Day 179: Respect + Sneakers for Rick

Today I learned...

...that when you tell someone you can't do something, if that person respects you, she will not ask you to do it.

Today I am thankful for...

...Rick finding sneakers that don't hurt his feet (chronic pain) after weeks of searching. 

Day 99: Healing + Field Respect

Today I learned...
...that some people have a real, true gift for healing...and that I highly respect that.

Today I am thankful for...
...a field instructor and field liaison who respect me, have given me good experiences, and think I am ready to be a graduate level professional in a mere few weeks time.

Day 89: Respect + Long Chat

Today I learned...
...that respect is the ingredient that keeps people from being hurt in bad situations.

Today I am thankful for...
...a nice, long phone call with my buddy Alicia. :-)

Day 64: Sleep + Support Group

Today I learned...
...I need more sleep. So tonight I'm going to bed at 9:00 pm. Rick's orders.

Today I am thankful for...
...the women in the support group I lead. They are strong, they are committed, and they are compassionate. I am proud to walk beside them through their journeys.

Day 29: Little Things + Opportunities

Today I learned...
...that the simplest things can be the most meaningful to people. When Channel 69 News came to my home to interview me today, they took footage of me with my delightful cat, Tumbler. They also took footage of specific quotes on my bulletin board ("Each new day is another chance to change your life," "Inspire," etc.) and me making food to eat in my kitchen! ;-)

Today I am thankful for...
...the amazing opportunity of being interviewed by Nancy Werteen of Channel 69 News (WFMZ). Though she warned me that my portion of the segment will be cut to about a minute and a half, she was so respectful and kind. She asked such good questions and talked to me for quite a while. She even told me that editing the footage to the time frame will be difficult. It was a great meeting. And honestly, even if it never aired on TV, I feel like it was a success.

Day 25: Respect + A Shortened Work Day

Today I learned...
...that treating someone like a human DOES get noticed. Most of the time, people (myself included) tend to think that the regular, simple things they do don't get noticed - that no one will care if they are nice, so they don't go out of their way to be. They just do their job without any "extras." Today, I was not overly kind (at least I don't think so - though I did make a little more conversation than necessary and I did smile instead of not smiling, even though nothing pleasant was happening)...I did not do anything special...but today a client said to her mother in front of me, about me: "See - her attitude is so nice. THAT is what you call good customer service." She turned to me. "THANK YOU," she said with real emphasis. It made me realize that they are used to be treated badly. All I had done was tell them I was sorry they had to come a long way in the freezing cold. All I had done was apologize for the wait. All I had done was smile and talk to the little girl that accompanied them. There were several things about the situation that could have led me to be annoyed, or even just unresponsive. I could have gone through the motions, since my day was busy and they weren't in good moods. But I treated them like humans, because they are humans. I gave respect, without the expectation that I would get it back. And to my surprise, I was THANKED just for being normal and nice.

Today I am thankful for...
...getting to leave work one hour early. My evening therefore started earlier, which means it can end earlier! That means more sleep for me tonight, which is very appreciated. It also means I didn't have to drive in the snow we got after 4:00 pm.