Green Oasis

Five Things

2009-04-06T17:05:27Z

I am grateful for …

… shelter from the elements. My relationship with the weather is much better knowing that I can get some me-time away from it.
… beautiful vernal weather. (+25 points for using a vocabulary word)
… a healthy mind. I realize something of how fragile that is.
… a long weekend with my family.
… that I am capable of thinking for myself and that I do so on occasion.

2009-02-09T20:22:07Z

I am grateful …

… for the easy way my wife laughs.
… for time spent exploring the desert with my girls, finding sedimentary rocks, rabbit spore, and old golf balls.
… for cherished childhood memories that have grown iconic with age and forgetfulness.
… for windy, sunny days with titanic clouds full of dignity.
… that I am not alone.

2009-02-02T20:26:32Z

I am grateful to have a picture of my beautiful bride on my office calendar this month.
I am thankful for my two functional legs. It’s a pleasure to walk with them.
I’m still alive!
I am grateful for the beautiful weather.
I am thankful for the lingering scent of peeled orange at my desk.

2009-01-12T21:20:46Z

I’m grateful for a newfound mindfulness. I tend to make little rules and expectations for myself like “no eating after 7 PM” or “finish everything on today’s task list”. I start having a nagging sense of dissatisfaction when I break the rules, the rules I set for myself. When I get dissatisfied, I become discouraged and tend to fall even shorter of my expectations. Recently, I’ve become more aware of this self-inflicted cycle. Self-forgiving awareness has allowed me to notice the dissatisfaction, let it wash over me, and see it dissipate in the light of my conscious awareness.
I’m grateful to be feeling healthy again.
The weather is bright and sunny. It might as well be spring. I feel a little silly wearing my sweater.
I am thankful that I’ve found renewed motivation in my job. I hate feeling like I’m slacking off, and yet I still do it when a task is so big or ill-defined that I don’t know where to start. Really, I should thank Thich Nhat Hanh. He said “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” I’ve been trying to practice this at work, and I’m much more productive (despite going slowly).
I am grateful for the class that I was able to attend today. I am realizing that I need to brush up on some math, but I enjoy this kind of challenge.

2008-02-22T15:46:52Z

Only those of us who live in the desert can appreciate
the cruel monotony of clear, blue skies.

Only desert dwellers anticipate
the soft, fragrant awakening which gathering clouds portend.