DD
- I will be a hundred poems ahead of my posts because I keep writing new ones.
- Warmth later in the day yesterday. The cold drenched me early yesterday morning and the chill from my thighs never went away even after sitting an hour inside.
- Being able to receive calls. Living in the mountains, I had to learn after trying multiple carriers, that it really is better to go with what everyone else has... they've gone through the experience too.
- Cooking didn't take all evening so I was able to clean up and go to bed earlier.
- Husks...
- Earl Grey. I love the smell in the morning. Almost as good as coffee and less jarring.
- Fast shipment of stuff by Amazon
- Money in the bank today, even if just a little cushion and nothing else for now.
- Saving plan my family can agree on.
- The ideas I have for my boys to make money when they are older. So much better than lemonade stands!
- Ruminating on a problem, and sharing it with others will always help in bringing possible options.
- Leftovers
MM
- Getting my smoothie appreciated
- Altai's willingness to help us buy a car
- Gabe's bringing espresso and paleo salad in the evening when I was waiting for him in his office
LL
- Things don't get accomplished by my putting them on many lists. Especially to do lists. They get accomplished when I set aside time, buckle down at that time to do it.
DD
- Warm weather recently, prior to yesterday anyway
- My family is getting good sleep tonight -- they didn't stir when my phone rang at 5:15 AM.
- The party last night must have been fun. I missed the Jimmy's party but am glad I was able to host my brother overnight.
- These flowers are lasting from Thanksgiving!
- Tamir's teacher was complimentary.
- I've noticed Tamir becoming more kind and sweet over the last few months
- Christmas tree we have is a fake one I bought last year. Good to have a tree that will last for many years, with little hassle of buying, moving it, disposing, etc.
- A big spoonful of ripe, creamy avocado - perfect for cold weather snack
- My watercolor class is at an end as of yesterday but there will be a Spring version
- Special relationships of my children
- Tea
- My pink poetry book has 110 poems in a row from my write a poem a day habit
MM
- Altai's willingness to help me find a new car. He offered to run reports and look up history etc. Time is on our side, so we can search.
- Dinner with Altai, I love how the kids love him.
- How when the zombies eat my kids' brains on Plants v. Zombies, they yell out, "I won!" A little misunderstanding.
- The way Tamir says the S and L is slightly off. Arslan is Artsgan.
LL
- Reflecting on how everything I'm grateful for usually are things/situations/people who benefit me... how self-centered I am
DD
- Food. Delicious food recipes are so easy now to find based off of people's ratings and ingredients, filtering, etc. It's absolutely fantastic!
- Opportunities in a town like Aspen, where lots of money goes in and out with tourism, and successful individuals who season here.
- Fascination some people have for Mongolia
- My son's idea of how to pick up items in Mongolia... (he did it with his feet. To be fair, he's 2)
- Getting to know a colleague a little better last night
- Scotch tape. I think I'd be sitting there gluing and washing my hands, making a mess everyday otherwise.
- My paintbrushes. I now have some really nice ones along with the cheap ones, making my set complete. :-)
- Lotion. Dry air. They go together well.
- Everywhere I look, I feel happy and grateful for what we have here. I put together this desk. I got those printers. We bought this house. I painted and created those encaustic artworks. I bought those art supplies. I don't need to buy anything today.
- Billers send so many envelope blanks for convenience that I rarely have to ever buy or use my stash of envelopes
- Hot tea
- 30/30 and Pomodoro technique
MM
- Being pulled aside and told about how I was special
- My husband washing all the dishes in the two rounds of cooking I did... and he did the laundry. I have the best spouse I could have ever asked for. I love how we decide things together, work hard together to make everything work. I had forgotten parent teacher conference this morning, but he had remembered. I remember some things and am often the one finding missing things. (Although I'm often losing things, too. Now where IS that water bottle I went as far as labeling with my name and gluing my phone number on?!)
- Dinner with a guest
LL
- Episode with seeing someone I know wear the same scarf as my missing one... I will leave this to the universe and will not accuse anybody. She had the opportunity and timing--it's awfully easy and convenient for me to suspect what happened. It's a very nice, stylish scarf my mom gave me... but honestly, anything could be the truth and I have other scarves.
DD
- I have time today to do this
- I'm learning everyday
- There are tools for everything imaginable on my smart iPhone... crazy
- Luxuries I have free around me, great roads, free city bus, beautiful environment
- Warmth in the house
- Delicious recipes so I don't have to rack by brain
- Adjustable legs on tables, adjustable length of the dining table... genius of people is amazing
- Watercolor class yesterday
- My weight scale... it's been friendly to me lately ;-)
- Clean water
- People like Robin Williams, Matt Damen, etc. whose fame and fortune, decisions, etc. are watched by many and affects (affected) people deeply. Culture shapers. You are missed, Robin.
- Tony Bovino... so grateful to have known him. You are missed too.
MM
- Watercolor art teacher who encouraged me yesterday
- Walking into town in the cold for an hour and a half for exercise, to be greeted by a friend who was amazed
- A's email
LL
- Anonymity is hard to protect among people who know each other. Even a hint can set off a chain reaction. All words, thoughts, emotions have impact. Incredible.
DD
- That everywhere I look, there are things and acts of grace I can be grateful for
- My mug has a Lapa on it now
- Vinegar is so useful for everything from washing veggies, laundry, pickling, etc.
- People are interested in my cooking
- Running into Helene and remembering her class
MM
- Hot tub and swimming at the Meadows with hubby
- Dinner at the Lounge
- Kids this morning were jumping all over, so excited, laughing and screaming with delight
LL
DD
- Black Friday purchases early on Amazon. Thanks for the gifts I can give people without feeling cheap.
- Getting paid from Kindle from book sales
- I have many avenues of income today, even though not a single one could pay all of my bills.
- Time to find my center
- Space heater
- My black and white laserjet printer -- it's been so awesome. Definitely a good purchase.
- Ability to count my steps through my iPhone. After all, it's on me all the time
- Over ninety days of writing a poem each day.
- Being able to save money to Betterment
- Aspen
- My kids
- My husband, the one who has pinned down all of the enchanting pieces to my castle I call home--but who is really "home" to me.
MM
- Jackie
- Evening backgammon and fun with hubby last night.
- My best friend who helped me forget a lot, is now a stranger. It's a good thing because this best friend was a bottle of wine. I found a better substitute in real friends.
- At a time in my life when I really didn't think I was a part of anything, at the cusp of becoming a teenager as a foreigner still to the US, I deeply wanted to be so much a part of the community that when walking down the street, someone would recognize me, pull up and offer to give me a ride. Especially in the middle of winter and when I had far to go. I've had that offer come three times during the last month alone and until I thought about it, hadn't appreciated it. Now I walk for exercise or sometimes catch a free Aspen bus, have my own car if I chose to drive, and each time declined gratefully because it was my choice to be walking around in the cold. What a beautiful life it has turned out to be.
LL
- Remembering what you once dreamed of that you now have is a nice exercise. But remembering that you have always had it, is not a mere exercise. It is the key to life.
Daily Dozen
- Beautiful rug, couch and king sized bed, our recent acquisitions
- The heating in the house is pretty good
- I get to work from home today
- Opportunities that are always available under my nose
- My kids are growing bigger, smarter, taller, and keep getting more interesting
- iPhone is useful in so many ways
- Arslan just woke up, got up to pee, then crawled into my lap
- Got some awesome watercolor paint
- Cold weather - when properly prepared, cold weather is such an important and nice part of the seasonal cycle. The hibernation, the long dark hours, the bracing cold are outward examples of how emotional states and cycles of life are normal and cyclical.
- Vacuum cleaners
- Food, glorious food
- Dietbetter.com has made my weight loss goal a reality. I wasn't going to lose my hard-earned money over my own laziness to do something good for myself. That's just all kinds of wrong! So with money on the line, I've been working out, eating smart, and have lost 18 lbs in the last 3 months. Yay!
Magic Moments
- There are some beautiful rock formations on the drive to Grand Junction and around Western Slope of Colorado. I took some photos.
- When I was tempted to drink beer, my husband drank it. I didn't have to be tempted anymore.
- Walmart gave us refund for the broken plastic boxes we ordered. They arrived broken. This gave me the opportunity to buy some nice gloves and hats. So nice and warm!
Lessons Learned
- It's harder to distract myself when I write down everything I want to do, before I do it. This eliminates an impulse to surf for information I don't need, and forces me to notice my habits.
- Always buy from Dick Blick or a small local art supplier stores, never from Hobby Lobby (75%-125% markup)
- Tying money consequences to my regualr
