Day 46: Willingness to Serve + Lessons in Politics

Today I learned...
...that sometimes people will get under your skin and make you angry. Being human is part of life. Serving these people even when they have made you angry is how you show that you value them and your role.

Today I am thankful for...
...a husband who has the knowledge and life experience to teach me so many political and historical lessons.

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 21: Surprises + Followers

Today I learned...
...that unexpected phone calls don't have to be bad. While I was writing a paper for grad school today, my cell phone rang - a blocked number - and I checked my annoyance and welcomed the interruption by changing my thinking. Instead of a) not answering it as I usually do when I don't know the caller or b) anticipating bad news or something that would bother me, I held my phone for a few seconds as it continued to ring and said, "Thank you for the magnificent outcome of this phone call." This is something I learned from The Magic. (By applying gratitude to something before it happens, an unexpected occurrence can be magical.) Then I answered the phone. What transpired was, in a nutshell, an opportunity to be interviewed by Nancy Werteen for Channel 69 News about eating disorder recovery.

Today I am thankful for...
...the opportunity I listed above...but really so much more: for all the positive feedback from my video viewers and blog readers, for all the Thank You emails and messages from men and women, parents, and professionals, for all the support from people who love me, and for all my followers across the globe - it's AMAZING! I love everyone and it's my honor to help when and where I can.

Day 19: Teamwork + Niece Love

Today I learned...
...that the promise of teamwork makes a task seem significantly easier. Something difficult will still be difficult, but working on it with another person is enough to ease my worries and make me feel more confident.

Today I am thankful for...
...speaking to my little niece on the phone. It was her 2nd birthday and she had many things to tell me, some of which included: "I love you, Auntie A," "Uncle Rick is so cute," and "I'm TWO!!!" I also found out that apparently "Uncle Rick is cuter than chocolate milk," which I hear is a pretty big deal.

Day 11: Honesty + Organization

Today I learned...
...that honesty and kindness can really go a long way to facilitate a positive outcome. I made a mistake at work today. Actually, I made a mistake a couple of weeks ago and just discovered it today. It wasn't a huge, life-altering mistake that couldn't be fixed, but it wasn't a tiny mistake either.

In the course of rectifying this mistake, I had to find a file. I looked everywhere. I told a co-worker. She helped me look...and eventually, after I had exhausted all possibilities, she found the file on my own desk, beneath a pile of work. As the image quote suggests, silent gratitude isn't much use, so I told her "Thank you" three times with feeling and gave her a hug (not inappropriately - we're friends). She laughed for a second, but felt appreciated.

Then, in order to fix the situation, I had the unpleasant task of calling someone my mistake involved and explaining that I had messed up.

It went something like this:

Me: "Hi, L. It's Arielle from C. How are you?"

L: "Hi, Arielle! I'm good. And you?"

Me: "Good, good. I'm calling about A."

L: (explains the situation that ensued from my mistake and asks if it is correct)

Me: "L, I have to apologize. It's completely my fault. Her case is totally fine. I'm so sorry. She came in on (date) when we had all that bad weather and then our office closed early and told us all to go home. So when I came back, I forgot that I had not cleared (the discrepancy) and...I didn't even realize until today." The last part was said even more shamefully than the first part.

L: "Oh, honey! It's okay! It's fine! I can't even imagine how you deal with the caseloads you have over there! Don't even worry about it!"

Me: "Thank you! And thank you for following up with me."

L: "That stuff happens from time to time. I understand. It happens here too!" (She laughs.)

Me: "Thank you. (I do quick case-related confirmations.) Have a great day!"

L: "You too!"

I was honest instead of covering things up or just offering no explanation. I was kind instead of irritated by the situation or myself. And L was honest and kind right back.


Today I am thankful for...
...tools that help me stay organized. With a huge amount of responsibilities, deadlines, and commitments on my plate, my last semester of grad school in full swing, and a lot to remember(!), I bought a new planner, some highlighters, and pens, and I hunkered down with all my syllabi and calendars for work, grad school, internship, and personal life...and I got completely and utterly organized. I feel so much better!

Day 9: Assumptions + Warm Welcomes

Today I learned...
...that preconceived notions often do nothing but add stress that doesn't have to be present. I had heard so many bad things about an instructor for a grad course. 16 weeks from graduation I am so eager not to have anything mess up my mojo. I was worried, nervous, fearing the worst. I went to class - and yes, the course itself is quite overwhelming, but the instructor is fine. Likeable, even. I wasted a few hours of my day stressing needlessly.

Today I am thankful for...
...a short phone call with a friend in NYC. Her voice on the other end was so inviting. She sounded SO happy to hear from me - what a welcome! I could get used to that! "Hi, you!" she said excitedly. "It's you!" I smile just thinking about it.