Gratitude

8/31/18: Safe arrival into Thailand!

8/30/18 (published late on 8/31/18): Safe and good full day travel with friends and good food in Japan.

7/25/18: My discipline to have regularly met my goal of having one vegetarian meal a day and being mindful of being healthy, appreciating my body and it’s abilities to do so much throughout the day every day

7/24/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Incredibly productive work day, enjoying the process of collaborating with others on a large project with the potential for great impacts to other people, organization and ultimately the company as a whole.

7/23/18 (published late on 7/25/18): A truly enjoyable dinner with colleagues with delicious Thai food and some fun conversation, fully paid by my company.

7/22/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Grabbing some items for friends that I can gift them. Despite traffic, having to take a couple stops and even taking a nap when less than an hour away from the final destination because I was so exhausted, to complete a safe road trip. I feel so blessed to have the ability to travel as I do.

7/21/18 (published late on 7/25/18): A healthy body that allows me to walk all day long to enjoy the mass of things to see around me, because as I fought through the crowds, I acknowledged how many disabled people were within the crowd and how blessed I am with my fully functioning body.

7/20/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Energy to deal with crowds to experience San Diego’s Comic Con for the very first time and appreciating the opportunity to do so knowing so many would love to have the chance. Also having technology to get some critical work done amidst the craziness in the convention.

7/19/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Having plenty of time after work to enjoy beautiful weather by going to the pool and enjoying the sun while getting a little bit of exercising in by swimming.

7/18/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Another safe road trip to spend an extended weekend doing fun stuff!

7/16/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Good health to have the ability to work and be productive all day. I am grateful for my discipline to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack. I am grateful for the awareness to hear the messages of my body and listening to it as it lets me know what I need.

7/15/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Plenty of time for another balanced day of getting rest, doing things I need to do, helping others, playing Pandemic Legacy, watching a movie, cooking healthy meals and spending time with friends.

7/14/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Experiencing a balanced day with a sense of an abundance of time, getting rest, doing things I needed to do, helping others, and even playing a couple games of Pandemic Legacy.

7/13/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Receiving love and support when feeling grief and loss of my brother from so many family, friends, and even acquaintances. I am grateful for the solitary time to grieve and remember my brother as well as the time to do something that I know he has been wanting me to work on for myself, my life, and my happiness.

7/12/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Support of those around me, having their encouragement to succeed in all I set out for myself. I am grateful for my diligence and perseverance to continuously make progress, checking off one thing at a time on my to do list which helps me stay focused on work.

7/11/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Working a job that is 100% remote so that I can work from home, from a friend’s house, any of the Cisco offices around the nation, coffee shops, or other places

7/10/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Having the discipline to only eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day so that my body is energized by good sources of food.

7/8/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Having a safe road trip.

7/7/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Jumping in the car to take a road trip, to spend time with people I love, which brings on feelings of happiness, energy, peace, love and fulfillment.

7/6/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Seeing a random positive note left by “Leah” on the white board at the office for me to find “If you’re reading this, I want to let you know that you are AMAZING! I hope you have a great day” because it brought a smile to my face and joy to my morning when I was tired from having to show up early and then a few more times throughout the day when I was feeling down.

7/5/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Experiencing moments of positivity during the day, the ability to rest a short while after work, the experience of dropping someone else off at the airport for once since it’s usually I who is being dropped off, sitting down for dinner without being distracted by the cell phone and eating delicious food.

7/4/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Playing my favorite cooperative board game, Pandemic Legacy, several times back to back, bringing fun and passion into my day. I am grateful for not having any plans today so that I can do as I want feeling free, peace, and relaxed to do as I wish.

7/3/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Getting a good night’s sleep since I was able to go to bed early with a feeling of peace and waking up this morning feeling refreshed, energized and positive about being productive both with my current workload as well as personal task list.

7/2/18 (published late on 7/25/18): Finding a great hotel at a cheap rate that had a very comfortable bed and deep soaking bathtub so that I could spend time on self-care. I am grateful for the brief moment I felt my brother’s presence and the comfort it brought me. I am grateful for have a safe flight this morning and starting my day with a smile, filled with happiness, love and wonder at how despite how amazing my life already is, how much potential there is for something even greater still.

7/1/18: Having the opportunity to spend time in nature hiking at Sundance to soak in the beauty that this world has to offer, breathing in fresh clean air, gazing out onto such amazing views and allowing mother earth to fill me with peace, hope and energy.

6/30/18 (published late on 7/1/18): The opportunity to travel and discover fun, interesting things to see and do, especially driving on the Bonneville Salt Flats speedway, which was exhilarating! Having time and spontaneity to both go check out random places and take 2 naps during the day. Finding a Basque restaurant that served great food at even better prices!

6/29/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Safe travels to two different destinations and having time to leave the airport between flights to eat at my favorite tonkatsu restaurant with good friends. I am grateful simply for being healthy, having the financial and time freedom to travel as I do and that I have people I can also travel with.

6/28/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Being very productive at work and getting through some backlogged work while also spending some important time with a coworker.

6/27/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Finally have one of the servicemen show up today and complete one of the small jobs at my home today so that I can rest easy that it is done before I have to leave on my next trip. Also for having an incredibly productive day and getting through a lot of emails that has been sitting in my inbox despite having 6 meetings scheduled today and having my friend/coworker come over so we could have dinner and get work done.

6/26/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Simply waking up this morning and having the time to do a meditation. Having time to take several surveys on SurveyMonkey Contribute which donates money to the Humane Society. I am grateful for the informative meeting at work today about digital hoarding as this has been on my mind while I’ve been working on my physical paper hoarding at home.

6/25/18 (published late on 7/1/18): waking up this morning and being able to meditate before I did anything else. I am grateful for cooking myself a healthy vegetarian breakfast that nourishes my body and for having plenty of food in my refrigerator and freezer to cook more healthy meals with.

6/25/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Time to talk with loved ones and having their support and encouragement.

6/24/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Coming across a sympathy card from my brother’s passing to enable me to take a moment to honor, remember and love him. The message inside told me they knew how much my brother looked up to me, but I was the one who looked up to him because he dreamed big, went after it and was living his dream when he passed. He is my inspiration to follow in his footsteps so that I can say I am living my dream before I leave this earth.

6/20/18 (published late on 7/1/18): Receiving my renewed passport today so that I can go on my next international trip. I am grateful for my energy sourcing and soul purpose meditations this morning to start my day off grounded.

6/19/18 (published late on 7/1/18):I am grateful to have a lot of fresh healthy ingredients to cook my meals with. I am grateful for my coworker to fix an excel spreadsheet that I messed up and wasted an hour on.

6/18/18: Getting back on track with several of my goals, including a morning ritual.

6/17/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Having time to sleep in, service this morning, to cook myself a delicious healthy meal, complete household chores, run errands, catch up on a lot of work, getting a quick nap squeezed in, and a little relaxation and inspiration to dream big about my future from watching a movie. Also stopping amidst all of the aforementioned to smell the flowers that I bought myself at Trader Joes.

6/16/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Finally getting my AC unit fixed! Having time and energy to go to the gym. Cooking breakfast and dinner with a friend. Eating fully vegetarian for the day and feeling healthy. Enjoyable time running errands including discovering wasabi seaweed at Trader Joes.

6/15/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Having a friend cook me delicious veggie tacos for breakfast. Time and flexibility to log off work a little early to go to the gym and stock up at Costco with a lot of veggies and healthy protein.

6/14/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Having so many options on places to stay and that friends and family show genuine concern when they find out my AC is broken and it’s over 90 degrees in my house.

6/13/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Travelling safely on a late night flight

6/12/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Watching and enjoying Hamilton with several friends.

6/11/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Having the day off to enjoy the San Diego botanical gardens, which was a beautiful reminder to stop and smell the flowers more often!

6/10/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Enjoying another Stone Brewery Sourfest with friends and celebrating a friendaversary with a friend at the event. Loved the lavender sour beer I got to taste before it ran out.

6/10/18 (published late on 6/18/18): Enjoying another day at the Santa Anita horse race track, having the thrill of winning a couple bets and catching up with my sorority sister there whom I haven’t seen in awhile.

6/8/18: Receiving a compliment from a stranger, being A-list on Southwest, eating spicy fried chicken, and having a productive and safe flight.

6/7/18 (published late on 6/8/18): Great peer coaching from my Cisco colleagues at my training class.

6/6/18: Good first day at training and delicious BBQ dinner with a coworker who came out to meet me while I am in town.

6/5/18 (published late on 6/4/18): Safe flight to Dallas for my training class this week. Forgetting my cell phone charger so that I could have a reaffirming conversation with the Office Depot cashier.

6/4/18: A very productive day at work. Thai dinner before getting a much needed massage!

6/3/18: Actually getting a good night’s sleep and sleeping in. Making steak and eggs for breakfast. Enjoying a feel good romantic comedy, Overboard, with friends. Taking a ride in a pristine 1983 Cadillac to have a fabulous Italian spicy clam linguine dinner. Plus having time to work on some personal things and relax too!

6/2/18 (published late on 6/3/18): Waking up early and being unable to fall asleep became an opportunity to get some quiet focused time to work on myself. Helping someone do an errand resulted in a pleasant walk at a park where I got a small workout in and got a chance to admire a $2.5M dollar home. Got some cleaning done and watched a rodeo movie called the rider.

6/1/18 (published late on 6/3/18): Participating in an auction to raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and scoring an autographed NCIS photograph while donating to a good cause.

5/30/18: progress with presentations that have been on the back burner for a long time. Delicious rib dinner with friends and still having time to work on some personal things. Time to talk and text with several people I’ve been wanting to reach out to.

5/29/18: celebrating a good friend’s birthday at one of my favorite steak houses.

5/28/18 (published late on 5/29/18): for all those who sacrificed their lives to bless me with the freedom and life I have today and giving me a 3 day weekend!

5/27/18: a very restful nap at 10 pm last night for a couple of hours, waking up refreshed and spending some time deleting old emails that I’ve been wanting to get through. Donating new dog duvets to Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary though their Amazon wishlist. Sleeping in again and forcing myself to be more relaxed as I continue to tackle my personal to do list.

5/26/18: Actually getting a good night’s sleep and sleeping in late (9am, instead of waking up at 5-6am and not being able to go back to sleep). Having a relaxed day with no real plans except trying to get some personal to do list tasks done. Oh, and beautiful weather!!

5/25/18 (published late on 5/26/18): Finally eating my favorite deep dish pizza from Giordano’s and getting fresh strawberry pie from Marie Calendar’s on sale for only $10.

5/24/18: Having an amazing steak dinner comp’d with friends!

5/23/18 (published late on 5/24/18): In awe having the once in a lifetime opportunity to listen and meet 98-year old Marthe Cohn, a Jewish spy for the French Army tell her story.

5/21/18: A delicious steak dinner, that was cheap since the grocery store was having buy 1 get 2 free! Being physically and mentally healthy to go to the office and have a productive day at work getting caught up and a lot done.

Week ending 5/20/18 (published late on 5/21/18): Quality time with some of my cousins and aunt in my favorite city, Austin. Having safe travels and getting to enjoy some lovely weather.

5/18/18: Road trip to Austin for my cousins graduation and meeting my cousins from Wyoming there too. Delicious Thai dinner to celebrate and Gourdough’s Cherry Bomb (donut holes) and Flying Pig (maple bacon) to go.

5/16/18: Meditation and cooking time. Successfully replacing the batteries on two smartthings multipurpose sensors, plus resolving the issue with my deadbolt with ease and simplicity (this is big because in the past every time I’ve replaced a battery on a sensor, I’d end up spending an hour or more trying to troubleshoot getting it reconnected to my smartthings!)

5/15/18: Having the time to cook crawfish etouffee for myself with my remaining leftover crawfish, which turned out good!

5/14/18: Forcing myself to go to the gym when I would have rather stayed home and continued working turned into a good workout for my body and having my dear friend offer to cook dinner while I continued to work after the gym, which became my first time having crawfish etouffee – it was delicious! Since she cooked and stayed for dinner, it inspired me to make my “healthy” chocolate cake, which I had been wanting to bake. I am inspired to continue playing with the recipe and hope to perfect it soon!

5/13/18: Not only meditating but having time for spiritual service to start my morning off before spending over 12 hours on minimizing my paper category without losing focus! I felt so inspired to purge, I had the energy and perseverance to keep going. Also having the time to talk at length with my best friend to do some much needed catching up.

5/12/18: Celebrating a graduation with loved ones at my very first crawfish boil and still having the time to meditate, mow my front lawn, a little house cleaning, make a run to target, sit by the pool for a short while and check out the soft opening of Gus’ Fried Chicken.

I am going to try to increase the frequency of my gratitude posts from this point forward to more than once weekly:
5/11/18: Seeing The Abundance Whisperer’s FB post about the Hay House World Summit, which is a journey to Self-Discovery, Health and Success by giving anyone who signs up with an email address, free access to 100 lessons from some of the world’s greatest experts on how to create your best life. This allowed me to listen and watch some insightful teachings to help me on my journey to find passion and purpose. I am also grateful for having the time to tackle my first box of papers (product manuals) for the next category in the KonMari process. I am so happy that my roofer finally came to do the final walk through today and even though it did NOT pass his inspection, that he will schedule a crew to come out next week to address the improperly installed shingles and take the first step to getting my car fixed from when the first roofing crew damaged it.

Week #18 (5/6/18, published late on 5/7/18): Fun weekend trip to SoCal with friends for The Bruery’s Tinth (10th) Anniversary. Making the time to get some posts published in the past week and really enjoying the time spent on my blog! Having the opportunity to hear from one of my readers that I’ve actually made a difference in their life because of my blog. So very grateful to have the chance to hear how my blog affected them while enjoying a delicious ramen dinner and simply having a meaningful conversation about my blog.

Week #17 (4/29/18, published late on 4/30/18): Progress with the KonMari process, finishing the second category of books! Safe travels to Minnesota for work and getting some exercise in walking the Mall of America (over 3 miles of walking!) and finding a beautiful $150 dress at Banana Republic for only $25 (Yah, over 80% off!)

Week #16 (4/22/18, published late on 4/30/18): Perseverance to officially start the KonMari process and finish the very first category of clothing. It took me a whole weekend, was exhausting and felt so good to accomplish it!

Week #15 (4/15/18, published late on 4/16/18): Quality time eating good food, smoking hookah while talking and laughing with people who make a difference in my life. Getting sound advice from my sister that it’s okay I haven’t been able to make some major life decisions because maybe it’s not the right time yet – to take one thing at a time and have faith that everything will work out as it should and even if not, I always have the power to change my mind and situation.

Week #14 (4/8/18, published late on 4/16/18): Last minute work trip to Austin especially since I had been wanting to go to Austin recently – it’s been several years since I had been there. Had a lot of good food and got a chance to finally visit my cousin before she graduates.

Week #13 (4/1/18, published late on 4/2/18): Having time with friends and to go to the gym to destress! Learning how to cook one of my favorite Chinese soups in the InstantPot.

Week #12 (3/25/18): A full week in NYC! Great eats, more quality time with a sorority sister I haven’t seen in 8 years

Week #11 (3/18/18, published late on 3/25/18): Fabulous shopping deals (scored lots of 70% discounted items) at Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets over 1.5 days of shopping!

Week #10 (3/11/18, published late on 3/15/18): Quality time with a sorority sister I haven’t seen in almost a decade; catching up with my cousin; and being reminded that you have to take care of yourself first before anything else in life in Dallas, TX training class.

Week #9 (3/4/18, published late on 3/5/18): Having a safe flight to TX. Lots of fun losing Robinson Crusoe board game several times and awesome steak dinner cooked with my sous vide with friends to end the week!

Week #8 (2/25/18, published late on 2/26/18): Getting the opportunity to do something I haven’t done before-shooting in the desert!

Week #7 (2/18/18, published late on 2/19/18): Another good extended weekend trip. Actually having some down-time with a chance to veg out marveling at talent and skill of the Olympiads, read a book and enjoy a backyard bonfire. I also have to mention I was so grateful for an amazing meal at Cooking Papa!

Week #6 (2/11/18, published late on 2/12/18): Fun-filled week that was so busy I didn’t have any time to blog! Started with business trip in SLC, UT where the review of our contract performance went very well. A few movie nights, bowling, successful escape room, 2 Korean BBQ dinners, motorcycle ride (as a passenger – first time on freeway) to film festival at Boulder, NV (near Hoover Dam) and brand new haircut!

Week #5 (2/4/2018): Physical affection from loved ones, both human (especially those extended heart warming embraces) and animals (stinky wet kisses) alike! And once again opportunity to travel to a different state/city, this time through my company.

Week #4 (1/28/2018, published late on 1/31): Ability to travel again to a different state/city to spend quality time with more loved ones. Despite my physical ailments, I am thankful all my annual physical results came back normal and my shingles is only temporary and I will be back to normal health soon.

Week #3 (1/20/2018): Thankful the flights I’ve taken brought me to my destinations safely and happy times to spend with loved ones.

Week #2 (1/14/2018): Since I’ve been stressed out lately, my back and neck flared up and I’ve been having a lot of pain, but I realized I need to be grateful for my body overall. I am generally healthy and my pain is only temporary unlike others who have serious issues who do not have the luxury of it being temporary.

Week #1 (1/6/2018): Even though it is not 100% done and has been quite the process, I am grateful to have a NEW roof over my head after being damaged by Harvey.

How many of you have made a resolution around gratitude this year?
*Raising my hand* 2018 Resolution #2: Develop an attitude of gratitude
I invite you to join me with this resolution and comment with what you are grateful for this week!

Life can be difficult and stressful. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and upset about all the things that are going wrong. I’ve decided to combat those moments by focusing on the good things because no matter what may be going on, there are always going to be things I should be grateful for.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of a gratitude journal. This will be mine and my resolution is to update this gratitude post once a week.