, though. I’m taking that as a good sign.

    My replacement for my church job has been struggling. I went over multiple times this week to help her. I am SO thankful that — whether it’s genetics or how I was raised — I have the ability to 3listen, to 4think, and to 5learn. Honestly, those are things I take for granted. Seeing them missing in someone gave me pause.

    I am also thankful for 6Frederick Buechner. I’ve had a bookshelf of his books for years, but I finally started reading him. SO GOOD. I find that I am constantly jotting down quotes from him to help me remember his wisdom, his humor, the way he ties together everyday things with the spiritual. In fact, the book I started the other day, Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized, gave me the idea of using him as a launchpad for the 7April A-to-Z Challenge. I didn’t complete the challenge last year, but I’ll try again this year. It will be a Buechner quote and a little collage to go with it.

    The new director of the facility where I work started having 8staff meetings once a month. You are probably wondering what’s so great about that. Let me tell you — we’ve never had staff meetings before, the kind where anyone who works there can attend. It’s huge. He has had two now, and after each one I have felt encouraged and happy about the place I work.

    The director shared a recent 9story about staff intervening on behalf of a little girl. It was the kind of story that made me feel sad for the girl, sad for the world, angry at the situation, and proud of my co-workers.

    I had 10lunch with my youngest daughter yesterday. Grown up children are the best!

    gratitude

    TToT — March 23

    Sally7 Comments

    I realized today that I forgot to write Ten Things of Thankful last week!

    Does that mean that I wasn’t grateful for anything last week? Absolutely not! It simply means that I forgot because I was pretty busy.

    What was I busy with? Well, I was quite honored to be chosen as the 1Poet of the Week for the W3 Challenge. That means that the previous Poet of the Week (Val/Murisopsis) liked my poem, Personal Creed, so much that she chose me to be the next one. It also meant that I was charged with the task of choosing the next Poet of the Week by giving my own challenge. I challenged the poets to tell me a story in any poetic form.

    That meant that I was reading, rereading, commenting, and rereading again (is that re-rereading?) the poems that were submitted for my prompt. Gosh, I loved so many of those poems. In the end, I chose a poem by a poet I don’t remember having read before — Jaideep Khanduja — who wrote a poem called, 2‘You, Me, and the Catastrophe of Love (A Love Story With a Side of Chaos)’. I laughed. I cried. I wish I lost 15 pounds, (obscure Stephen Colbert reference), but I mostly fell in love with this poem.

    So — there you have it. My excuse for not writing a gratitude post, and two things for which I’m grateful.

    For over a year now, I’ve been working two jobs. My first job — at a fitness facility — is literally the first full time job I’ve held since 1984. When my oldest son was born, I quit working. I did a little part-time work here and part-time there. I’ve learned that if you want to impress “accomplished” people, just tell them that you’ve lifeguarded part-time or been a stay-at-home mom. They’ll offer glib patronizing nonsense. Meh.

    Anyway, I took a job working full-time at the front desk at the fitness facility in 2022. As it turned out, I asked too many questions and moved up the ranks. I’m now in my own office selling memberships. I miss the front desk. Members tell me they miss seeing me. I tell them that they moved me into an office to keep me out of trouble. That may be partially true.

    All this is to say that I am thankful for 3my job at the gym.

    Recently we got a new facility director. I met with him Friday to 4pitch an idea for a new position: Senior Specialist. We focus on families and kids and young adults, but our country is aging. Heck, I’m aging! I want someone to understand and be the voice for our seniors. I have SO many ideas.

    I pitched my idea. 5It was well-received. YAY! Now, it has to work its way up through Foundation that oversees us.

    In the meantime, however, my second job is at a church. I told the rector in January that I couldn’t continue the two-job routine. Honestly, I loved that job too — maybe more than the gym job. I needed the benefits offered by the gym so I put in my resignation at the church. 6The rector hired my replacement. I worked with her last week to train her — and, just like that, I’m done. It’s a relief. Imagine working only 40 hours in a week. I’ll find out this next week.

    Quick — four more things for which I am thankful

    7Lunch with my son and his family today. Delightful!

    8A lesiurely walk on a nature boardwalk through a swamp

    9Pussywillows — I saw them in the swamp. I love pussywillows.

    10An edgy sermon at church, reminding us that God is the God of the oppressed. (Exodus 3:7-9) “I hated that sermon,” one woman whispered to me as she passed me on the way out of church. I smiled inwardly and was grateful. Maybe she will think about what was said.

    gratitude

    TToT — March 9, 2025

    Sally9 Comments

    1Cleaning is cathartic. And, by cleaning, I mean getting rid of stuff. I’m getting so much better at it.

    For instance, today I came across a photograph of my parents that I really dislike. It’s a fine photo of my father, but my mother may as well have “DEMENTIA” written across her forehead. I looked at it and thought, Nope. I took it out of the frame and put it in the trash pile. Shortly after, one of my siblings called. I told them what I had done. They said, “I know exactly what photograph you’re talking about. I have a copy. I’ve never hung it in my home.” That 2confirmation, the fact that we don’t want to remember our mother in her dementia, was HUGE.

    Also, while cleaning and sorting, I came across this:

    It’s a 3change purse made for me by a 4friend. I don’t always talk to change purses, but I did today. “I need you,” I said. “I’m so glad you’re in my life!” And I promptly took all my change and loose bills out of the little zippered Celtic bag that I had picked up at a Scottish games and put them back into the clasp purse that will inspire me. And, actually, it’s not so much that change purse as the friend who inspires me. When I look at it, I think of her.

    Speaking of 5inspiration, that’s another thing that’s pretty huge in my life at the moment. Ideas have started to flow again. Once they start, it’s like a onslaught, a tidal wave. Sometimes, that’s overwhelming. Other times, when they haven’t been there for a while, it’s an awesome reminder that I’m still alive and well and have something to contribute to this world.

    Speaking of alive and well, I had my annual physical this past week. I’m actually very alive and very well. My 6blood pressure is the lowest it has been in over a decade. It had skyrocketed due to stress in my life. Now it is not just barely normal, but good.

    7My cholesterol is high. My doctor said, “You need to remember to eat a healthy diet [I do] and get exercise.” I used to walk, on average, 12000 steps per day. Now it’s less that 3500. My hip bothers me SO MUCH when I walk that I just don’t. However, this is a thing to be thankful for in that I am seeing an orthopedic surgeon this week. He might say, “You’re not ready for hip surgery,” which is what I’ve heard before. However, not being able to exercise without pain is really affecting my life and that cholesterol number attests to that.

    8Swimming is the one exercise I can do that gets my heart-rate up and doesn’t hurt my hip as much. I had stopped swimming when I had the flu. I had absolutely no energy. This week, however, I swam three times.

    Friday was 9National Staff Appreciation Day. Our new director appreciated us with a bunch a homebaked treats: mini-cheesecakes and an assortment of scones. DEE–licious! I would blame my high cholesterol on him except Staff Appreciation Day fell after High Cholesterol Day.

    Finally, I had a lovely 10lunch with a friend yesterday. It was around 2:30 PM and neither of us had eaten lunch yet. We were talking and decided, spur of the moment, to go get lunch together at a local restaurant. It was great decision.

    gratitude

    TToT — March 2, 2025

    Sally2 Comments
    1. New Jersey (never though I would say that!)
    2. A drive with my brother
    3. Uncle Stewart
    4. Podcasts
    5. Maps
    6. Search features on my phone and computer
    7. Cruise control features — the way it slows me down if the car ahead slows down
    8. Speedtrap alerts
    9. Turkeys — especially males fanning out their tails. Such show-offs!
    10. Family stories

    10 things for which I am thankful.

    No explanation.

    No time to write.

    Make up your own story to go with each item!

    gratitude · Life

    TToT — February 23, 2025

    Sally3 Comments

    What am I thankful for this week?

    1. Health — yes, I’m pretty close to 100%. I even went swimming the other day.
    2. Swimming — I think swimming is one of the best exercise out there. The only downside is that you have to get wet.
    3. Birthdays — Am I thankful for birthdays? Really? I struggle with my birthday, not because of the number ticking up, but because it’s too much attention. Okay, so, if no one remembered my birthday that would bother me, too. In the meantime, I have to smile and seem flattered that people remembered. Last year, I was traveling on my birthday. I think I need to plan to do that every year.
    4. Cinnamon rolls — I treated myself to one from Schneider’s Bakery on my birthday. I think they have 3000+ calories, but they are delicious.
    5. Frederick Buechner — Ten years ago, when my brother passed away and we cleaned out his apartment, I found a box full of books by Frederick Buechner. I wrote about it in a post called Vultures. The other day I started reading The Yellow Leaves which is a collection of his essays. I find myself copying bits into my journal, like these words he wrote describing an encounter with FDR — “… even the mightiest amoung us can’t stand on our own. Unless we have someone to hold us, our flimsy legs buckle.”
    6. Brian Doyle — I’m reading a collection of his essays called Reading in Bed. It’s filled with Brian Doyle’s brilliant wit and pithy practical writing advice, like this today: “The first great editor I worked for gave me a gnomic speech about how we do not use the word hopefully to begin a sentence here… then I worked for a genius editor whose driving theme was say something real, write true things, cut to the chase. More advice I have not forgotten (hopefully).”
    7. Sunshine — finally. Glorious. Much appreciated
    8. Pens — I love good pens, so a package of new colored pens was the perfect birthday gift.
    9. Bird/squirrel feeders — cheap entertainment.
    10. Cats — They are interesting creatures who allow us to love them. They deign to permit us to give them attention. Of late, one of my cats follows me into the bathroom in the middle of the night. You may pet me now, she says.
    gratitude · Life

    TToT — February 15, 2025

    Sally6 Comments

    Ten Things of Thankful — for what it’s worth. I’m still not feeling 100%

    I am thankful for 1sick time at work. Nobody even questioned my taking Monday, or working shortened days Wednesday through Friday. (I’ll get to Tuesday in a sec.)

    “Do what you need to do.” “Take your time.” “It’s important that you give yourself time to recover.” These were all things I heard from my co-workers, along with offers to bring food. It was nice to feel seen and cared for.

    On Tuesday, I had jury duty. I thought about calling and telling the court I was sick, but thought that sitting in a courtroom wouldn’t be physically taxing and if I went I wouldn’t have to use another sick day. Here are my jury duty thankfuls:

    2The system — Big picture, I think it’s a pretty darn good system. There were ninety random people thrown into the courtroom that day. I recognized several: a physician, two swim-moms from my coaching days, a homeschool mom, and a retired greenhouse director. The randomness, the mix of backgrounds and education levels, all seemed to set a good stage for putting together a good jury.

    (Sidenote: when accusations are made about “rigged” juries, I’m not sure how that can happen. The two attorneys can be pretty thorough sifting out people who may have serious biases.)

    3The chairs in the jury box — I was called in the first round. The chairs were pretty darn comfortable. They were wide, cushioned, and they swiveled.

    4Lunch — I didn’t bring lunch. My appetite has been off. As it turned out, though, we all had to leave the courthouse from noon to one. Fortunately, I knew where I could go in town for an easy lunch. At a little coffee shop, I got a bowl of soup which was perfect.

    5 I didn’t get selected for the jury. It was a sexual abuse case involving a father and his now-adult daughter. Honestly, I would have done it as a civic duty, but I’m glad that I didn’t have to listen to that testimony.

    6 The Kingston Trio — I have a friend with a functional CD player. “Got any CDs?” he asked me earlier this week. Actually, yes, I do — shoeboxes full. I brought him an odd mix of Scottish music, the Beatles played by the Boston Pops, and The Kingston Trio. Oh, The Kingston Trio — I LOVE The Kingston Trio. It had been years and years since I had listened, but I still knew every word of every song. For your listening enjoyment, here’s a sweet Kingston Trio song:

    I read multiple books at a time. Non-fiction, for the most part, so it’s easy to read a little section and then let it simmer in soup-pot at the back of my brain. Three books/authors that I’m currently reading and am thankful for: 7The Yellow Leaves by Frederick Buechner, 8Reading in Bed by Brian Doyle, and 9Draft No. 4 by John McPhee.

    From my window, I’ve been watching a flock of 10wild turkeys gathering daily near the river. They strut around. Some roost in the trees. Occasionally one will spread his wings wide in a gesture of big-ness. I am terrible at estimating distances, but I’d say that it’s more than a football field away. Turkeys are pretty unmistakable, though, even from that distance. Anyway, I finally dug out my father’s binoculars so I could really observe them — and I set the binoculars by the window. Of course, I haven’t seen the turkeys since then. Still, I’m thankful. And I’m ready.

    gratitude · Life

    TToT — February 8

    Sally7 Comments

    On Wednesday, I was feeling off.

    On Thursday, I was not feeling well at all.

    I emailed in sick to work. Despite sleeping all morning, I continued to feel worse and worse so I went to a walk-in clinic. I am 110% thankful for 1walk-in clinics. Yes, they are largely staffed by PAs and NPs — but, seriously, you don’t need four years of college followed by four years of medical school followed by four or more years of residency to be able to do a throat swab or a nasal swab (I had both) to diagnose common illnesses. Anyway, as it turns out, I have Influenza A. Joy, joy. (And, no, I did not get my flu shot.)

    I hate being sick. I don’t have time for this nonsense.

    Here are my sick thankfuls:

    2Nadene and Marissa — who finished up my work at the church for me. They stapled and folded all the bulletins, which I had no energy to do.

    3Shetland Season 9 — I binge-watched, sort of. I could listen to Scottish accents all day. I may need to go back and watch the show again, though. I kept falling asleep. There were a LOT of twists and turns — and my flu-infected brain struggled to follow the story line. Still — Scottish accents, beautiful scenery. I’m thankful.

    4Songberd’s Grove — I’ll have to look back to see who recommended this book, but it has been delightful! Published in 1957, written by Anne Barrett, set in London, it’s a wonderful children’s book that is just what the doctor ordered.

    5Friends and family who check on me. People have been so kind. My brother checks in twice a day — “Do you need anything?” A friend offered homemade soup. Another dropped off some food. I am grateful for them all.

    6Sleep — I have slept SO MUCH over the past few days. It’s kind of an amazing thing that our body uses to heal. I rarely give myself enough time for it.

    7Tea with honey. I am a coffee drinker through and through, but coffee hasn’t really tasted good. Tea, on the other hand, is soothing and I’m glad that I have some here.

    I learned what a 8pilchard is. If I had guessed, I wouldn’t have even been close. It turns out they are FISH, like sardines. I can still picture my mother opening a can of sardines with that little key. She would lay those little fish neatly on a piece of bread and squeeze a little lemon on them. They were way too fishy for me. I love learning new words, but I’m not sure how often I will use the word “pilchard.”

    I also love learning new phrases and came across 9“Not by a long chalk.” I had only ever heard “not by a long shot” — probably a military term. I looked up the chalk version and it turns that it’s a pub term. I found this on the web:

    …the expression almost certainly comes from the habit of using chalk in such establishments to mark the score in a game, a habit which now survives in British pubs mainly in the game of darts. A chalk was the name given a single mark or score, so that a person might explain that somebody or other had lost a game of skittles by four chalks or you needed 31 chalks to finish. If your opponent had a long chalk, a big score, he was doing well.

    The expression indicates a determined intention to continue, though the game is going against you. Your opponent may have a long chalk, but you’re not done for yet.

    worldwidewords.org

    I’m also grateful for this poem: 10“Small Kindnesses” by Danusha Laméris. Please check it out. It’s full of the small kindnesses we experience every day, and half the time we don’t even notice. I read it for the first time this week and I keep going back to it. I want to remember them. I want to see them.

    gratitude · Life

    TToT – February 1

    Sally8 Comments

    I’ve woven my Ten Things of Thankful into a recap of my week.

    This week I’ve been 1Riding the Robbie Burns wave. The event last week was such a rousing success that I’ve had people all week stopping in to say thanks and to offer suggestions for next year. “Next year let’s have scones, too.” “Next year, let’s put out some Robert Burns poems in case other people want to read one.” “Next year, I want to be sure to invite so-and-so.” For me, that response has been a continual encouragement.

    This week we had a presentation from the 2New York State Police K9 training facility just outside our town. It was fascinating. The dog he brought with him was a Belgian Malinois. I was surprised at the size (small) and the energy level (huge).

    On Wednesday, I had a rough appointment regarding a difficult thing I’m working through. As chance would have it, that same day I had an appointment with 3Rachel, my counselor. I know I’ve mentioned her before, but I can’t say enough about having someone safe and wise to talk things through with.

    I also had a local friend reach out to me — 4Jan — which meant a lot. Very grateful for her.

    My hip has been bothering me more and more. I don’t really like this aspect of growing old. However, 5swimming can hold the pain at bay a little bit, and I made it in the pool three times this week. Also I finally, reached out to an 6orthopedic surgeon to discuss what comes next. That appointment isn’t until March — but still, I made the appointment which is something I’ve been procrastinating. I’m thankful for both of those things.

    Today, however, after I swam, I went back to my locker and my 7necklace wasn’t there. This necklace is so special to me. I wear it ALL the time. It has three discs: one with a tree to symbolize family and the other two have my children’s name along the edge. I am incredibly thankful that it was at home. I must have taken it off there before heading to the pool.

    Our town’s 8Winter Carnival is this weekend. I went on a trip down Memory Lane with some photographs, trying to remember what year was MY first winter carnival. I think these are from 1968. They had the snow sculptures right on Main Street! I’m not even sure they do them anymore.

    Stewart, Peter, and Sally
    Sally (off to the left) and Stewart

    This weekend is also the opening of the Quilt Show at the local art association. My youngest brother has taken up quilting, so someone asked if he had any quilts in the show. I don’t think he does, but I have one on my bed that I absolutely love. He gave 9this quilt to me this fall, telling me that the colors are Mom’s colors (true) but that it made him think of me. I LOVE my quilt.

    To give you a sense of the colors

    Today I received 10my Rabbit Room mug in the mail. Since my father died, I’ve been less involved with this organization, but I am still so thankful for the work they do and the encouragement they have been to me. Plus I always drink my coffee from a Rabbit Room mug. I have quite a collection of them.

    family · gratitude · Life

    TToT — January 18

    Sally7 Comments
    1. The Moon — when I left the house a little after 5 AM Wednesday, I had to pause to take a picture of it. The corona, the clouds — all so lovely.

    2. A quote from Art and Fear (by David Bayles and Ted Orland) —
    “wanting to be understood is a basic need… The risk is fearsome; in making your real work you hand the audience the power to deny the understanding you seek; you hand them the power to say, ‘you’re not like us; you’re weird; you’re crazy.‘”
    I have always thought that my biggest fear is failure. The authors are correct though. My biggest fear is not being understood and therefore not fitting in. This is the fear that mean girls target with their posse-mentality — and I’ve learned that mean girls exist at all ages.

    3. Encouraging comments — this ties in with #2. I wrote a poem (Phoenix) which I hesitated to post because it’s …um… different. Okay, okay — it’s weird. It starts off with the word “phlying” and has some homophones thrown in. Also a backwards spelling of the word Phoenix which made sense to me as the Phoenix rising from the ashes. Well, the post sat there with no comment on the oddities. How polite, I thought. What a bomb, I thought. Until a little flurry of comments on phlying. So I’m thankful for Leslie Scoble, D. Avery, Sarah David, and crazy4yarn2. You encourage me.

    4. A $5 tip — For the record, we don’t take tips at work other than workout tips because we’re a fitness facility. Yesterday, I helped a man with his membership. When we were done, he pulled out his wallet and put a five dollar bill on my desk.
    “I can’t take that,” I said.
    “I’m not taking it back,” he said.
    We were at a stalemate. He told me a long story about how he likes to help people.
    “Use that to help somebody else,” he said. “It’s five bucks. I’m not going to miss it and I’m not taking it back.”
    Reluctantly, I put it in my drawer. Now I have to come up with a way to help somebody with five dollars — a fun challenge.

    5. A new friend — I got together last night with a woman I met at a Christmas party. She is only in town occasionally, but when we first met, we had so much in common. Two introverted moms in the midst of changes in their lives. I’m glad it worked out that we could meet and talk again.

    6. An old friend — I ran into one of my oldest friends (as in years I’ve known her) that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Thirty-five years ago, people used to confuse us for each other — and we have some great stories about that. So so so good to see her.

    7. Another unpleasant situation that ended with an apology — Suffice it to say that I needed to speak with a member about an unkind thing she had done. In gathering information about our policies at the facility, another staff member said, “Oh, her. She’s terrible. We may have to kick her out.” Later, I ran into the woman in the hallway. This was our conversation:

    Me: You’re just the person I was looking for!
    Her: Really? What’s going on? What did I do now?
    I recounted the situation to her.
    Her: I am so sorry. Sometimes I speak without thinking. I didn’t mean to come across that way.
    Me: It’s okay. I just wanted you to know how it DID come across.
    Her: I’m really sorry. I will try not to do it again.

    Sometimes people just need a chance. I’m willing to give her another one.

    8. Fasting — I did a 24 hour fast and it’s amazing how good that feels for the body.

    9. A message from my cousin letting me know that her father, my uncle, is “slowing down.” I will plan a trip to see him. I’d much rather get that message and have a chance to visit than what the message could have been.

    10. Flowers — a member gave me flowers for my desk as a thank you. I LOVE fresh flowers.