Day 216: Coffee with Jenn + Momma-ness

Today I learned...

...that coffee with Jenn is good in any state, in any setting - whether it be Port Authority, NYC...coffee shops near and far...Starbucks...or at my own kitchen table. 

Today I am thankful for...

...my momma being so momma-y to everyone I love. :-)

Day 214: Parents + Reiki Gifts

Today I learned...
...that parents are always parents.

Today I am thankful for...
...my beautiful friend Jenn who gave the gift of Reiki to Rick. I watched the whole process and it was amazing and heartfelt. I am also thankful for my time with her making goofy videos and playing with twin MacBook Pros.

Day 211: Second Sick Day + Entertaining TV

Today I learned...
...that a second sick day is sometimes as necessary as a first.

Today I am thankful for...
...entertaining television to keep me company at home while sick.

Day 195: Pool + Rick Time

Today I learned...

...that an inflatable pool can make my husband very happy.

Today I am thankful for...

...time with Rick after a weekend away.

Day 187: Cats + Home

Today I learned...

...that the cats were beyond happy to see us again, but survived without us.

Today I am thankful for...

...HOME. There's no place like home.

Day 167: Tired + Close Parents

Today I learned...
...that after walking over 10 miles in NYC, talking a mile a minute, and riding a bus, I will still be tired after 9 hours of sleep.

Today I am thankful for...
...living 15 minutes away from my parents.

Day 135: Hilarity + Column

Today I learned...

...that when Rick and I are both out of it, things are hilarious.

Today I am thankful for...

...finishing my column for the Lehigh Valley Woman's Journal. I am both happy that it's done and happy for the opportunity. :-)

Day 90: Home + Child Love

Today I learned...
...that what's really important is the circle of trust and love that exists at home. No matter what, there's always that. :-)

Today I am thankful for...
...a visit with my little niece and an evening of Disney movies.

Day 88: Closeness + Orange Juice Cheers

Today I learned...
...that closeness breeds more closeness.

Today I am thankful for...
...an omelet and biscuits for breakfast, and an orange juice "toast" with Rick. We clinked cups and he said, "Here's lookin' at you, kid." :-)

Day 77: Right Moments + Safety

Today I learned...
...that sometimes the right person finds the right thing at the right time. (See: Fast Food Friendship)

Today I am thankful for...
...returning home safely tonight. My 30 minute drive home from class took me an hour and I was white knuckled and nervous the whole way. The roads in this snow/sleet were terrible. Thank God our class got out early!

Day 75: Cry + Lunch

 

Today I learned...

...that a good cry can be just that: good. There is purpose in most things.

Today I am thankful for...

...lunch with my parents. They fed me, they bestowed coffee upon me, and then they sent me back to work.

Day 63: Lack of Food + Extras

Today I learned...
...of someone who has to stand in a food pantry line for hours once a week just to feed her children. It really broke my heart. I wanted to take her to the store straightaway and buy her groceries...but I remembered my professional boundaries. Well, I never forgot my professional boundaries... but part of me wanted to help her in a more direct way than I was.

Today I am thankful for...
...extra time with Rick due to no class tonight, extra time to email my friend, and the rest of the massive piece of chocolate cake from yesterday's lunch. ;-)

Day 60: Gratitude at Work + Safe Return

Today I learned...
...that one of my friends is seeing changes by incorporating more gratitude into her life. I love it!

Today I am thankful for...
...the safe return of my friend to her home in NYC and all the experiences she had while away in Chicago. :-)

Day 47: Addiction Empathy + Momma

Today I learned...
...having had an eating disorder makes me understand alcoholism really, really well. Of course, I've made the correlations before. If I struggled with an addictive sort of mental illness in the past, it makes sense that I would be empathetic towards people who struggle with alcoholism. But tonight, watching the new movie Flight (Denzel Washington) with Rick, I realized that I watched the whole movie with a hyper-empathetic social worker lense. And I totally connected to the place the main character comes from, not because I learned about it in books and graduate classes, but because I GET IT. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know what it's like to be a person with alcoholism. I don't. Yet, I tend to be a lot more understanding regarding addictions than the typical world at large...because the pain that happens when something is so terribly out of your control is a feeling I once knew too well.


Today I am thankful for...
...seeing my mom at lunch. Since I work down the street, I popped over at lunch time to see my parents. I showed my mom some flash mobs from One Billion Rising. Her response: "I want to do it with you next year!"

Day 39: Thanks in Advance + A Weekend

Today I learned...
...that saying thank you for an outcome in advance really takes away from all the time I used to worry about something. Like, instead of saying, "I hope this won't happen" or "I wish it wasn't going to be this way," I say, "Thank you for the amazing resolution to this problem" or "Thank you for this working out so well!" And here's the trick: I really mean it. And then it's almost like I KNOW it's going to be resolved and wonderful and I'll be thankful, so I don't have to bother worrying needlessly. I didn't come by this trick on  my own, so I'm not taking credit for it, but I have recognized the benefits of it in a big way.

Today I am thankful for...
...not having to get up for work in the morning. Normally I work on Saturdays all day, but we're supposed to get lots of snow, so I'll be home. Even though I'll be shoveling, I will be able to sleep a little longer and get more things done around the house. Knowing that when I go to bed tonight is bliss!

Day 37: Group Projects + Love Notes

Today I learned...
...that a group project doesn't have to be a chore. Normally when the term "group project" is uttered in a school setting - whether that setting be high school, undergrad university, or graduate school - it strikes fear and trepidation in the hearts of most. Maybe it's just the fact that we're social workers and care about each other a lot, but I'm working on a group project right now and it's smooth sailing. There haven't been many times I've been able to say that about group work. Tonight, armed with a laptop, we easily and efficiently planned and planted all our PowerPoint slides into one presentation in less than an hour. There is no worry about one person doing more work than another. There is no fear that a deadline won't be met. Yay! Go team!

Today I am thankful for...
...the note from Rick that was waiting for me when I arrived home after a long day and night. It made me smile, as his notes usually do.

Day 33: Driving Ease + a Magical Day

Today I learned...
...that driving in the car with a really good friend makes driving to new places SO much easier.

Today I am thankful for...
...a magical day of adventures with my dear friend Jenn. She came to see me via bus, and from the moment I picked her up at the bus terminal, I was giddy. We had a day of fabulousness, which includes her meeting all of my family members - every one of them! She met Rick, my mom, my dad, my brother, his wife, my little niece, and even my Mom's best friend - my other mother - Barb! And of course - she met Juice and Tumbler! Many good talks and hugging and squealing and smiling ensued. AND THE BEST PART IS it's just the first of many visits in our future!

Day 31: Second-Guessing + a Safe Home

Today I learned...
...not to second-guess myself, even when it comes to very trivial things. At 6:00 this morning, I jolted awake because I thought I heard a bell. I listened intently and didn't hear anything else, so I thought I had imagined it or dreamed it. I went back to sleep and woke up an hour later to scared cats that were hiding and a horrible smell pervading the house. The thermostat on the wall downstairs seemed to be making a bizarre buzzing noise. Rick and I assumed it was our heating system and called the service who works on it. Rick went to a doctor appointment and work while I waited for the repair man to arrive and called in late to hospice. After a while of inhaling the awful fumes, a man came to help me. He went right to the wall with the thermostat and said, "You think the buzzing is coming from here? I don't." I looked puzzled and he pointed to a box a couple of feet above the thermostat, on the same wall. The doorbell transformer box.

And yes, the buzzing was indeed coming from the doorbell box. After he checked every aspect of our heating system to find everything working perfectly, I took the box cover off the transformer for the doorbell that is fastened to the wall. It was super hot and yes, the smell came from it. THAT was what I had heard at 6:00am. The doorbell shorted out and RANG. I just called myself crazy, but maybe if I had looked for the source FIRST, I would have avoided bothering the heating people. 

Long story short, the wires from the doorbell unit extend down into the wall, which was making me nervous about fire, but with the help of my iPhone to take a photo of the transformer box and send it to my dad, he talked me through removing the right wire to stop the electrical current and therefore the buzzing and the burning smell. It was like dismantling a bomb! Thanks, Dad! All is well at the Bair household again.

Today I am thankful for...
...healthy cats, a safe home, and my dad. Why? Because of all of the above!

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 27: Beliefs + Lunch

Today I learned...

...that the bulletin board in my writing room is a true reflection of myself and my beliefs. I was cleaning the room today in preparation for an interview that may take place in it, since it's where I do most of my work. With fresh eyes, I took in everything in the room, in the event that any of it might be on TV. I noticed so many sayings, like, "Let your past make you better, not bitter," and "Stop judging. Start loving," and "Each new day is another chance to change your life." These sayings are colorfully placed on my cork board along with many others...and I'm proud to say I can stand by them. 

Today I am thankful for...

...lunch with my dad. It was just us, something that never happens. Unfortunately, my mom is sick...but I am grateful that the chance to be alone with my dad was the opportunity that resulted.