Experimental Gratitude

A new year has begun, complete with all of the "new year, new me", "make 2019 your best year yet", and "out with the old, in with the new" hype that always comes around this time of year.

I am starting an experiment. It is much like the "month of giving thanks" that people do in November. But, I am going to try it for an entire year. (Try being the operative word...). Each day, I am going to list something that I am grateful for. Along with it, I am going to list one thing that I found beauty in. My goal is to not do any repeats. We'll see what happens. And we'll see if I can post something every day. There may be some times that I have to list several days in a row (like today...I'm not posting this until January 3, 2019, so I'm already behind!) but I will try to make a point of pausing each day and reflecting on something I'm grateful for and something I find/see beauty in.

It will all be posted on this blog post. We'll see what transpires!

JANUARY:

1. I was thankful for snow. ... and I thought the snow was beautiful.
2. I was thankful for a heater. I thought my jade plants were beautiful.
3. I am thankful for dreams. I see beauty in the holiday lights that most places still have up.
4. I am thankful for indoor plumbing. 
5. I am thankful for time with family (playing Flagstaff-opoly).
6. I am thankful for warm blankets. I see beauty of new snow. 
7. I am thankful for another year. I see the beauty of myself. 
8. I am thankful for cold medicine. 
9. I am thankful for technology. 
10. I am thankful for Scott. 
11. I am thankful for a warm place to sleep. 
12. I am thankful for music
13. I am grateful for good food. 
14. I am grateful for elders. 
15. I am grateful for basketball! First game for PFS JV girls basketball! 🏀
16. I am grateful for sleep.
17. I am grateful for good writers (in particular, Silent Sky).
18. I am thankful for rain.
19. I am thankful for WWRL Lodgekeepers.
20. I am thankful for bacon.
21. I am thankful for art and being able to make art. 
22. I am thankful for music. 
23. I am thankful I have a job that allows me to pay for my bills.
24. I am thankful for Taiko and see beauty in their voices. 
25. I appreciate the beauty of hawks.
26. I am thankful for imagination. (Short story challenge, "Bitty Betty's Baubles & Fortune Emporium")
27. I am thankful for Keliani. I love her persistence.
28. I am thankful to be coaching JV basketball at PFS.
29. I am grateful for refrigeration. 
30. I love coaching middle school JV girls basketball. 
31. I am thankful for Akiane. I love the way she sees the world. 

FEBRUARY:

1. I am thankful for 1st Friday Art Walk.
2. I am thankful for sleep.
3. I am thankful for Raymond. I love his willingness to be himself. And his sense of humor is great.
4. I am thankful for my ability to get up and try again...to persist. 
5. I am thankful for Nevaeh. I love her tenacity. 
6. I am thankful for pauses. 
7. I am thankful for coffee. I find it funny that more often than not I drink it black now. 
8. I am thankful for my Jacuzzi. 
9. I am thankful for and see the beauty of houseplants. 
10. I am grateful for movies. I am thankful for WWRL Lodgekeepers. In particular (tonight): Sophie, Grace, and Heather.
11. I am thankful for being able to communicate... More or less clearly!
12. I am thankful for girls who work hard and WIN basketball games! (We won our first game tonight! It was the first game they have won in 2 years!)
13. I am grateful for volunteers.
14. I am grateful for fire fighters.
15. I am grateful for being able to get grant proposals and reports in on time.
16. I am thankful for music and being able to hear Tay play at Firecreek. 
17. I am grateful for Shimmer Lee & WWRL monthly workshop.
18. I am grateful and thankful for my mom.
19. I am grateful for getting to see Raymond grow. He stayed the night with us tonight. And tonight was the first time he has ever asked me to come in to say good-night to him.
20. I see beauty in individual snowflakes caught on frosty windows. I am thankful for central heating.
21. I am thankful for warm blankets on cold & snowy nights.
22. I am grateful for deep snow recharging the aquafers.
23. I am grateful for hard working actors & production team.
24. I am grateful for Donita Godwin.
25. I am grateful for imagination & being able to design & craft different things.
26. I love seeing the snow melt.
27. I am grateful for Tay.
28. I am thankful for things coming together and having a good final dress rehearsal.

MARCH:

1. I am grateful for an amazing opening night (Producers). I am grateful for wine.
2. I am thankful that I get to spend time with some wonderful people for a really fun show. I am grateful for wine & chocolate. I love getting to giggle backstage with Crystal.
3. I am grateful for all of the hard work and love put into WWRL by the Lodgekeepers.
4. I am grateful for meditations in the jacuzzi.
5. I love meeting with people and developing great Festivals (Deana).
6. I am grateful that Cheryl with Random Impulse Taiko was able to be at rehearsal tonight. I really enjoy drumming with her!
7. I am happy to meet new volunteers for Sun Sounds. The man I met today is also a knife sharpener hobbyist. I find that very interesting!
8. I am thankful for cast families who help make set pieces (in particular, I am grateful for Alice & Larry Gibbs, and Andy Besler).
9. I am grateful for getting to work with such amazing youth in FAME's The Producers.
10. I am thankful for Scott Godwin helping clean up after the show.
11. I am grateful for my health and that I am able to stay as active as I want (more-or-less).
12. I am grateful for Bobbie. I just want her to be happy.
13. I am thankful to be a part of Made in the Shade 2019.
14. I am thankful that I won tickets to see the Steep Canyon Rangers!
15. I am thankful for new ideas and imagination!
16. I am thankful for Llumination and getting to participate in it with Bobbie. I am also thankful for Taiko Meditation.
17. I am grateful to know Greg Cooney. I appreciate his love for being active and working hard and enjoying Flagstaff.
18. I love Flagstaff and all of the fun things in town that support various non-profits (i.e. Creative Spirits).
19. I am thankful for wonderful businesses in Flagstaff who are willing to discuss new possibilities (Warners, re: coffee festival)
20. I'm thankful for Spring!
21. I'm thankful for Sun Sounds volunteers. 
22. I'm grateful for relatively easy traffic on the way to Casa Grande. 
23. I'm thankful I got to go to the Renaissance Festival with Scott & Isaac. 
24. I appreciate the beauty that is springtime in Arizona!
25. I am thankful to be a part of community Festivals!
26.  I am grateful for Dr. Carrie (chiropractor).
27.  I am grateful to be a part of Silent Sky!
28.  I am grateful that I get to be an example and resource for Kim to follow a different path.
29. I am grateful for Deana Tatro and her passion for creating beauty through community interactions.
30. I am thankful for nice weather and getting to work on the yard. 
31. I am thankful for lemon ginger mead from Drinking Horn Meadery. 

APRIL:

1. I am thankful for 7-year old "getting me" with April Fool's jokes (shoe's untied, hair sticking out...).
2. I am thankful to be a writer and thankful that I entered the writing contest! I am going on to round 2!
3. I am thankful to live in a community that practices fierce love, expansive sacred-mundane, and mindful spirituality. 
4. I am grateful for orgasms.
5. I am thankful to have people I love in my life.
6. I am thankful for fairy gardens.
7. I am thankful that I was able to work through some difficult pieces and complete round 2 of the writing contest. My categories: horror, a renovation, a researcher. Title: Renovate or Conflagrate. Brief synopsis: After a challenge from a travelling evangelist, one family's lives are changed forever.
8. I am grateful to have "sick time" at work that I can use to take care of my kids.
9. I am thankful for knowing about the body's natural tendency to heal using heat...
10. Taiko is a beauty-filled experience for me. I am so grateful to be able to participate in the experience that is Taiko!
11. I am thankful for beautiful stories and so grateful to be able to share Silent Sky in the historic Clark Telescope!
12. I am thankful for a warm home, clothes, and food. (It's cold out, today!)
13. I am grateful for my mom. She is stronger than she thinks, and more influential than she gives herself credit for. 
14. I am grateful to have taxes done.
15. I am grateful to have a curious mind and the ability to take things apart to see how they work (and see if I can fix them) and then put them back together. (Fixing the light on top of the wind spinner.)
16. I am thankful that we get to be a part of the kids lives. We went and saw Akiane's school play. 
17. I am grateful to have a job. 
18. I am grateful to hear & see the presentation about a couple's trip to My. Everest base camp. And grateful that I am currently not interested in doing that trek!
19. I am grateful for my chiropractor. 
20. I am grateful for good food, spending time with friends & family, and margaritas!
21. I am grateful to wake up. 
22. I am thankful for Mr. Mike Moran. His example of genuine caring for his students and athletes will forever be with me. I hope to be as compassionate and enthusiastic as he allows himself and those around him to be. 
23. I am grateful for spring thunderstorms!
24. I am grateful for current courts system for TRYING to do the right thing. 
25. I am grateful for storytelling via movies. (The Mustang. End Game)
26. I am thankful to have been able to spend time with Keliani today. 
27. I am grateful to Vora financial for letting us hold our audio description workshop at their place of business.
28. I am grateful to be able to spend time with my family.
29. I am grateful for good food.
30. I am grateful for watermelon!

MAY:

1. I am thankful to be witness to the reality of change (that people can actually change who they are when they put their minds to it).
2. I am thankful for DANCE!
3. I am grateful for doctors. 
4. I am grateful that I got to hang out with Keliani. It was fun going to see Dumbo. 
5. I am grateful for my yard.
6. I am grateful for volunteers at Sun Sounds of Arizona.
7. I am thankful for Peter Crowell. I truly appreciate his insight. 
8. I am grateful for beer & Taiko.
9. I am thankful that I got to watch Keliani's class play with everyone. 
10. I am grateful for Eli & Rand. It was wonderful to have breakfast with them. 
11. I am thankful for the travelling song played for me during the Taiko presentation at Haven Health.
12. I am thankful for my mom.
13. I am grateful for the Lodgekeepers of WWRL. 
14. I am thankful for the Hulla site team. 
15. I am grateful for end of the school year concerts.
16. I am grateful for Scott being willing to drive for Friday's parade. 
17. I am grateful for lavender pills. 
18. I am grateful for people who choose to serve in the armed forces. I am grateful that I got to play Taiko in the AFD parade. I am grateful that Findlay Toyota let us borrow a truck and trailer. 
19. I am thankful Kim&Jake made it home safely. 
20. Space
21. Space
22. Space
23. Space
24. Space
25. I am grateful to spend time with my in-laws. 
26. I am grateful for my mom being willing to look after my pets. 
27. Space
28. I am thankful I have a pretty awesome little car. I've had it since 2006 and I think it's great. 
29. I am grateful to have the chance to try a new pizza place. (Your pie)  I really liked it!
30. I am incredibly grateful for all of the ground work Rand Jenkins had done for Hullabaloo.
31. I am grateful to put on a great festival with beauty-full people! 

JUNE:

1. Hullabaloo!
2. Hullabaloo!
3. I'm grateful for a beautiful start of summer.  
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7. I'm grateful for Scott helping with set up.   
8. Made in the Shade!
9. I am grateful for the people who come and help with cleanup.
10. I'm appreciative of the beauty of today.   
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12.  I'm thankful for Jim & Peggy McMahon. 
13. I'm grateful for technology that allows people from across the country to gather and meet.
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15. WWRL! I'm grateful for the little sprinkles of rain today. I'm thankful for ancestors. 
16. WWRL!
17. I'm thankful tyo get to travel with Scott. 
18. Grateful for "sleep, park, fly"specials. 
19. Thankful to be able to help set up solstice celebration. 
20. Solstice!
21. Thankful to share space with beautiful people. 
22. Grateful to Jim &Mary for letting us hang out with them. 
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27. Thankful for getting to have dinner with Jessica, Matthias, Jerome &Scott.
28. Grateful for a great hike to waterfall with Jerome &Scott. 
29.  Grateful to have learned about Philz coffee!
30. Grateful for my home, my cat, my geckos.  

JULY:

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2. Grateful to my mom for helping me get tickets to Guam. 
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22. Grateful for everyone working the Museum Fire. 
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25. Grateful for all the people working the flood mitigation. 
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27. Grateful to spend time with grandpa George. 
28. Grateful grandpa has someone in his life to care for and who cares for him. 
29. Grateful for technology that allows people to travel great distances with ease. 
30. Grateful for family in all its quirky forms. 
31. Grateful for Bobbie and all the ways she shows up for me. 

AUGUST:

1. Grateful for my Chamorro dad. 
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SEPTEMBER:

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OCTOBER:

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NOVEMBER:

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DECEMBER:

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