Without sufficient rest I am Grumpy and Oscar the Grouch combined, and if you don’t believe me I have several people who will validate my claim. Sleep is underrated by most people, but never by me. If necessary, I could list “good sleeper” as a qualification on my resume. My daughter has always (with the exception of her earliest years when she had to eat during the night) understood that unless she is bleeding or vomiting, my sleep is not to be interrupted. And (partial confession), there was even one time when she actually met the latter qualification, and I still didn’t really wake up, but that’s another story for another time.
Razor, the Caped Crusader, has decided he has business outside the past seven days between 2:30-3:00 in the morning. At least he’s punctual. And, as it turns out, Razor does not listen to reason from this half-crazed sleeping being, who does NOT want to get up, grab my Fitbit (because John cannot beat me in steps, and even in the middle of the night I have my priorities), put on my shoes, get the flashlight and a bag, zip up my coat, and go outside!
All I’m suggesting is that in my effort to have a more positive outlook on everything, I am grateful I can go back to bed and fall asleep instantly, as if Razor’s biological break was just a bad dream.
The Other Three
- Exercise – done
- Meditate – done
- Kindness – done
Gratitudes
- 80 degrees on March 1st
- Have I mentioned sunshine?
- I never go hungry
- My home office
- New business deals
- Movie quoting in real life
- Rachel
- Conscious thought
- Setting intentions
- 30 Day Photo Challenge
- Open spaces
- Sharing milestones with my daughter
Positive Experience
My daughter has been eyeing jean jackets for months, not-so-secretly hoping I’ll notice how much she wants one, and what a difference to her wardrobe possessing and wearing one will make. The price tags stagger me: $60.00, $45.00, $132.00! Are you kidding me? We’re talking about a jacket made out of denim, which up until the 1970s wasn’t even considered general fashion!
But I digress. Hannah is the one who sparked the idea, and Jessi Arrington’s TED Talk I watched last March inspires me. Tonight, L and I went to our neighborhood Goodwill store with one intention: to find a jean jacket. I’ll frame this experience by telling you I can NEVER find anything in a Goodwill store. I get that they sort things according to color, but that doesn’t really help me.
We walked into the store, and straight to a rack that had a jacket on it – and it was her size! We scoured the other racks, and found three more jackets. After trying on all four jackets, L determined she preferred the very first one she found, and it was that easy! And my final price tag? $5.34!
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I want to be thankful for Goodwill stores but I cannot – they stink! Congratulations, however, on satisfying a teenage girl for $5.34.
I am thankful that I, too, am an amazing sleeper. Never thought to add this to my list of skills but I certainly have never apologized for my 8-9 hours per night. Ahhhhhhh..
I’m thankful to know that you get your exercise between 2:30-3:00am. I had no idea how you fit everything in. Was making me feel inadequate.
And, I’m thankful for warm weather, a convertible, selling books, painting portraits, and gardening. Oh, and landscapers. 🙂
Making the list always gives me warm fuzzies. And yay for a goodwill find! I, too, have a difficult time finding the desired items in there. And I really dislike the way they smell.
Thanks for the Love Arminda. I’ve been going gangbusters with this #happiness project …. until today. I haven’t exercised, or meditated and any kindnesses I might have done were accidental. And guess why? I didn’t get enough sleep last night and I’m tired and a bit grumpy. I love, love, love my sleep too, just like you. My body prefers a good nine hours, which to most people in our culture seems like a ridiculous amount of time to be in bed. But hey, when I get all my sleep I’m happy, productive, creative and a good mom to my kids. When I don’t …. well, it’s not pretty. So anyway, I’ll share a few Gratitudes with you so today won’t be a total bust : )
1. Cool folks like Arminda to play with on our 30 Day Photo Challenge.
2. Snuggly blankets on chilly, rainy days.
3. The table full of passionate dreamers who showed up to our Imagination Installation Meeting today.
4. The led light-up Buddha for the car my son gave me for my birthday.
5. Coffee.
6. The smell of rain.
7. Spring flowers.
🙂 That is all.
I find myself apologizing in advance to my daughter when I know I haven’t had enough sleep. This is a great list, Cheryl, and no matter what you say, I am quite certain your day would never be “a bust” because folks like you can’t help but practice acts of kindness, intentional or not. It’s in your DNA.
As your mom, I will vouch for your wanting/needing sleep. When you were an infant not yet able to walk, you would crawl into your bedroom and fall asleep under your crib if I wasn’t quick enough in putting you to bed!
The value of sleep can never be underestimated. I’m glad to know this is an innate virtue I possess, and that even as an infant I was wise to start adding to my sleep reserves.