Gratitude Journal 05.26
Gratitude journaling is becoming Daisy journaling.
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05.01 - I’ve probably mentioned that I’m grateful for this before, but Cameron and I might never get enough of Impractical Jokers. I was skeptical of the show continuing past one of the funniest members’ exit, but it absolutely holds up and has us belly laughing into the night!
05.02 - The final vaccine of Daisy’s puppy series which means she can be a normal dog and enjoy long walks for the first time ever! She doesn’t know it yet, but mom’s sure she’s going to love going exploring.
05.03 - I sit behind the same family at church every Sunday and today, Grandpa and Grandson wore matching collared shirts. It was a really sweet moment in a litany of really-sweet moments for this inter-generational family who sits in the same pew every Sunday at 9am.
05.04 - Display work today was especially intoxicating!! I spent a few hours curating displays for mother’s day and AANHPI month and I found myself drawn to themes of synchronicity, uniformity, and color coordination. It’s a part of my brain I don’t often use!
05.05 - Thank God my alarm clark is this cute, otherwise we’d have a problem!
05.06 - Today was a day in which everything seemed to go wrong. Daisy escaped mid-bath and in my haste to chase her, I slipped on the bathroom floor; I locked myself out of my car on the third day of my brand new job; I accidentally left my only pair of glasses on the couch and being the puppy she is, Daisy chewed the lenses. So instead of being positive, I’m going to be grateful for mercy, the end of this particularly challenging day, and working at a bookstore with vision included in their health insurance.
05.07 - It’s already weird to look back at pictures and videos of Daisy, now four months old. She’s grown so much in such a short time and looks nothing like the energetic fluff ball we took home two months ago.
05.08 - This is a weird one for me, but today I’m grateful that I’m petite enough to sleep semi-comfortably on airplanes. It saves me as Cameron and I travel three thousand miles for less than 48 hours.
05.09 - When you get a tambourine as your table assignment, you know the wedding’s about to be unforgettable! I’m grateful for an instrument to express in-the-moment my rhythmic excitement and joy!
05.10 - An early morning brunch celebrating my mom in-person (harder and harder to accomplish these days!) and some really sweet though unnecessary texts from people celebrating my puppy motherhood! Daisy and I celebrated with kisses and cuddles.
05.11 - This is sometimes how she sleeps. If precious were a furry forty-five pound golden retriever puppy.
05.12 - I’m really grateful that Cameron’s dad, Rodney, stepped in to play grandpa this past weekend when Cameron and I were traveling. He absolutely spoiled her rotten, and I could not be more thankful.
05.13 - Bonding with a customer over our shared love of journaling, reading, and Suleika Jaouad. She also served as a pertinent reminder to return to journaling as a weekly practice which was fitting given a recent shift in my personal life.
05.14 - Sometimes the sun hits her at just the right spot where her goldenness becomes even more golden and I imagine all of the angel goldens of our past watching over her and protecting her.
05.15 - Daisy does this thing where she’ll go through people’s legs. Do you know how awkward it is when you’re trying to untangle your dog’s leash from the stranger’s legs in front of you? Let’s just say that my dog encourages me to meet new people in really unusual ways.
05.16 - Seeing Daisy play — with joy many lifetimes over — at the dog park was the most rewarding moment of my 2.5 months of puppy parenthood.
05.17 - Seeing a young teen’s eyes light up at the prospect of reading more books and giving more reviews as part of a program my bookstore runs. There’s perhaps nothing more rewarding in the life and work of a bookseller.
05.18 - I’m grateful today for an extended perspective on book banning — a phenomenon I never understood until a few short weeks ago. Although I’m not a librarian, I do have strong opinions on the topic and I feel lucky to represent intellectual freedom and curiosity.
05.19 - An old man pulling a treat out of his shirt pocket to give to Daisy. Nobody does that anymore because of how we might fear reproach from the dog’s owner, but it was really nice to see. I hope Daisy will always believe that old men are good company because they have treats to bestow on her.
05.20 - The mountains overlooking Catalina Foothills high school during a nighttime graduation ceremony. What a view!
05.21 - The homeless man outside of chipotle, lips burnt and bleeding, desperate for a dollar. I ordered two of the burritos I like and hoped it’d satisfy his taste buds.
05.22 - I kinda love how I work in an industry where there is no shortage of good things to read, pickup, and consume. It’s nice to know that I’ll never run out of good things to read.
05.23 - Parents who are willing to share in their child’s joy and humor with me — the bookseller in the right place at the right time.
05.24 - A good strawberry banana smoothie in the early hours of an almost-summer morning just hits right!
05.25 - I worked all weekend even though it was a Holiday. That is both the strange and interesting thing about working in retail: you might not celebrate a nationally-recognized Holiday, but a random Tuesday in May is your self-recognized Holiday!
05.26 - Chatting books is quite possibly my favorite thing to chat about. May I always have opinions on media and may I always have people to share them with!
05.27 - My older brother came to visit me at work which is a welcome surprise.
05.28 - An evening walk when the sun is down with my honey human and my hunny canine! The perfect finale to the day, in my opinion.
05.29 - I will always love watching her watching the tv screen, especially when it’s her favorite: stand-up comedy.
05.30 - My dog, though nearing fifty pounds, believes she is a lap dog. My legs suffer under her sharp legs and heavy weight, but I’m so glad she trusts me enough to find comfort on my lap during a long car ride.
05.31 - Harry Potter # 6 and #7 are movie-going experiences that were seared into my mind as a child. They made such an impression that watching them now is mostly a flashback of then. Which is a crazy amount of power to wield. Nothing since has even come close to that fervor and power. I hope I live long enough to see the next book series phenomenon!
Until next month,
Kiera