Gratitude Journal 1.25

From beginning to end, a surreal start to the New Year

1.1 - New thresholds—for tolerance, for resilience, for depth.

1.2 - Feeling dwarfed by the grandness of the buildings around me.

1.3 - Finding the forest through the trees.

1.4 - New York on an early weekend morning—quiet, tranquil, empty.

1.5 - Widening my stance and rocking on my feet to keep steady as the Subway breaks; narrowing my stance in tadasana to find a balance that bends but doesn’t brace.

1.6 - Plans made and unmade, excitement pooling around my feet.

1.7 - Our north-facing apartment gets different light throughout the day; I’m grateful for every ray of sun that finds its way inside.

1.8 - This, which speaks for itself:

1.9 - As a Northeastener who went to school in the Midwest, I find joy in the bundling and buttressing against the cold, enough to take off a glove for a city selfie.

1.10 - A quiet day in the generosity and gentleness of care.

1.11 - This indiscriminate and until-now-unnoticed cartoon at Diane’s Books that I have to resist pointing to with some customers.

1.12 - Working on a new essay all day, revisiting it with brandished insights and revisions.

1.13 - Getting to an age where although your parents are still your parents, they’re your friends, too.

1.14 - The kindness and attentiveness of someone who gets a free pass not to have either.

1.15 - A little London moment.

1.16 - The recurrent airport reunion with searching eyes, big smiles, and the rushed embrace.

1.17 - A birthday dinner with lovely friends and family. There were a lot of laughs shared among people who wouldn’t normally convene.

1.18 - Witnessing hordes of talent on Broadway at Romeo + Juliet.

1.19 - The release of pressure building, soaking my soul in hope.

1.20 - Goldfish snack crackers at the end of a hard loss for Notre Dame. They’re crispiness melt the taste of everything else away.

1.21 - Sharing adventure and a team, win or lose.

1.22 - A subtle hand-written note from my boss that’s tucked into my purse, surprise awaiting.

1.23 - Ivy by Taylor Swift off her Evermore album. This song feels like it’s threading my soul together stitch by stitch with every listen.

1.24 - A moment for Romantasy and how it’s revived book publishing.

1.25 - All the moments of celebration—from loud karaoke sing-a-longs to intimate soul connections—that have helped turn this month on its axis.

Until next time,

Kiera