Gratitude Journal #15

Apparently, you can train your brain to be happier by keeping a gratitude journal, so I am giving it a go. My goal is post about 100 things I am grateful for over the course of the year. (This should average out to just a little over 2/week.) However, I am going to try and stay away from the standard family/friends/pets. Please know I absolutely am grateful for my family, friends, and pets. I would not have made it through the past couple of year without each of them. But if I am trying to train myself to be happier, then I want to start recognizing the smaller things in life that I am grateful for.

This has been a busy week. Last Sunday morning, I got on a train to Vancouver, BC to attend a conference. Our opening event was at the Vancouver Aquarium, and it was fabulous. I did not get home until around 11p on Wednesday night. Thursday and Friday were both swamped at work, as I caught up on everything that had happened while I was away, as well as attended (what felt like) a million meetings about things moving forward. And today (Saturday) has not been a whole lot less busy. But all this really means is there is a lot of stuff to be grateful for.

Gratitude Entry #33 – Professional Development

I am not young, but I am also a minimum of 20 years away from retirement. I love the work I do, and I want to keep on doing it, getting better at it, and maybe (maybe) doing it at a higher level. Not everyone has the chance to attend professional development conferences like the one I just spent 4 days at. I know I am lucky in that both that my department can afford to send me to a conference and that my Chair is supportive of me going. (In fact, he is the reason I even learned this conference existed four years ago, because his wife also attends it.)
I had a chance to better connect with colleagues I work with in my college, at my University, and from around the western US and Canada. There were some amazing speakers, and great sessions. We came away with a lot to think about, and ideas for making a difference in our current work lives.

Gratitude Entry #34 – Coming Home

As much as I enjoyed my conference, and the time spent with colleagues learning new things, coming home is an amazing thing in and of itself. No matter how comfortable a hotel bed, it is not my bed. And even if there are two hotel dogs, they are not my dogs. They will let me pet them, but they do not bite my nose or curl up against me as I sleep.
There is something about being away, even for just a few days, that always makes me truly appreciate coming home.

Gratitude Entry #35 – Massage Therapy

I had to go back and look through my previous entries to find out if I had listed this one before. I have an amazing massage therapist. Long ago, I went to a chiropractor for my neck and shoulder pain. My spine has never been the problem. About all chiropractors ever did for me was put me on a heated massage bed, and then use ultrasound massage machines on my back. So now, I just go to a massage therapist every few months and pay her to beat me up. And I do mean beat me up. I went yesterday. Today my shoulders and neck are sore to the touch, but I have better range of motion.
My upper thigh on the leg where I have a bad knee is also letting me know that it was abused yesterday, but not once today did my knee threaten to go out on me, even while I was mowing the lawn. So no matter the day after soreness, the long term effectiveness is very much worth it.