I am discovering that the things for which I am grateful multiply as I write down the obvious choices. I think it was Karen, who commented that once she starts writing down her gratitudes, she has a hard time stopping. Anyone else running into that same “challenge”? My wish is for each of you to experience that!
Since there are five things on our daily list for the 21 days, let’s have a reminder:
- 3 New Gratitudes
- One Positive Experience
- Exercise
- Meditate
- Random or Conscious Act of Kindness
Even though I’m only publicly sharing my gratitudes and my positive experience each day, I am happy to at least acknowledge whether or not I’ve accomplished all five items. This may help each of you to keep all five top of mind. So in the interest of full disclosure, and for accountability, my other three obligations:
- Exercise – done
- Meditate – done
- Kindness – done
Gratitudes
- Realizing, yet again, how small the world really is
- Filling a customer’s need
- Being business partners with my brother
- Knowing there are professionals available to us when we need their help
- Rain for replenishment of the earth
- Hearing Aviva say, “I love you, and I miss you!” as she squeezes my neck so tightly
- Possibility
- The wagging tail that welcomed me home, complete with licks
- Discovering similarities and interests with a new friend
Positive Experience
During our training session this morning, there was a reference made to a study by Accountemps, wherein it was discovered that executives spend – on average – 108 minutes sending emails each day. In contrast, a different report by the Productivity Institute suggests that the average working person spends less than 30 seconds a day in meaningful conversation with their children. I couldn’t find either of those studies online (I didn’t look very hard), but I did find a reference to a report by the Department of Education that says the average American mother spends less than 30 minutes a day talking to her children! And the average American father? Only 15 minutes.
Tonight my daughter and I watched, mesmerized, as the fog quickly approached and became heavier, sinking lower and lower to the ground. We could no longer see farther than a few feet in front of us, and the denseness of the space – once open – now trapped us, forbidding escape. Our single beam of light, bouncing back at us against the wall of clouds, proved worthless, as we had to rely solely on our other senses for direction. Razor, trusted pit-bull and fearless leader, vanished without a sound or a trace, swallowed up in the haze. Before we realized what had happened, we were thick in the midst of – you probably already guessed it – a zombie apocalypse!
The vast field was literally choking and crawling with the undead. How would we ever reach the other side undetected, untouched, and alive? Suddenly, as if the clouds themselves had birthed him, Razor – the Thunderous Destroyer – emerged in a burst of otherworldly energy! While the living dead shrank from his commanding presence, we made our daring escape to the safety of our own home sweet home, where we finished our conversation with a big hug, lots of giggles, and a sweet kiss goodnight.
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