Gratitude Journal 06.25
Summer sun, gratitude won.
5.29 - Making my train by mere seconds. The iron that coats my throat—after sprinting half a mile to make it—is the bitter taste of victory.
5.30 - My body for carrying me through a grueling day with a lot of people’s needs both met and unmet. For standing on my feet all day, and putting service first and foremost. Being both in one and one million places at once. The vitality of youth, strength, and wisdom!
6.01 - The ingenuity of a man I get to call mine. What if my path was him all along?
6.02 - A flow state of writing with Starbucks cup in hand that produced this.
6.03 - The opportunity to relearn sign language after Jackie, a deaf customer with special needs, challenges my ability to be a competent bookseller.
6.04 - When earliness to start becomes earliness to end, my afternoon obligations finished with speed and ease.
6.05 - A new outfit with cool fabric. Loosening into smooth mobility after graduating from only form-fitting attire. I can stretch, shrink, expand, and my clothes will catch me.
6.06 - Opportunities for new beginnings, a new chapter unveiling itself to me at the right time. The feeling that comes in the depths of the night—when you get up to pee and can’t force your mind off again, all because of a new undertaking to explore with ferocity, vigor, and, apparently, awakeness.
6.07 - Celebrating new life and intuiting with my maternal instincts. They’ve laid dormant for a while, but in my role as educator/teacher/entertainer/bookseller, I’ve noticed them reignite.
6.08 - The privilege it is to be able to treat the people you love in congratulations and thanks for ever having been blessed with their companionship in the first place.
06.09 - John the conductor who, after 27 years, keeps making customers smile.
06.10 - Little boy with Sudoku on the subway. His mom and I shared a laugh plus I loved listening to him go through the numbers in his head before striking up his board. It reminded me of how I play, though what he said out loud is what goes on inside my head.
06.11 - You never ever know who is going to walk through the front doors of a bookstore. And today, I had a young three-year-old named Noah* exclaim how much he loves the flowers on my sundress and teach me how to roar like a dragon. And I had Stephen Chobsky, who wrote one of the most searing novels of young adulthood ever written, offer to sign a book for me. So today was one of those days that although I didn’t know who was gonna walk through the front doors, what walked over the threshold was magic.
6.12 - Free Grigg street pizza. Jonathon the pizza-maker and his generous family.
6.13 - “She’d be perfect.” A moment where I was nearly brought to tears, breath taken from my lungs. My body’s physical reaction was evidence enough.
6.14 - My feet for being kept under me all day. My ability to multitask, ask questions, and find energy where there was none.
6.15 - Happy Father’s Day to the man who has made all my dreams come true, time and again. It is a joy to be your daughter.
6.16 - Tired and foggy days that make way for brighter and energized ones.
6.17 - Celebrations! Seeing a family other than my own celebrate through and with each other. To witness this is a special privilege, especially as I reflect on my own graduation seasons which feel both ancient and just yesterday.
6.18 - Seeing an older gentlemen stoop to pick up a shiny penny outside of the Starbucks. That feels like some baby boomer behavior right there! Plus, he’s helping keep pennies alive, for all the thoughts to come.
6.19 - Finishing three or so books at once, all of different shape and scope. The serotonin boost when I add their titles to my GoodReads and shelve them as “read” is extra special.
6.20 - The little girl waving at me from across the train platform. It is a timely reminder of the gift of wonder.
6.21 - Mid morning rest. That nap hits most when the rest of the world is waking up but you’re nestled safe and sound in bed.
6.22 - Summer sun and splashing in the pool with my best friend, kid, buddy, pal, fellow mermaid-enthusiast.
6.23 - Laying at the sky turning pink while listening to Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves on the hottest day at the start of the summer, opposite my boo.
6.24 - “Don’t you know you’re worth it?” Until now, no. With you, yes.
6.25 - “Of course you’re my successor!” A privilege to hear, an identity to revel.
What a month! Gratitude feels easier to access during the summer, as simple as the sun on my skin, as soul-deep as love rekindled. Wishing everyone a summer of warmth and love!
Until next time,
Kiera