Gratitude on the go! 9-14-12

Today I am grateful for:
-Finding moments to smile in trying situations.
-Having a great laugh fest at NUTS today. Sometimes moments of miscommunication are okay when caught right away.
-Seeing other people's genuine smiles.
-Having lunch with my friend Christine. It's been months and it's great to hear how she's doing.
-Allowing myself to be open.
-Laughter
-Going to Target and NOT buying anything.
-The weather today. My favorite temperature:

-Playing in the park with Calvin. They re-did the triangle park and it's actually really great. The weather was perfect, Calvin seemed to be enjoying our time together, and hearing/remembering playground logic was wonderful. Here's a little collage of pictures I took of the little man:

-Children's logic.

-Receiving a bunch of unexpected really nice gifts! First Sarah Gioia made me homemade curry for dinner for watching Calvin. Also my favorite Greek Yogurt. Then when I got home, I got a letter from Christine Johnston, another mom I babysit for, with $20 inside to thank me for coming over the other day even though they didn't actually need me to babysit that night. I also got a book in the mail that I didn't order myself. It's called The Cleaner Plate Club. I believe Christine sent this to me as well since I was looking through it at her place the last time I went there. Those are both two really unnecessary gifts, but so thoughtful. I'm the one who should be sending her gifts. I love babysitting her girls and always love to get the opportunity to do it!

-Brene Brown

-Learning about foreboding joy and discovering that I've already been actively fighting against it. I've realized that it's so hard for me to actually be happy about things because it a) feels selfish, b) I don't feel worthy, and c) it makes me feel vulnerable. I always seem to plan for the worst or keep those moments of happiness to myself because of that. However, I've been "leaning into" the joy recently and trying hard to Dare Greatly and share those moments with people I trust. One way to fight those moments of foreboding joy is to actively practice gratitude. This blog has really allowed me to practice gratitude and embrace those moments of joy when ever and where ever they happen. So when those moments of joy come up, instead of trying to push them away or plan for the worst, I take that second to say how grateful I am. It's definitely a practice because at this point it still feels forced, but little by little and day by day it's getting easier.
-As always, my friends