Age: 36
City: San Francisco, CA
Day 1
I'm grateful to finally be at SFO, and to darling sister-friend Lori for offering to take me home.
Day 2
I am so grateful for the beautiful flowers awaiting my arrival at my apartment.
Day 3
Grateful surprises like these flowers and the World Map jigsaw puzzle in the background that make me feel known and loved.
Day 4
Grateful that Prop 8 was overturned and that the ban on gay marriage was determined to be unconstitutional.
Day 5
Gratitude for meeting little Beya last night, who fell asleep in my arms :: a train ride to San Luis Obispo with GHC, who let me have the window seat :: summer vacation -- it ain't over till it's over.
Day 6
I'm grateful that GHC brought amazing, awe-inspiring people into my life, two of whom are getting married today. I'm excited to witness a union that makes so much sense. Ultimately, as always, I'm grateful for love.
Day 7
Grateful for having aving amazing, awe-inspiring friends who introduce me to their amazing, awe-inspiring friends :: bocce ball with friends :: a wonderful, beautiful day of wine tasting :: the sun, the breeze, the green vineyards.
Day 8
Grateful to have known Michael McLaughlin. Being housemates with him and Shelley Simpson was a fantastic experience. I miss him.
Day 9
Grateful for a Monday not spent at work and for a wonderful evening ahead— farmerbrown, Bourbon & Branch, and time with friends I haven't seen for a couple of years.
Day 10
Grateful for 24th Street, the Mission, San Francisco—the colors, the smells coming from bakeries and taquerías, the sunshine through the fog, the unexpected backyards, the food, the produce, the people who return a smile...I love my neighborhood.
Day 11
I'm grateful for the Facebook genie (i.e., my wonderfully helpful interwebs community)!
Day 12
Hooray for the delightful 2-hour nap I had this afternoon. And Tilda Kapuya and Piya Kashyap for their delightful pre-nap company..
Day 13
I'm grateful for the Innocence Project, for the two stubborn women, Patricia Lykos and Alicia O’Neill, who did the right thing and freed Michael A. Green, and for having been blessed with the privilege of physical and psychological freedom.
Day 14
Grateful for my dear friend Gregory Linington's post this morning.
“Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud
of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) — e.e. Cummings
Day 16
is not back at work today and has no idea what to do with herself. Grateful to have Privileged Problems©.
Day 17
Tonight, I'm praying for my friends who need love & support. One I want to share: I'm praying for Cy Wagoner's full recovery. He's a strong, beautiful person & I can't wait to sit across from him, grateful for his company, his mindfulness and his smile. But first, I'm praying for him to get out of the hospital and go blow people away with his amazing art in Arizona! Go get 'em Cy!
Day 18
I gotta be grateful for all the times life keeps reminding me of these lessons: "You're alive, so live" (my cousin Moshe's voice I heard from within me at his grave) :: "Say YES to love, for it is saying YES to life" (James Baldwin) :: "You just never know what the future is" (Shelley & Michael) :: The time to show your loved ones that you love them is always Now (tk)
Day 19
I'm SOOOOO grateful* that Cy Wagoner is awake and lucid, and equally grateful for Mar Tsinnijinne and Richard Castaneda's updates from the ICU since yesterday. (*So much that I cried from gratitude—it felt good.) ::
Day 20
Today’s Gratitude List: a chill day at home, a delicious nectarine for breakfast (thank you, Jeff Mayfield!), a clean(er) apartment, purslane salad dinner, the privilege of having a steady income, and as always: LOVE.
Day 21
Fog. City lights. Crowded sidewalks. Still, I'm soooo grateful to be living in San Francisco, California
Day 22
Sleeping in on the last Sunday of my summer vacation (ahem...having a job that gives me a summer vacation to begin with!), a beautiful and sunny San Francisco Sunday, picnic at the park across the street from my place (especially grateful for wine & cheese)...and most of all, the power hug from my man at the end of the day that stopped me from freaking out about the start of a new school year.
Day 23
I stupidly left my jacket in Tiburon, but this beautiful evening kept me warm :: mindful colleagues :: new insights into introverts/extroverts/my students/my colleagues/myself :: having a job that feels meaningful even on days I doubt my effectiveness :: GHC, for calming me down simply by being who he is.
Day 24
Grateful for the sunshine, the heat :: a good first department meeting & great colleagues :: being able to wear a sleeveless dress with no jacket on a warm evening in San Francisco :: conversations that emotionally drain me, but that I know will benefit me significantly :: friends' birthdays, friends' lives, friends who remain in my life, even from a distance.
Day 25
Grateful for sunshine, heat :: connections with new colleagues :: delicious, free lunch :: Ken :: Thomas :: Bobby-hug! :: sharing an office with Larissa & Clarke :: FOCUS friends in general :: chatting with Kaern :: any excuse to visit LaShanda's office :: coming home to a clean apartment :: incense :: Noa Slemrod Goodman, for being born & Joselin Linder for introducing us!
Day 27
Today’s Gratitude List: sleeping in :: LaShanda :: Laughter Against the Machine :: getting to see and hug Eboni Senai :: Nadia—a personal connection based on our passion for our own education/learning the English language as non-native speakers, and on our belief that people come into our lives for a reason :: having the privilege to pursue my dreams and the stubbornness to do so.
Day 28
I am SO grateful that her mother took care of herself so well that Kim Nicol could be born, that Kim & I connected about 2 years ago, I asked her out on a date & she said yes, that she supports me with YESes still, and for our promised kite-flying photo shoot date. Happy birthday, awe-inspiring, beautiful friend! I'm incredibly grateful that you're so very present in my life!
Day 29
I’ve named the school-year monster within me & resolved to take better care of myself :: I have support & plenty of love in my life :: While I AM dreading going back to work tomorrow, I'm not so burnt out that I don't have the 1st day jitters—I hope I always feel the 1st day jitters :: the 30-minute classes we have tomorrow are a rarity, not the norm :: Deeeeeep breaths.
Day 30
I'm so grateful for a job that offers multiple opportunities to get a fresh start each year, for resolutions that are within my reach, for the support and love in my life that can help me reach them, for advisees who surprised and flattered me by expressing their appreciation for me today, for a positive outlook no matter what. And big thanks to LaShanda Greene for establishing the 30 Days of Gratitude group!