Gratitude Journal 3.25
02.24 - For a day that feels cloudy on my inside, I’m grateful for the sun as it peaks through each avenue or reflects off the glass of the skyscrapers to warm my skin.
02.25 - A smile and a wave from the train conductor whom I see every morning. To be recognized by him—who is also featured in many of the Metro Transit Authority’s advertisements—is a feeling akin to being starstruck. Give this man a raise!
02.26 - Getting a day above fifty degrees in New York is a privilege after what has seemed like an endlessly cold winter. I selfishly want to hold onto the warmth without further jeopardizing mother nature.
02.27 - Resisting the way conceit wanted to wrap itself around my throat and rob me of air. Deep breaths when the air’s tight, too.
02.28 - It makes a difference when the subway conductor—seldomly if ever heard through the intercom—calls his passengers beautiful people and wishes them an uplifting weekend.
03.01 - Finding a flow state at work that allows me to make confident recommendations, wrap hoards of presents, and read new titles all in the rhythm of a day.
03.02 - When I can have a day that looks like this. The sun shines in through my window as if to say, “You deserve it, Kiera.”
03.03 - A belly full of cheesy pasta, cheeks achingly full with laughter, a tired body wrapped in a warm blanket at the end of a long day.
03.04 - Coca-cola, my chosen vice.
03.05 - Clarity after many months of shadowed doubt. It hits me square in the chest in the middle of my millionth Metro-North ride.
03.06 - The first home I’ve paid for in full, where I can rest in the pride of independent living.
03.07 - Fresh bagels and cream cheese from a beloved co-worker.
03.08 - Standing up for myself in the face of authority. No, this is not the authority in which I speak, but it deserved a spot on this timeline.
03.09 - Some strolling in Central Park with gentle guitar-strumming to a song nested close to my heart. Guess the song in the comments!
03.10 - The slow and then sudden approach to Daylight Saving’s Time when I can see sun both before and after work. Plus, the opportunity—unexpected, exalting—to take an earlier train home.
03.11 - Time to myself, for myself. The opportunity to see life as a gift, to let it soak over me in joy and comfort and sacredness.
03.12 - Forgiveness of self, both past and present.
03.13 - A little early morning treat where I’m reminded of the many years of railroad travel that came before me.
03.14 - Exploring dimly lit ceiling-high bookshelves on a rainy afternoon and finding everything I need!
03.15 - Scrabble as a necessary distraction, aimed at changing my brain’s neurological course.
03.16 - Central Park and this impossibly large statue of Hans Christian Anderson, which dwarfs all my woes.
03.17 - The circus ring of phone calls that characterizes any weekday evening after work.
03.18 - When a new start is not exclusive to the sunrise, but the opportunity to begin again midday.
03.19 - An abundance mindset, where I shift my focus to the things that I have instead of the things I don’t, like a job that allows me to independently support myself.
03.20 - How baking is the gift that keeps on giving. Banana bread slices for many breakfasts to come…
03.21 - That my time in New York as a public transit junkie has led me to believe—truthfully enough—that I can conquer whatever city in whatever state in whatever country. And it feels like an appropriately wielded badge of honor.
03.22 - This month’s new found appreciation for pasta, as eclipsed by Uovo in Los Angeles with two cherished guests.
03.23 - In a circular ending to end all circular endings, I’m grateful to feel the sun on my skin. When it peaks through the clouds and impossibly-high buildings in New York City or when it shines uninhibited from the blue-sky of Los Angeles.
Until next time,
Kiera