I remain,

** listening to Boyz II Men sing Motown
** loving how sunny and crisp it is today
** amazed at the pile I have created of Goodwill donations
** loving the way my red tshirt and green scarf look Christmasy
** appreciating the neighbors beautiful Christmas light displays
** loving creating envelopes out of magazine pages
** grateful for the ease of using public transportation in Portland
** loving that I am feeling more competent at my job
** reading Byron Katie over and over and over

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  ~Anne Lamott

Life is...

** spending time at the beach with 9 members of my family
** holding my newest nephew and rocking him to sleep
** wearing dresses over pants
** wearing purple converse with striped laces
** making it through Oregon's few really hot days
** remembering how I wore sweaters in July  July!
** giving and receiving massages and feeling myself relax
** the unexpected gift of seeing an old friend while waiting for a bus
** eating more salad and less Skittles

I remain,

** loving how the wind at the beach whipped through my hair and made it stand straight up and look funky and I didn't even care because I was At the Beach
** wondering why I didn't choose to use sunscreen because it was really sunny at the beach and now my neck and arms are really red
** grateful that my friend and I share fondness for 80's music, treats from Sonic and a willingness to spend hours watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer
** really grateful I was able to find an adorable outfit for my newest nephew
** loving putting books on hold at the library and having them wait for me on the shelf...for free!
** loving not bending over backwards to try and make people feel comfortable
** realizing my idea of their comfort is probably very different from their idea of comfort and so it is a misuse of energy to worry it
** grateful that my spending seems to adjust to my discretionary income so effortlessly
** grateful that I had enough income to buy a beautiful scarf
** grateful that the scarf was 90% off regular price and includes some cashmere
** ready to get off the computer and into a book

Happiness is...

** the opportunity to see all my grandparents this weekend
** the opportunity to enjoy some alone time this weekend
** being able to wake up at 5:30a without an alarm clock (although I always set it just-in-case!)
** checking out fat, hard-backed books from the library
** reading an entire book in an afternoon
** listening to classical music on commercial free radio
** welcoming a new nephew to the family
** feeling more comfortable and competent in my accounting work
** brainstorming on my weekday bus rides
** not going to a rodeo
** an overcast day following a very sunny day
** ebb and flow in many parts of my life

Loving what is...work edition

** walking to the transit center at 6:10a each morning
** taking 2 bus rides to get to work by 8:00a
** walking to a coffee shop downtown between bus rides
** taking my lunch to work
** walking down the stairs instead of taking the elevator
** taking pages of notes as I learn new tasks
** walking to a park bench that overlooks the river
** taking 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon
** walking home from the transit center at 6:50p each evening