Gratitude Journal 6.24 I

Working at a bookstore is becoming the most relevant parts of my personality.

6/1: playing competitive games of ping-pong and jenga in the AZ heat with Cam. We are seriously the most competitive people, and find ourselves wrestling over the rules to claim the much-revered champion title. Oftentimes I lose, but it doesn’t matter because I’ve won with him.

6/2: the fullness of a heartfelt, human experience with people that are coming to feel like family to me, though we don’t share blood, just joy.

6/3: a yummy cheeseburger. I used to order them ALL THE TIME as a kid and I’ve strayed. But I found myself munching one today that was mouthwateringly good.

6/4: grateful to have someone to miss so much that my heart beats outside of my body.

6/5: the gift of thoughtful coworkers and great book recommendations.

6/6: a long day at work that leaves my feet sore and back aching! It kind of feels like victory.

6/7: the light curiosity I feel while conversing in Spanish with my patient coworkers who slow their speech and repeat their words to my unpracticed ears.

6/9: experimentation outside of my comfort zone. Today I took the metro north into the city and found myself, nearing midnight, wandering my way back to Grand Central Station, only to miss my train, work my way back from despair with Cameron’s generous help, and board the 12:07 home. Although it may feel like it in the moment, a midnight detour in NYC is not the end of the world. It is just the edge of it.

6/10: my mom and I typically don’t share a fashion sense, though when I curiously wander into her closet before work and find a gorgeous white shawl (tag still attached), I can’t help but make it my own and applaud my mom for her taste. Whether or not she will see said shawl again is another story…

6/11: Ryan Gosling once said that dog’s paws are his favorite smell. And I’m grateful someone—especially someone as well-loved and charming as Ryan Gosling—agrees with me. Their most concentrated, most pure scent is on the top of their paws. I take big sniffing gulps every time I leave them, if but to conserve their presence.

6/12: though patience is certainly not my strong suit, I practiced it with gentleness during a five-hour long literary event that quickly drained me.

6/13: the urge (sudden, unexpected, demanding) to go on a run followed by the urge (sudden, unexpected, demanding) to swim followed by the urge (sudden, unexpected, demanding) to start a new book. A trifecta of the perfect summer evening.

6/14: driving with the windows down in early summer.

6/15: celebrating one year of gratitude journals and three hundred and sixty five moments of gratitude. Here’s to many, many more!

Until next time,

Kiera