Five things that made me happy today – 1/31/21

While the news often features the worst of humanity, there are a billion acts of human kindness every hour of every day! Take another breath and sense this truth.

Jack Kornfield

1. It was mid 40s with a big Pacific storm headed this way when I got up. The rain started in earnest about noon, and the temperature is, if anything, a little cooler.

2. I got a lovely, long, hot shower this morning and washed my hair. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but after not being allowed to shower for a couple of days, it was heaven.

3. Nice church service this morning followed by a congregational meeting on Zoom. We got a little visit from Sarah, the previous pastor, who sent a short clip saying she thinks of us often. She’s nearer her family now, so I can’t begrudge her the move.

4. Big Al wanted Cottage Pie from Oddfellas for lunch, so I got what purported to be a Flat Bread Cubano sandwich. It turned out to be a 10″ Pizza with no tomato sauce but all the meat and cheese of a pizza. It was WAY too much for me, so I put half of it in the frig for later.

5. Greisser Girls’ Zoom will be happening shortly. We’ve been trying to set up “Find My” to track each other, and it’s been a real hoot. I think we finally got it solved..

How about you? What made you happy today?

Intentions Review for January 2021

My Star Word for this year is “Affirmation”. The internet says an affirmation is a positive statement of agreement.

I am a child of God, holy and beloved.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here are my intentions for 2021.

(After the dumpster fire of 2020, you’ll notice I’ve pared down my intentions for 2021, and I intend to hold them loosely.)

Physical Health

• Eat real food.
  • Eat more vegetables – I’m trying. It’s hard in the winter, but I’ve given up hoping for fresh green beans, and decided frozen are okay for now.
  • Be sure to get 25 grams of fiber every day – Check
• Notice and report any unexpected physical changes (rashes, bumps, etc.) to my doctor.
  • After a trip to the dermatologist in December, I was referred to a plastic surgeon for Mohs surgery on my chin. I had that done towards the end of January, and I’m healing.

Emotional Health

• Remember that I am a child of God, holy and beloved.
  • If I can say it for me, I must grant it to every other person on the planet, whether lovable or not.
    • I’m struggling with this for the insurrectionists who attacked our democracy on January 6, 2021.
    • “Father forgive them, for they know no what they did.”
• Continue to post “Five Things that Made Me Happy Today” every day on my blog – Check

Intellectual Health

• Expand my leisure reading.
  • Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand  by Helen Simonson – finished
  • Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – finished
  • The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie – finished
  • The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie – finished
  • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – reading
• Keep up with the national news daily without obsessing over it.
  • Listen to NPR – Check
  • Watch Rachel Maddow – Check
  • Follow Heather Cox Richardson for perspective – Check
• Participate in Creative Writing classes here at Franke Tobey Jones – None currently scheduled
  • Work on my on-going story about my childhood – no joy
• Support aspiring writers via Patreon and Substack – Check
• Participate in Great Decisions here at Franke Tobey Jones – We got our new booklets and we have each signed up to lead one of the eight sessions.

Spiritual Health

• Continue to participate in weekly Bible study, and weekly Worship – Check
• Continue with General Assembly Nominating Committee – No meetings yet

Social Health

• Tend the relationships I have at Franke Tobey Jones – it’s hard because we are not allowed to be in anyone else’s home or meet in a group
  • Wellness Center – Still restricted to only one person there at a time (Sigh)
  • Gazebo Group – We meet regularly on Zoom
• Tend the relationships I have at Bethany Presbyterian Church.
  • Bible Study – Check
• Continue to connect regularly with family, virtually – Check

Social Justice

• Participate in Town Halls and face-to-face meetings with elected officials – Check
• Support the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and MoveOn – Check
• Support the election of officials who are champions for Social Justice issues – Check
  • Climate action
  • Racial justice
  • Health Care Availability
  • Wealth Inequality

Five things that made me happy today – 1/30/21

Pick your battles. You don’t have to show up to every argument you’re invited to.

Mandy Hale

1. It was 43 deg. with wet streets when I got up. It made it to 48 deg. under cloudy skies. The rain held off until evening.

2. I finally hit the 48 hours mark since the surgery on my chin, and I was allowed to change the bandage. VERY minimal bleeding or oozing. If it continues healing like this, there won’t be any scar to speak of. (Knock on wood) And I can have a shower!

3. #2 son and #1 granddaughter came to see us, bringing Ango with them. They did some little jobs (too high for me, too much for Big Al). It was GREAT to see them. They even talked Al into walking up to the Gazebo with them. Snoqualmie Pass was clear this morning when they came over it, and “the weather gurus” promise there won’t be any snow before they get home.

Ango

4. I had chicken pho for lunch, Big Al had a Pita Pit pita, Bill had a subway sandwich and Ratchel had mixed meat pho.

5. I didn’t do my exercising again today, and I never do anything much on Sundays – so I guess I’m going to have to quit using my health or my family as an excuse and get back on the routines on Monday. New month, new start.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/29/21

It can be difficult to face up to our failings, but that’s exactly what we have to do, if we want to improve and move forward. 

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer

1. It was in the low 40s and cloudy when I got up. Now it’s mid afternoon and 44 deg.

2. I put off my dentist appointment that was supposed to be the 8th of February. I was afraid I wouldn’t have been able to open my mouth that wide. It’s now scheduled for the middle of April, so I should be healed by then.

3. I fixed tuna salad for Big Al and me for lunch. We had sandwiches and enjoyed them.

4. My sister in New York got her first shot of the Moderna vaccine today! My sister in Texas has gotten Pfizer for both of hers!!! I had Pfizer. Maybe we’ll all three live through this.

5. I got over to the Wellness Center to work out today, after missing two days in a row.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/28/21

Rituals become the cairns along the trail of our lives, offering direction and clarity, meaning, and reassurance.

Anonymous

1. It was 41 deg. with drizzle when I got up. It continued like that all day, alternating drizzle and mist, and 45 deg.

2. I was up, showered, and dressed early this morning to go to the plastic surgeon for Mohs surgery on a place on my chin. It didn’t take as long as I was afraid it would – less than three hours from walking in the door to walking out. The bandage on my chin is from the surgery, and the place on my other cheek is from the peel for the squamous cell carciinoma.

3. I picked up McDonalds Big Macs for Al on my way home, and I got KFC. I probably should have gotten pho because I bit my lip pretty severely where it was still numbed from the anesthetic for my chin.

4. I didn’t get home in time for my time at the Wellness Center, but I tried to walk around the house, a little.

5. I did visit Starbucks for a mocha after spending some time listening to HCR. She’s still working on Reconstruction on Thursdays. Today was mostly about monetary policy and I know I should have learned it when I was taking my masters in accounting, but, there you go, I didn’t. It’s starting to make sense to me.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/27/21

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Proverbs 16:24

1. It was 37 deg. and rainy when I got up. The sun played peekaboo with the clouds from noon on, but it never got much warmer than the lower 40s.

2. Safeway pick-up this morning. I think I’ve got food for at least the next week.

3. I attended another Amtrak Vacations webinar about how to see lots of National Parks in one round trip. If I can’t travel, at least I can dream.

4. We’re still working on the stew I made last week. I had enough frozen for two meals for each of us, so we had one for lunch. Good dinner on this damp, cold day.

5. Big Al and I went over to the Bistro/Wellness Center and got our first shot of the Pfizer vaccine after lunch.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/26/21

True abundance is seeing the shine in other human beings and acknowledging them by embracing them through acceptance, love, kindness, gratitude, and encouragement.

Mary Chang

1. It was 34 deg. and mostly cloudy when I got up. It was dry until mid afternoon, when it started raining – temperature 43 and falling.

2. We looked a several passages about light in Bible Study today. It was very interesting.

3. Today was my standard Tuesday lunch – a ham sandwich – and Big Al fixed himself some corned beef hash.

4. The deer family spent a lot of time in the back yard today. They have nibbled the holly bushes almost down to the ground. I’ve tried beating on the windows to chase them away, but they refuse to be frightened.

5. Good History Chat by HCR today. She thinks the best thing Biden can do to start to fix what’s wrong is to fix the tax code. I absolutely agree. I wish there was an economist who could do for macro economics what HCR has done for history.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/25/21

Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their families, their histories too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems.

Joy Harjo

1. It was in the mid 30s and partly cloudy when I got up. By mid afternoon, under sunny to partly cloudy skies, it managed to get to 42 deg.

2. Today is my baby boy’s 49th birthday. He’s turned out very well, even if I do say so. He’s kind, loving, responsible, helpful, and everything you’d want in a kid.

3. We had ham, and sweet potatoes for lunch. I had black-eyed peas and Big Al had mixed vegetables to go with.

4. The laundry is washed, dried, folded and hung up. Hooray!

5. Gazebo Group this evening. It’s great to visit with our neighbors.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/24/21

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.

Lao Tzu

1. It was in the upper 30s and drizzling when I got up and there it stayed – 39 deg and drizzle through nightfall.

2. Church this morning was nice. We elected and installed new elders and deacons. They should do a good job.

3. We split a Papa John’s Pizza for lunch – thin crust, and veggies. I could make one myself using tortillas, if I bothered, but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll get ambitious one day.

4. HCR asked a question today that still has me thinking. She asked about the way the Senate is populated, and whether we thought having half of the Senators represent 41% of the people was fair. I’m still chewing that over, but basically I think it all comes down to people seeing governing as a zero-sum game. If you get something, I won’t get it. We have to train our kids better to understand that farmers, and factory workers are just as important and worthy as financial gurus and office workers. How do we get rid of the selfishness (I’ve got mine, now I dare you to get yours) in government?

5. I’ve got Greisser Girls Gab this afternoon, so I imagine we’ll solve those questions, and all the other questions of the world.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 1/23/21

If one wanted a basic rule of thumb for dealing with the climate crisis, it would be: stop burning things.

Bill McKibben

1. It was 29 deg. and foggy when I got up with black ice warnings. I’m grateful I didn’t have to go out at all this morning. The sun came out about noon and the afternoon was pretty nice with temps in the mid 40s.

2. I overslept this morning (not that I had anywhere to go or anything to do). Usually my eyes fly open between 6:15 and 6:45. This morning I turned over and looked at the clock at 7:25! I’ve felt a little discombobulated all day long because of it.

3. Lunch was pretty standard – I had a ham sandwich, and Big Al had his leftover pasta. In the days – pre-COVID – we would eat lunch/dinner out a couple of times a week. This 7-days-a-week meal planning is getting old.

4. I’m rewatching Line of Duty on Acorn while I work out on the NuStep. If anyone has any suggestions of something new to watch I’d appreciate it. I’ve watched all of these at least once, and sometimes several times. Midsumer Murders, Intelligence, Vera, Longmire, Sherlock, Crossing Borders, George Gently, Broadchurch, Dr. Blake, Inspector Lumley, Call the Midwife, Foyles War, Prime Suspect, Inspector Lindsey, Hinterland, Wallender, Victoria, The Queen, and The Crown.

Line of Duty

5. Treated myself to a mocha and scone after my time at the Wellness Center.

How about you? What made you happy today?