MAY 2020-Gratitude, Appreciations-Pls Post Here!

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Thank you all for being inspirations for me.
See you in June I hope!

On this last Sunday of May (wow), I'm grateful for:

-Easy Sunday mornings. Can't believe I turned back over after waking and slept until after 9:30 ... almost unheard of
-Meeting friends for another "distanced" walk in the cemetery shortly; especially grateful to connect as I'm feeling discombobulated by our country's happenings
-The three sweetest kitties I could ever ask for; I've got a "two fer" this morning with both Cleo and Rosie hanging with me while I ponder my gratitude
-Knowing the steps to take to stay calm in the midst of craziness (and knowing to not watch any more news than I need to stay informed)
-Looking forward to a quiet day at home after my walk cooking, weeding and cleaning ...

On this final day of May my appreciations include:
-Gentle ride taking in rolling green vistas, snowy ranges, reflective lake and big wide skies...with a few hawks sightings shared too
-Ongoing trend of good 😴 sleep
-So many promising sprouts and growths in our garden
-Checking out why our pet crows were squawking and watching them unsuccessfully trying to banish neighbor's cat resting high in a big tree
-Using my rest day for extra soothing studio time
-All of the contributions to this practice

Hope to see you here tomorrow to make June a month of joy. The JUNE thread will be posted this afternoon.

👍 more gold stars in Yousician
👍 a good run and taking a new route
👍 decent sleep
👍 my father back home
👍 many possibilities

On this fine Saturday morning, I'm grateful for:

-A weekend of sunshine, says the weather forecaster! Yay!
-Fair amount of weeding done yesterday, much easier with wet ground
-Fun, fun, fun playing tennis last night; I forgot how much I loved it
-Getting a very sweet e-mail from my mother right before bed
-My phone ringing first thing this a.m., then both of my twin nieces were talking to me! SO sweet, and becoming more frequent
-Heading to the farmer's market soon to pick up my pre-ordered asparagus, strawberries, spinach, butterhead heirloom lettuce, spring garlic, eggs

My appreciations this morning include:
-More blooms and fantasy cloud creatures enjoyed with Kiowa on our morning walk
-Riding with R on his bank errand and having insightful conversation along the way
-Ordering from Costco online and having all my list delivered in less than 2 hour
-News from Expo that date will be confirmed/denied by Monday...likely
-Joining R to watch most of "Art of Racing in the Rain" again for welcome cathartic 😭 empathetic tears
-Text exchanges with dear friend to let him know how we are championing his speedy recovery
-Brief but still centering studio session

🔲 successfully applying for absentee ballot for November so I won’t have to go to the polls
🔳 a good day of rest and feeling eager to get back to music practice today
🔲 more good cooking and eating chez nous
🔳 memories of good friends in the past - another source of great gratitude
🔲 love and fun with Lucy and Desi

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Sunshine, especially after heavy rains and flooding (4+ inches yesterday)
-Kitties also enjoying the sunshine, camped out in their respective sun beams
-A friend who wants to play tennis, a great social distance sport, and has committed to this weekend (it's been several years since I've played)
-Another great night of rest, not even moving for 6-7 hours, says the FitBit
-Catching up with dear friend who found out this week what doctors have been trying to figure out for 2-3 years; now they can treat appropriately! Relief ...
-Weeding plans at lunch, while the ground is nice and wet

🔆 good decision to take a weekly rest day one day early today
🔅 short, easy walk together with L this morning
🔆 enjoyable TV watching and book reading
🔅 reflections on recent events and self-understanding
🔆 gold starring more challenging pieces on Yousician

My many appreciations this morning include:
-Choosing different route for our walk to see other gardens and was rewarded with so many various colors of iris and huge poppies in rose and red
-Well timed 'Star Talk' interview with Anthony Bourdain after binge watching old episodes of "no reservations"
-Extended conversation with old friend and finding she just survived serious physical issues and is still optimistic despite her challenges
-Outside time uplifting and affirming balanced outlook
-Checks received, handled and orders sent
-Fun drive in 'cedes with R and Kiowa to pick up Indian food from our friend's restaurant...food was very spicy 🌶 awesome 👏 too

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Sipping hot tea on a rainy morning, classic
-Morning kitty rituals
-Friends
-My comfortable home, shelter from all storms
-My health and the health of my family and friends
-My brother posting a picture on Facebook of my oldest nephew driving through (with a mask on) to pick up his high school diploma ... mixed feelings
-A bird chirping away outside my window in the rain

Edited by: SLASALLE at: 5/28/2020 (11:08)

My appreciations this morning include:
-getting walk and MHC done earlier than usual to take advantage of cooler part of the day
-list made for R and the luxury of having all shopping errands done for me
-studio time soothing my soul and filling in inventory gaps
-two hammock locations enjoyed yesterday and easy exchanges with R as magical music filled the air of our backyard sanctuary
-watching new sprouts emerge and jalapeños planted

💠 brother’s safe arrival in FL
💠 seeing D looking happier during Facetime chat
💠 strong knees and knowing how to maintain them
💠 change and adventure
💠 sleep, just about whenever I want. or need it

Today I'm grateful for:

-Another good night of sleep
-Waking feeling super rested after a 5-day weekend
-Dear friend who slipped a piece of homemade carrot cake on my front porch then just texted me that it was there
-Enjoying the projects I took care of over the weekend, especially the carpet I put down in my home office; much softer than the hardwood floor AND a nice cushion for kitties to jump down from one of their favorite perches
-A surprise package in the mail with auspicious timing

My appreciations this morning include:
-Invitation to go with R for him to do a 'first' in his life bank transaction followed with beautiful drive where we shared 2 golden 🦅 🦅 eagles perched and 2 hawks soaring
-Sharing insights, ideas and quirky stuff with delightful soundtrack
-Taking Kiowa on daily walk after our 🚗 car sitting time, 👌🏻 perfect balance
-Touring our backyard gardens with R, checking out new growth going in most promising way
-Good 😴 sleep

🟥 Knowing that brother is on way to FL and my parents today
🟧 The delicious dinner L cooked yesterday
🟨 Starting free trial of HBOMax today
🟩 Setting Alexa reminder to take vitamin D
🟦 Peanut butter sandwiches
🟪 continued tidying and reconfiguring of study/studio

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Waking a few times during the night, hearing the light patter of rain on the roof and letting it lull me back to sleep
-Not moving for 7+ hours, says my FitBit; best sleep in several days
-The kitty girls being extra snuggly this morning with no sunshine, so we hung out in bed extra this morning ..... aaaaaaah
-Not injuring myself beyond scraping and a bruise when I almost stepped on Rosie, falling against a door frame to avoid it
-Playing Perquackey on the phone with a friend
-Plans to do some weeding today, perfect after light rain; I've been waiting all weekend for this rain to do it

Among my many appreciations this morning:
-Taking Kiowa on longer walk to and through sculpture fields ringing commemorative 🔔 bell for the day
-MHC remembering so many good souls in my life
-Bounty of organic produce gifts from R and his shopping trip
-Payments ready to mail for goods and services from friends along with notes
-Ovation channel tours of art and artists always yielding new finds for me
-Tradition of sort of watching Wicked Tuna as we share fun conversations
-All the thriving health in our happy 🏡 home

🎶 open windows, cool morning air, bird song
🐦 cat cuddles
🌸 a fun, challenging run yesterday
🌿 using mouse with ipad
🐈 L’s new flowers in the garden
🎸 patience, quality and method in music practice

This morning I'm grateful for:

-The meaning and intent behind Memorial Day, so many lives lost
-A lovely day yesterday, albeit a bit hot and humid (it was supposed to rain, but did not)
-Taking a great hike at the Unity Village Nature Trail (trail head is right at the labyrinth), hiking along a creek and next to a lake, so pretty
-Enjoying the Kansas City Symphony on our local public TV station in lieu of the free Memorial Day symphony they normally do at Union Station, with performances by Bobby Watson (local saxophonist) and native Joyce DiDonato from her home in Spain
-Lots of play time with the kitties yesterday
-Walk and talk scheduled with my sister in a few minutes

My many appreciations this morning include:
-finding 😎 sunny and dry part of morning for energizing KJ walk with Kiowa who has learned how to remind me she wants to take a walk
-lots of easy ☔️ rain making all the glorious growing things more vivid and vibrant in colors of Spring
-better sleep than usual free of allergy symptoms (thank you rain)
-cell phone 📱 screen not damaged as it had been in dream ..yeah!
-hanging out and napping in man cave with R and Kiowa
-fun text exchanges after reaching out to old friend
-milestone weigh in back in the 120's

✌️tidying up study space for music practice
❤️ advancing my position on a Yousician challenge board
🎸 plans beginning to germinate for elder care trip to FL
❤️ father’s good news during phone call
✌️ intelligence and creativity in problem solving

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Sleeping on clean sheets ...
-Three beautiful red roses on my bush
-Doing backyard work yesterday to the music of my pond waterfalls ... aaaaah
-Cleo crawling under the covers with me this morning, very unusual in the a.m.
-Talking to my brother and three out of four nieces/nephews as they were driving up into the mountains
-My brother, the photographer, taking a great shot of my other nephew, soon-to-be virtual class of 2020 (high school), my mom sharing it to my page because she knows I don't do much on Facebook
-My mother calling me yesterday, also unusual
-Doing well at sticking with my project plans for the long weekend

My appreciations this morning include:
-IT geek (friend of R) immediately responding to my text and resolving my email issues with a quickness (and generous empathy in the process)
-Two long detailed dreams to process at my leisure
-Coming up with more socially distance compatible booth set-up plan if indeed the June Fair happens as announced
-Being confident in recommending C to client
-Taking in vitamin D on KJ walk with Kiowa and hammock meditation
-Nutrition rich easy meals from batch prepared organic veggies

🐱 conversations with brother and L about elder care for parents
🐱 giving myself a successful haircut and shaving "quarantine beard"
🐱 fun TV watching
🐱 cuddle-play with Lucy
🐱 daily yard time with Lucy, Desi and L

This morning I'm grateful for:

-2 a.m. startling wakeup that sounded like gunshots turned out to be fireworks; they were very pretty, but I would have preferred an earlier hour
-Word games and jigsaw puzzles
-My comfortable home, a solid roof over my head always
-Sipping hot tea
-Soft, silky kitty fur, especially when they're purring
-Sunshine, with plans to enjoy today as the rest of the weekend has rain predicted

⇢ a new-to-me 60s Jazz playlist on the stereo
⇢ feeling I've really earned today's day of rest by good study and exercise this week
⇢ good 2nd and 3rd(!) sleeps
⇢ hugs, kisses and i-love-yous
⇢ the wide, grassy median of local road as good place for social distanced running and walking
⇢ scoring high in a Yousician challenge

My many appreciations this morning include:
-Expansive freedom felt on KJ walk with Kiowa
-Promising texts from potential client
-De-hydrating apples for snacks and making celery, arugula etc 🥗 salad
-Sweeping back porch clean just in time for visit with J
-Starry sky bringing so many good memories

Friday, May 22

On this beautiful Friday I am thankful for...
- Being back on the bandwagon
- Being caught up on work
- Having a very good friend here on Spark who continues to encourage me
- Noodle seems to be doing a lot better and hopefully the vet clears him today to go down the stairs today on his own! (No more doggie dumbbells!)
- Coffee, coffee, coffee!

My many appreciations this morning include:
-Achieving goal of editing post despite still being unclear exactly how (need to study this)
-Trip to nursery this morning getting more tomato plants and pickling cucumbers
-Open windows and gorgeous day
-Lovely KJ walk with Kiowa frolicking all the way
-Watching our gardens grow
-Being at place where everything in my wardrobe fits easily

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Sweet, sweet Cleo, snuggling in with me all night
-Breathing and stretching ... especially in the morning
-The morning rituals of this household
-Leaving a message to check in on a friend
-Five days off work
-Making my long holiday weekend project list a double visual by posting it on the refrigerator door; hmmm ... which project will I start with today?
-Plans to spend time on my Buddhism course and possibly start my poetry class
-My jigsaw puzzle, also at the ready
-Having so many interests that I never seem to get bored ... a good thing

neighbor praising my "quarantine beard"
how different and energizing playing the bass guitar is (compared to regular guitar)
email from IR with her social distancing report
feeling of improvement in diaphragm use while singing
skills and knowledge that allow me to be a decent "daddy" for Lucy and Desi

This morning I'm grateful for:

-A super solid night of sleep
-The Kansas City Symphony partnering with our local public TV station for a Memorial Day performance since they can't do it live, including KC native Joyce DiDonato singing two songs from her home in Spain
-So many places adapting to not being able to have large crowds
-Stonehenge putting their annual Summer Solstice gathering on Facebook live for all to see on Saturday, June 20
-Plans over my long weekend to do some virtual tours (Yellowstone, Northern Lights) since I can't go anywhere
-These sweet kitties I live with

Edited by: SLASALLE at: 5/21/2020 (10:17)

My appreciations this morning include:
-Sweet sleep in freshly fluffed bed and clean sheets
-Big strides in re-ordering necklines with new additions
-Call from friend with promising referral
-Watching frees dance in the wind while aligning in gravity bed
-Proliferation of iris in next door neighbors' garden

❥ N𝔸ℙ𝕊 and the freedom to take them whenever I want or need
❥ equanimity
❥ phone call from C to discuss pickleball
❥ lots of fresh groceries
❥ how lively, cute and fun are Lucy and Desi
❥ enjoying Elton John's autobiography ebook from library
❥ good news from L about contractor
❥ helping mother record video for cousin's project

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Kitty food delivery
-Curbside meal picked up last night, a treat for me and support for a local restaurant
-The company I work for; I've never regretted my decision
-Words With Friends and Seven Little Words, love my word games
-The feel of a book; I've not yet moved to e-books
-Getting trash out for me and my neighbors

My appreciation this morning include:
❤️ Long KJ walk with Kiowa before the heat of record hot day
🎉 Afternoon with R and Kiowa finishing new creations
😎 Swamp cooler sweeping whole house with negative ions and excellent climate sanctuary
🐝 Beets, Shiitaki and 🦁 Lion mane mushrooms among the grocery gifts R brought home for me
🏡 Game fun and conquests

Edited by: REBCCA at: 5/20/2020 (09:35)

☛ how gratitude practice helps me fall asleep at bedtime
☛ skillful communication techniques and resolving differences
☛ arrival of package
☛ fresh, clean air
☛ plan to help mother with video tech issue later this morning

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Trader Joe's shop done, constantly adjusting purchases to stay away longer
-A really solid night of sleep
-Doing something nice daily for another person; thinking about what's up today
-Starting my 4th SparkPeople maintenance challenge
-Putting together a balanced plan for my upcoming 5-day weekend that includes "free time" to do as I wish at the time, but also gets some projects taken care of
-My mother, still having her around to talk to and share with
-Always, my health and my family's health in these trying times

My many appreciations this morning include:
-Receiving and having new order ready to mail this morning
-Finding silly satisfaction washing and ironing paper money
-Picking perfect weather time for fun KJ walk with Kiowa & Pandora
-Dream of intriguing 🎁 gifts received, sparkling crystal instruments with blue flames and microscope 🔬
-Feeling all the healthy benefits of mindfulness choices

Gratitude that this board is here.
Appreciate my roommate, with all out ups and downs.
My nosy cat, Little Grey, sitting here with me. She's very talkative.
Jesus.

❀ purge of files "temporarily" saved on computer desktop
✿ wisdom and experience remembered
❀ fun, interesting dreams during second sleep
✿ advancing to a quite challenging level on Yousician piano
❀ finally tuning into latest Survivor season

Monday, May 18

This morning I am grateful for...

- Being on track to clear out my email inbox today
- Noodle seems to feeling better (he goes back to the vet to see if his stitches can come out today)
- Video games to keep me occupied in my down time
- My husband working out with me for the last few days

Happy Monday! This morning I'm grateful for:

-Working from home
-Hot tea on a cool morning (Rebecca, , indeed)
-The stellar day that was yesterday ... such beautiful weather, windows open with a fresh breeze through the house ... aaaaah
-A good workout doing a walk/bike & talk with my sister
-More word fun playing Perquackey with my friend over the phone
-One more serving left from the spinach strawberry feta salad I made
-Sweet Cleo, sleepy Cassie and hungry Rosie (always); I so love our rituals!

Edited by: SLASALLE at: 5/18/2020 (09:44)

My many appreciations this morning include:
-Super Soul Sunday interview with Jimmy Carter concluding with his paintings making a loving and humble tribute to how he saw his life
-Almost remembering extensive dreams, that whispered encouragement
-Catching last glimpse of sunrise pale color bands with Kiowa cuddle time
-R planting tomatoes, Romanesque zucchini, broccoli (fractal), two kinds of beans with plans to do more today
-Still loving the daily harvests of arugula
-KJ walk with Kiowa invigorating all the way
-Feeling a virtual hug from Stephanie

✐ my many to-dos done yesterday
✏︎ quality music study
✎ first stride interval run on 5k training program
✏︎ Lucy and Desi enjoying playing with new toy
✐ fun TV watching



Edited by: GBOOMER at: 5/18/2020 (06:22)

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Feeling particularly akin with Rebecca; though not every day, my current tea is a ginger tea (my favorite tea is at work and I can't get to it)
-Great exercise day yesterday: hour-long walk in the misty morning cemetery, afternoon upper body strength training, short bike ride and stretching
-Using the extra time that I have to take really good care of myself
-Walking into my living room this morning to the scent of the peony arrangement I made yesterday from my garden (three colors) .... aaaaaah
-Second arrangement made and left on the porch of a struggling friend (frontline worker)
-Double header Facebook live concerts last night, both artists Beth and I had in our living room when we did house concerts ... those were great times!
-These sweet kitties I live with; the best exercise buddies I could ask for too


Edited by: SLASALLE at: 5/17/2020 (09:34)

My appreciations this morning include:
-Ginger tea 🍋 tonic that starts my mornings
-Hammock time in two locations in coordination with ☀️ sunshine desires
-The sanctuary of our backyard filled with beautiful 🎶 music
-Studio time satisfaction as usual
-Taking care bills and budget early
-KJ walk with Kiowa always leaving happy afterglow

🤣 taking a needed day-off yesterday from exercise and study
🤣 movie and pizza with L
🤣 a decent night's sleep
🤣 making my father laugh
🤣 L's roses in the front yard

On this Saturday morning, I'm grateful for:

-Sleeping in for an extra 45 minutes or so ... how does my body know it's Saturday? Amazing things, these bodies (and minds) of ours
-Getting through a rough work week
-Finding a book tucked away that I forgot I was in the middle of, interesting because it's a great read on RBG so I know I wasn't bored
-A bit of sunshine, though I thought I heard rain was forecast today; maybe I'll toddle off to the cemetery this morning for a nice walk ...
-Checking in with two friends yesterday
-A very sweet call from my youngest nephew who just turned 12 to thank me for his birthday gifts

My appreciations this morning include:
-Feel good 😊 music mix R made for impromptu adventure to RMA preserve
-Spotting big owl 🦉 immediately upon entry followed by many deer, dozens of buffalo, 8 hawks, 2 eagles and many other birds
-Taking Kiowa out for KJ walk when we got 🏡 home making good stretch after sitting for our road trip
-Being close to home when it started ☔️ raining making for extra brisk finish to our trek
-Dreams taking me on far away journey

🐞 patient, systematic study
🐞 support and counsel from L
🐞 adding bass guitar to the mix
🐞 the dinner that L cooked for us
🐞 finishing silly yet engaging tv series
🐞 watching medical seminar together with L

This morning I'm grateful for:

-Waking an hour early (Cassie is an early morning prowler) and enjoying the extra time
-Getting out for a nice walk yesterday when the sun was shining because we're back to cloudy today
-An extra long, hot shower to start my day
-Costco trip (first in a long time) netting some long-wanted food items, but disappointing on paper/cleaning goods and even other food items
-Wanting to support Costco even more because they require masks!
-Company-wide town hall meeting yesterday and our CEO's caution and transparency


Edited by: SLASALLE at: 5/15/2020 (10:57)