I have been thinking a lot about gratitude lately - not just in November. Trying to cultivate it as a mindset, practice it as a verb, and feel it on a more regular basis. Gratitude leads to joy, so they say.
I am borrowing this exercise from christiezimmer.com.
Six things, people, and places you adore:
1. The warm and sunny succulents greenhouse at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Mass.
2. The living room of my Aunt Anne's house.
3. Having holidays with family and attached friends.
4. Watching my boy swing in his new sensory swing from sensoryscout.com, which I hope will bring him more calm and the ability to self-regulate through his big emotions.
5. Sitting in my hammock swing at the garden in summertime, when I have nowhere to be (no rush) and I can swing until I close my eyes and nap the most peaceful naps under the sun.
6. My nieces and nephew in Nebraska, whom I miss with all my heart. I love playing board games with them and hysterically laughing.
One thing you've worked hard to achieve:
I am working so, so hard to learn the hand-in-hand parenting techniques and to achieve a way of stay-listening with my boy and my girl; I am working so hard to change my lens from seeing "bad behavior" to seeing "a reach-out for connection." This is going to be a really long road.
One thing that's going well right now:
I have a beautiful, safe place to live that is feeling more and more like home. I look forward to decorating for Christmas, and maybe in the process, unpacking/removing a few more boxes.
Two subjects or pursuits you're passionate about:
I am grateful that I have the opportunity through my work to be doing a deep-dive study on racial bias and discrimination, particularly in re: privileged white people (which is all white people in America). I am very passionate about learning to recognize institutionalized, ingrained racism in several aspects of society, as well as getting real about personal racism in me; and I am passionate to learn how to be a better human. I am also grateful to my partner who has taught me so much about the (shit) plight of Native Americans in this country since the whites arrived. The slights are everywhere.
The other thing I am really passionate about is helping people learn through and live through their grief - whether it be death of a family member or friend, or someone in their community, whose death rocked them to the core (such as the death of a schoolmate you might not have known well, but you can't stop thinking about it). I have made friends with grief, and have studied (and continue to study) the many manifestations and expressions of grief. I do believe that a loving community can support a person through grief in a productive and accepting way. I would like to be part of that community. [You can connect with my grief support group on FB at "Life After Dad Support Group" if you need a friendly place to land.]
Two people you can count on for warm hugs and kind words:
1. My mom
2. Irv, my best friend
Three things to look forward to:
1. Taking Jenn's girls and my two little ones to the holiday lights drive-through festival. I hope this works out tomorrow!
2. The holiday Cookie Craze this Sunday - fire trucks, Santa, and tables stuffed with homemade cookies....what could be better??
[It is bothering me that I can't see five feet in front of me "down the road" of my life. It has been like this for some time but it is starting to really bother me. Right now I cannot "see" past January 2nd!]
3. Starting my grad degree, which will hopefully be step 1 in the many steps toward my business plan coming to fruition.
I think I need to put some things on the calendar after January 2. This is the time of year I am usually prepping mentally for my mid-January union conference. This year I am not going, as I wanted to give the space to other folks. So now there's a gaping black hole called "silent winter" that I need to do something about. Hmm....
Thank you Christie.
~Ally
I am borrowing this exercise from christiezimmer.com.
Six things, people, and places you adore:
1. The warm and sunny succulents greenhouse at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Mass.
2. The living room of my Aunt Anne's house.
3. Having holidays with family and attached friends.
4. Watching my boy swing in his new sensory swing from sensoryscout.com, which I hope will bring him more calm and the ability to self-regulate through his big emotions.
5. Sitting in my hammock swing at the garden in summertime, when I have nowhere to be (no rush) and I can swing until I close my eyes and nap the most peaceful naps under the sun.
6. My nieces and nephew in Nebraska, whom I miss with all my heart. I love playing board games with them and hysterically laughing.
One thing you've worked hard to achieve:
I am working so, so hard to learn the hand-in-hand parenting techniques and to achieve a way of stay-listening with my boy and my girl; I am working so hard to change my lens from seeing "bad behavior" to seeing "a reach-out for connection." This is going to be a really long road.
One thing that's going well right now:
I have a beautiful, safe place to live that is feeling more and more like home. I look forward to decorating for Christmas, and maybe in the process, unpacking/removing a few more boxes.
Two subjects or pursuits you're passionate about:
I am grateful that I have the opportunity through my work to be doing a deep-dive study on racial bias and discrimination, particularly in re: privileged white people (which is all white people in America). I am very passionate about learning to recognize institutionalized, ingrained racism in several aspects of society, as well as getting real about personal racism in me; and I am passionate to learn how to be a better human. I am also grateful to my partner who has taught me so much about the (shit) plight of Native Americans in this country since the whites arrived. The slights are everywhere.
The other thing I am really passionate about is helping people learn through and live through their grief - whether it be death of a family member or friend, or someone in their community, whose death rocked them to the core (such as the death of a schoolmate you might not have known well, but you can't stop thinking about it). I have made friends with grief, and have studied (and continue to study) the many manifestations and expressions of grief. I do believe that a loving community can support a person through grief in a productive and accepting way. I would like to be part of that community. [You can connect with my grief support group on FB at "Life After Dad Support Group" if you need a friendly place to land.]
Two people you can count on for warm hugs and kind words:
1. My mom
2. Irv, my best friend
Three things to look forward to:
1. Taking Jenn's girls and my two little ones to the holiday lights drive-through festival. I hope this works out tomorrow!
2. The holiday Cookie Craze this Sunday - fire trucks, Santa, and tables stuffed with homemade cookies....what could be better??
[It is bothering me that I can't see five feet in front of me "down the road" of my life. It has been like this for some time but it is starting to really bother me. Right now I cannot "see" past January 2nd!]
3. Starting my grad degree, which will hopefully be step 1 in the many steps toward my business plan coming to fruition.
I think I need to put some things on the calendar after January 2. This is the time of year I am usually prepping mentally for my mid-January union conference. This year I am not going, as I wanted to give the space to other folks. So now there's a gaping black hole called "silent winter" that I need to do something about. Hmm....
Thank you Christie.
~Ally
