Five things that made me happy today – 4/30/21

When we don’t have the big plans to look forward to, it’s time to focus on the small pleasures.

Mari Andrew

1. It was in the low 50s with drizzly rain when I got up. It felt colder, even in the house, than it really was. It started to clear off a little after lunch and the temperature got up to 57 deg.

2. I spent the morning writing my Intentions Review for April, and then sitting in front of the fire watching Heartland on Netflix.

3. Lunch today was ham steak, baked sweet potato, and fresh asparagus.

4. I watched another couple of episodes of Neil deGrasse Tyson on MasterClass. It’s good, but it’s not as enthralling (to me) as Paul Krugman was. I definitely have to let it percolate between lessons.

5. #2 son, his wife and doggie are on their way back to Central Washington from Alabama. It will be nice to have them where I can call on them if I need to.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Intentions Review for April 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 – Cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus are maintaining their “first choice” place in my menu rotation. I hope to start adding green beans, and corn, and start to cut out the cruciferous veggies (brussels sprouts are already gone).
  • Be sure to get 25 grams of fiber every day – Check
• Notice and report any unexpected physical changes (rashes, bumps, etc.) to my doctor.
  • My Mohs surgery was a complete success. You can barely see the scar, if you look.
  • Big Al and I got our second Pfizer shots on February 13th, so we’ve been fully vaccinated since the first of March!

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.
• 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 – finished
  • A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George – finished
  • How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates – finished
  • Stargazer by Anne Hillerman – finished
  • Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg – 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 – Working on a Personal Essay
• I subscribe to the New York Times and try to work the crossword puzzle and read several columns regularly, including the cooking column.
• I subscribe to the Seattle Times and read several of their newsletters.
• I subscribe to the Washington Post. and read several of their newsletters, including Travel, Fitness, and Cooking.
• Support aspiring writers via Patreon and Substack – Check
• Participate in Great Decisions here at Franke Tobey Jones – We had our third meeting and talked about Brexit. I will be leading the discussion in May about control of the Arctic.
• I subscribed to MasterClass and I’m working on a course on thinking scientifically from Neil deGrasse Tyson.

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
  • Wellness Center – Gradually opening up, but no personal training yet.
  • Gazebo Group – Our leaders on Zoom are taking a break beginning in May. So far the weather is pretty iffy for meeting outdoors in the Gazebo.
• 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 – Not much on this front (not too much need, either.) I follow my representatives on Social Media and send messages about things that matter to me.
• 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 – 4/30/19 (Remembered)

1. Had a good night’s sleep last night. Started eating again a little bit.

2. The food is not great. But I could get what I wanted for dinner.

3. I got new train reservations for tomorrow. The bedroom was cheaper than the roomette, so I’ll be able to lie down and nap if I want. I’ll have a bathroom and shower in my room on the train.

4. All the people who contacted me with best wishes made me feel loved. Maybe thoughts and prayers do help. (Or maybe not in the case of ANOTHER shooting at UNC Charlotte).

5. I’m going to watch Rachel Maddow and go to bed.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/29/21

To become aware of the opportunity a given moment offers us is the essence of how we practice grateful living.

Br David Steindl-Rast

1. It was in the low 50s when I got up this morning – the warmest early morning temperature of the year, so far. This afternoon it was sunny and warm with the temperature topping out at 72 deg. Perfect spring day.

2. I didn’t get a chance to work the NYT crossword puzzle the last couple of days, so I went back and tried Tuesday and I got it, too. I’m impressing myself.

3. Big Al decided we should each be responsible for our own dinner today, so I made my perennial ham sandwich.

4. I was really pleased with the President’s speech last night. It was thoughtful and basically kind – a big change from the last four years. I also love the fact that the second and third in line behind him are women. It’s about time.

5. I’m becoming more and more aware of how many people I respect and follow in blogs echo HCR and Paul Krugman (and how HCR and Krugman tend to echo each other.) Am I living in an echo chamber? or are they the ones who really make sense?

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/29/19 (Remembered)

1: I’m in the hospital in Chicago, instead of a train. I had an umbilical hernia, that they were able to reduce externally.

2, I was hurting so bad at 10 am that I went to Urgent Care thinking they would give me a pain killer and send me on my way. Instead I got a ride in a Chicago Fire ambulance, complete with sirens.

3. Ray came and retrieved my luggage from the train station, and stayed with me all afternoon in the Emergency Room.

4. I’ve gotten all the morphine I wanted.

5. Hooray for Medicare and Tricare. Don’t know when I’ll get out, but I have options for hotel stays and replacement train tickets.

How about you? What are you thankful for today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/28/21

Jesus was all about vulnerable people winning. Spiritual Winning is never about getting our way to fulfill our own agendas.

Jan Edmiston

1. The temperature was in the upper 40s and the sky was hazy with high clouds when I got up this morning. The temperature got up the mid 60s this afternoon, and Big Al put on a jacket and sat outside at the Gazebo for a while.

2. I hurried to the grocery store before breakfast to pick up my order. I wanted to be sure to get bread and milk before I needed it. It worked out well because Big Al was slow getting ready to eat anyway.

3. We had Creative Writing – the Personal Essay again this morning. Nuff said…

4. Bratwurst, boiled potato and sauerkraut for lunch today. Good and quick.

5. We are anxiously awaiting a relaxation in requirements for masks, social distancing, and gathering (at least outside) in the light of the President’s and the CDC’s announcements yesterday.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/28/19 (Remembered)

1. On my way home. Tacoma on Wednesday!

2. Took my first Uber today. Desk person at the hotel said they were more reliable than the cabs, so I believed her. Got to the train station just fine.

3. Train pretty full and I think I pulled something in my back trying to ride and not jiggle my seat mate. Maybe it will help my core strength since I haven’t done anything to work on it for over a week.

4. Backpack clothes clean and packed. Suitcase ready to zip up tomorrow. Plenty of time to get to the train station.

5. It’s only 8:45 here but it’s 9:45 according to when I got up this morning. I’ll try to stay awake a little longer.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/27/21

May we never forget the crippled, wind-beaten trees, how they, too, bud, green and bloom. May we, too, take courage to bloom where we are planted.

Br David Stiendl-Rast

1. The day dawned cloudy and 45 deg, Low 60s for the high this afternoon. It was pretty breezy which made it feel cooler.

2. Today is the birthday of Roger Tory Peterson who wrote A Field Guide to the Birds. I have him to thank for my grandmother’s, mother’s, and aunts’ devotion to birds, and for my own love of observing, feeding, and identifying birds. My life would be much poorer without the birds outside my window.

3. The Bistro special today was two egg salad sandwiches for $5.75. YES, please…

4. We got the okay on the sink repair today! I’m happy that came before the housekeepers were here, so, now it’s cleaned as well. Clean sheets on the beds, and clean bathrooms, along with a clean kitchen!

5. I’m super glad the CDC has said we don’t have to wear masks outdoors as long as we’re not in the middle of a crowd (like at a baseball game).

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/27/19 (Remembered)

1. More great learning at the training for the GA Nominating Committee.

2. The threat of snow seems to have fallen out of the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. TBTG.

3. Looking forward to feeding my inner introvert in the next several days.

4. Detroit’s blighted downtown seems to be recovering slowly with new businesses taking over abandoned buildings and lofts going into old factories, but, unfortunately, it’s pushing the current residents out as gentrification occurs.

5. Looking forward to dinner with #1 son tomorrow evening.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 4/26/21

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

Theodore Roosevelt

1. It was in the mid 40s and mostly sunny when I got up this morning. My friend, the chirpy bird, started before 5:00 this morning. The temperature managed to just break 60 before evening.

2. I got the NYT Monday Crossword again this week! That’s a two week streak!

3. We had chicken, rice, and cruciferous vegetables for lunch today.

4. The laundry was washed, dried, folded and hung up before I headed to the Wellness Center for my exercise.

5. Gazebo Group on Zoom for the last time today, unless somebody steps up and volunteers to host. Hopefully, by next week it will be warm enough to meet outside (socially distanced and masked).

How about you? What made you happy today?