Kind of Long Post

Our class today for professional development was on self care.  One of the things that was mentioned was to find things to be grateful for every day.  That is the reason I originally started to blog a few years back.  Since things that I am happy about I am generally grateful for, I tend to focus on the happy.  What I have realized is that sometimes the happy thing isn't enough.  Obviously, some days it is hard to find a happy thing, but this is more that sometimes the happy leaves me wanting more.  I've started laughing on purpose again on my way to work.  That is helping a little, but only for a short time.  

What this means is that I am going to try harder to find more things to be happy and thankful for.  I'll continue to try to keep the blog short.  Who knows? I may not come up with many things.  Today brings me the following happy things:

• I voted.
• At work today, a conversation with a few of the people I will be working with the most revealed that we all have similar feelings and anxieties about being back to work.  This may not seem like a happy thing, but I am thankful that I am not the only one who isn't ready to go back to school during a pandemic.  
• Outshine frozen fruit bars.  These are delicious.  They aren't ice cream, but I am enjoying them tremendously as I try to make small steps at eating more healthy.
• Z may have helped me to get the bluetooth in his car to speak to my phone.  The true test will be whether or not it hooks up in the morning.  Listening to an audiobook or my music playlist will hopefully help my mindset on the drive to work.
• I walked out back before dinner tonight.  There was a very large bird that was too elusive for me to begin to identify.  There was also a flock of small birds, maybe some kind of sparrow?
• I found other rabbit tobacco plants on the property.  I'm not sure what it is, but something about that plant piques my curiosity.
• There is a single rose blooming outside the door to the house.  There seem to be plants around it that are dying, but that one rose is lovely.
• The fog driving to work this morning.
• I found a seed pod on the jewelweed that looked ready to pop, so I did.  A quick video is here.
• Gideon and K went today and picked up the award that he will be officially receiving this cming weekend.  So exciting!  
• We have been watching Star Trek DS9.  It has been fun watching Gideon and Z bond over this program.
• Wow!  So many things.  It seemed like such a stressful day until I really put my memory brain to work.  Hooray!

Sunset.

More rabbit tobacco.

A rose.

☮

Stay safe.