Gratitude for ever

I started writing gratitude journals years back to help remind myself all the great things that was happening in my life. Writing these almost always makes me feel good. That is for sure. It is therefore one of the ways that I help reduce the emotional distress coming out of anxiety or depression. For example, just to be able to remember that I walked in a warm and quiet day with blue sky (and, hence, not only enjoyed my moment but also did something good for my health) sounds great, is it not? It is. Obviously, it also says that I made a good choice that day. Extra gratitude!

But, this kind of approach is fragmented – I start everyday again and again, as if it has no link to previous days or the future.

A couple of days ago I realized that there may be additional things to consider while practicing gratitude journaling.

If I restrict things to write about to experiences, choices, and activities of the day, I almost always lose the continuity and being grateful for things that are continuous. For example, having the freedom to pursue my dreams. Having the ability to change things. Having the ability to feel happy.  Reminding myself that even the worst thing shall pass one day.  Good memories. Good friends. Good experiences.

There are things better and bigger than what is happening a day in one’s life.

Let’s focus on this greatness. Boundless opportunities. Bigger picture. The full life. The whole experience.

 

 

Joy journal, Sept 19, 2016

1. I am grateful that I survived this Monday too!!! Are you too feeling the joy  coming out of this? I hope so 🙂

2. I am grateful for walking in the morning, although I was feeling tired and it was somehow cold. It was a quiet morning with a serene scenery and walking for sure makes it even better (by moving and relaxing the body). It is good for my bones, for my muscles, for my blood circulation, and for my mind -what else can provide all of these but walking? 🙂

3. I am grateful for my coffee! I brew my coffee at the office and drink quiet a bit of it. Only that today around noon, right before a meeting, my stomach got upset. Luckily a colleague of mine had salty crackers and shared them with me. I felt much better after that.

4. I am grateful for my colleague who shared their crackers with me 🙂

5. I am grateful for working really intense but nevertheless productively. I cannot believe that just yesterday I was relaxing at home, without doing anything particular. It is amazing how well we adapt to work conditions and its pressure.

6. I am grateful for walking back to home in the afternoon. I must state, however, it was too cold.. Time to get the scarfs and gloves out.

7. I am grateful for the soup I have had at home that was the greatest medication after the cold walk. It was a simple soup prepared with chicken stock, potato, and lost of lemon juice. Sure to heal and warm you up 🙂

8. I am grateful for working up late today and finishing some important documents. I have been incredibly busy last week and will be quite busy the next two weeks too. I will give my best. The best thing; I have a business trip to Europe for a couple of days after that, which will give me time to relax. I am so looking forward to it 🙂

9. I am grateful for my standing desk at the office. In the last few weeks I always worked standing up. My back feels overall better; I believe the standing desk, walking and stretching everyday helps. I am not naive enough to think that I can stop here and go back to my previous unhealthy and un-ergonomics life, but at least I know that with little changes, I can make a positive change in my life. That is priceless 🙂

10. I am grateful for my blanket that keeps me warm tonite 🙂

11. I am grateful for my family being safe and sound. That reminded me a sad occasion of a close friend of mine. She was in love with someone else, who finally decided to marry another person. That guy was killed recently in a freak robbery attempt while on honeymoon….. How sad is this? Anyways… this is supposed to be a joyful entry – so back to gratefulness…

12. I am grateful for having a house, furniture, clothes/shoes, and heating system, all of which make this cold night manageable.

13. I am grateful for my books, internet connection, computer, notepads, and pens that make my life exciting 🙂

14. I am grateful for the TV series I have been watching this evening.

15. I am grateful for all the opportunities out there that wait for me and for everyone else. May we all recognize them as they cross roads with our lives.

16. I am grateful for being grateful and writing my joy journal tonite 🙂

joy journal – September 2, 2016

I have had a kind of disappointing day. That means, I particularly need to write to my joy journal! 🙂

1. I am grateful for walking in the morning to the office. In the past two weeks that is what I have been doing and it feels good. It helps clear my mind and is quite useful for my health.

2. I am grateful for having a relaxing day at the office till a meeting at 2 pm. A 1.5 hours long meeting in the afternoon, on a friday, and right before a long weekend is not a great idea… Considering that I am particularly edgy when I am forced to sit longer than an hour and that it was a very boring presentation mostly, I am very disappointed and somehow edgy… BUT I am ready to leave this behind and enjoy the first night of the long weekend! 🙂

3. I am grateful that it is the first long weekend of the Fall. I am very fond of long weekends – they give a chance to relax and do stuff that I could not otherwise find time to do. For example, I plan to do some deep cleaning this weekend, shop, clean the house, do laundry, cook breads, and take care of the yard all at the same time 🙂 Boy; these are all too much, especially since I also need time to relax. Thus, this three day long weekend excites me 🙂

4. I am grateful for doing the grocery in the evening. I have bought fresh produce which excites me. I hope to cook tasty meals this week 🙂

5. I am grateful for walking back to home from office. I have had a chance to help clear my mind after the disapointing afternoon meeting and relax a little bit.

6. I am grateful for my back feeling a little bit better. I have been doing my stretching exercises in the last while and they seem to have helped. In today’s session, I did not hear the “crack” that my back usually yells when I do one particular exercise. It makes me sad each time, as it tells me that there is some type of friction or calcification at my spine. I did not have this problem prior to winter when I have had two episodes of bad back issues. I want it to be gone. I am too young to have such a problem! 🙂

7. I am grateful for chilling at home all by myself. I still long for a cat to be around, but honestly I am not in the mood to be woken up by someone in the morning. Day by day, I am getting more objective about my own needs and how incompatible it is to have a dependent thing around me. Bitter but healthy truth. This being said, I also would like to foster cats for short time, possibly starting mid October or so.

8. I am grateful for the sourdough I have been struggling to form this afternoon. I have got a lovely levain today (started it yesterday), yet the dough is not a great one; it is fragmenting, too sticky one minute and top-dried up the next moment. Honestly I had given up after 3 stretch and fold attempts, and just stuck it up in the fridge, hoping that maybe in the morning I would have a dough which is workable. I just checked it out and it is actually coming along. So I gave it a quick kneading, felt how smooth it was, got excited, and left it to rise in the fridge. I hope tomorrow I will be able to share the pics of a nice sourdough loaf 🙂

9. I am grateful for the music I am listening to right now. I discovered it a couple of days ago and I am hooked. It is relaxing, meditative if you will, and very soft and gentle for the ear. I feel like my frustration accumulated today is melting slowly but steadily…

10. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

 

 

 

 

joy journal – August 28, 2016

joy 🙂

happiness 🙂

peace 🙂

I am feeling very good today and one of the things that can increase that feeling is to be able to remember and contemplate on things/people/experiences that have been giving me joy, comfort, happiness, and peace. So, here they are:

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and waking up feeling peaceful

2. I am grateful for buying myself a cup of nice coffee and not eating muffin or bagels (I wanted to, though… 🙂 )

3. I am grateful for finding the receipts for the items that I had bought a while ago, which were not  needed anymore (and were not used, either). I have done this a couple of times lately; not that I like the extra effort to return stuff, but it is just awesome to be able to get rid of extra stuff from home and also get the money paid back. Win-win!

4. I am grateful for taking the bus to the stores and back. I am glad that I did not need to wait long for the bus today – I feel lucky 🙂

5. I am grateful for speaking with my family 🙂

6. I am grateful for putting some items for sale online. I am not asking for a lot of money and I hope that the items will be gone soon. Guess what I am planning to do with the money? Donate it to the animal shelter! 🙂 What a great cause, what a great happiness!!

7. I am grateful for eating well today

8. I am grateful for baking yet another steel-like sourdough loaf 🙂 I must pay more attention to the critical points of baking, rather than improvising I guess. I sure will try to eat it, and if not, turn it into croutons 🙂

9. I am grateful for preparing another batch of frozen green beans with tomato. Green beans and tomato were incredibly cheap this week and I could not help but think about freezing them. I feel very content and excited about this food freezing practice (which I started only lately). In my freezer in addition to the green beans, I have blanched carrots, zucchini, bone broth,and bread all prepared by myself. I am loving this no food waste and preserve food adventure of mine 🙂 I feel so able and so abundant!

10. I am grateful for stretching my body and getting some relief from it

11. I am grateful for getting a second hand pantry today! Boy, I have been meaning to get one for sometime and this one looks like a good fit. It is a little bit taller than what I ideally would like to have (to fit a corner in my laundry room), but I decided I could make some arrangements and still make use of it. I needed storage space to store some items here and there (like the laundry detergents that lie on the floor) and this pantry looks just fine to me. The couple brought it right to my home and I guess it was a great deal. Exciting! 🙂

12. I am grateful for relaxing whole day without stressing about anything. I realized, thanks to a couple of weeks lately that were stressful and emotional, that I usually feel quite good…. What a blessing

13. I am grateful for all the food I have in my fridge, pantry, and freezer. I am abundant:)

14. I am grateful for having the night to myself and enjoying it so far

15. I am grateful for my family, friends, job, salary, benefits, insurance, bank, house, all the furniture and services (cable, phone, internet etc.), bus service, neighbours, colleagues, food, clothes, and many others in my life that make my life fun, safe, healthy, and lovable.

16. I am grateful for being grateful!

🙂

 

 

joy journal – August 14, 2016

I have lots to be grateful for 🙂

1. I am grateful for the funny movie I have watched yesterday night. I was up till 1.30 am and as a result woke up a little bit tired this morning. However, this movie made me laugh a lot and sometimes very aloud! What a rare treat 🙂

2. I am grateful for the coffee and bagel I have had this morning. My mind was full of thoughts so I did not even remember going to the cafe or eating the bagel, but hey, at least I provided breakfast for myself (I usually do not eat breakfast) 🙂

3. I am grateful for walking to a store 15 minutes away. They did refund me for the passport photo they took, which turned out to be too light in colour and as such, unacceptable for the passport office. No questions were asked. I had no receipt (only their stamp and date at the back of one of the photos) and a form from the passport office stating the reason for not accepting the photo. I was prepared to make a complaint, yet rather I was welcome with a rapid refund. How great is that? 🙂

4. I am grateful for speaking with my family and knowing that they are well and sound.

5. I am grateful for baking my best bread so far 🙂 I have eaten more than half of one of the loafs (it was a small loaf, so no need to get alarmed 🙂 )

6. I am grateful for my sourdough starter that excites me. Today is the 6th day and I must say I was getting tired of taking its picture; analyzing its rise, smell, and texture, and taking notes; and feeding it everyday. It is great that as of this evening, it is placed in the fridge and will be handled only once a week to feed or to use in a sourdough loaf 🙂

7. I am grateful for today not being too hot.

8. I am grateful for eating veggies today.

9. I am grateful for having the night to myself. it is peaceful and just the right temperature. I can read or write whatever I want. It is also a great time for reflection. I have always been a night-owl 🙂

10. I am grateful for my pens and my papers/notebooks that allow me to write, list, or plan things. Very exciting activity 🙂

11. I am grateful for computer and internet connection that make learning, reading, and blogging easy and possible.

12. I am grateful for my floss! I love my floss ( a tri-liner). Am I the only person who loves their floss?? 🙂

13. I am grateful for everything I have at home; my furniture, my appliances, my kitchen items, my shoes and clothes, my books and notebooks, pens and pencils, plants and food. They make my life easy, and me safe, full, warm, and content.

14. I am grateful for being grateful and taking my time to note it here.

15. I am grateful for everyone here who commented on my posts lately, re; adopting a cat. You guys took time to read and respond and gave me many useful ideas. I felt supported and cared, and you may know well that this is a very good feeling, especially when it is needed. So, my friends; may your lives fill with happiness and peace and may your hearts find whatever good things/people/experiences you are longing for.

Thank you all.

joy journal – July 31, 2016

Here is another joyful entry! 🙂

1. I am grateful for sleeping in late. Man, have I been tired the last two days. A good night sleep has been the most welcome remedy 🙂

2. I am grateful for the coffee and bagel I have had this morning as a breakfast. Nice and easy. No complication. Always available. Always affordable. Always fresh. Always desired and always enjoyed 🙂

3. I am grateful for the cool day. Time to time it became hot and humid, but generally speaking today has been cooler than the rest of the week. I love cool weather 🙂

4. I am grateful for the bus, which did not let me wait too long at the bus stop and safely transported me to shopping mall this morning.

5. I am grateful for buying many useful and needed items today. What is it about shopping that makes us energized and excited? One thing I like about it is I feel like I am taking care of myself. Another reason is that I sometimes, only sometimes, I find something that I really love…. Today’s most exciting catch was a measuring cup set that I much needed! I checked two brands, one steel and the other plastic. The first one was expensive and the other one did not feel good. Plus, I did not like the colour, which was dark blue. I checked the aisle for the second time just before leaving the store and I find a third set; it is plastic too, but this time its color is green, which I liked. It would be nice if I had purchased the steel set, but honestly considering the fact that the cups will only transiently touch the flour, I opted out for the cheaper set, that is the plastic. I am fine with that decision.

6. I am grateful for the canned beans, yogurt, bread flour, whole wheat flour, raisins, the lipstick, eyeliner, and face moisturizer I bought. I will enjoy consuming the food and they were at very affordable prices. I am trying a new shade of eye liner this time (green), which I have not used since my youth. It is exciting 🙂

7. I am grateful for catching the bus back right at the last second. Since it is sunday, the bus schedule is particularly bad – buses are very infrequent. There was only one bus left at the station, which I had hoped was my bus. And it was! If I had missed it, I would have to wait another hour, or take a cab. I am happy that neither of these were required.

8. I am grateful for talking with my family. We are missing each other, but it is awesome that with technology we have the opportunity to speak and connect.

9. I am grateful for the bread I baked today! It is one of the best I have ever baked; tasty soft, and good looking 🙂 I have hope – I will manage to bake the perfect loaf one day 🙂

10. I am grateful for continuing to declutter today. Today, I dumped 3 pairs of old boots; an old pair of shoes; a couple of old jackets; and many small items forgotten here and there. I also noticed 4-5 nice jackets that I had ignored for many years! They are in good shapes and honestly look very pretty. I hanged them at the front to make sure I will see and wear them when the fall/winter comes.

11. I am grateful for the veggie meal I cooked this evening. It was healthy and tasty – good job 🙂

12. I am grateful for stopping working around 5pm and starting to relax and rest after that. The last few days have been quite productive but also tiring. I feel much better right now and ready to start the new week.

13. I am grateful for all the jars I have. because of the recent pest problem, I am keeping all my dry food and spices in jars. Those that are in large amounts, like rice and flour, are currently in the fridge. I looked for large jars today but could not find suitable ones. I guess I will just keep going as it is.

14. I am grateful for noticing my dry food yesterday and today. I have a lot of dry food, which I can lovingly consume. I will have one or two days this week designated to only cook with these food. I will be happy to replace them later with fresh batches.

15. I am grateful for the space I have created by decluttering and reshuffling stuff around. I used to think that my kitchen cabinets and pantry was not large enough, yet it turned out that this was not true 🙂

16. I am grateful for the rain this evening; hearing the droplets hit the asphalt was therapeutic 🙂 it also cooled it down a bit – I am looking for a temperature-wise comfortable night. What a delight 🙂

17. I am grateful for my t-shirts and pajamas that make summer heat bearable. We always complain about winter, yet summer, when hot and humid, is equally annoying. Proper clothes to cope with the temperature is essential. Since our winters are rather long and summers are short, I often times forgot the existence of summer-clothes. I am glad that while decluttering I found them in the drawers and gladly wear them. That also means that I better do two decluttering activity per year: one when the summer starts and another when the winter starts. This will help me not only to get rid of the old and unwanted items, but also to locate my seasonal clothes when they are most needed.

18. I am grateful for my internet connection and computer that make blogging, reading, writing, and learning possible – all exciting!

19. I am grateful for being grateful and taking time to note this list today.

joy journal – July 26, 2016

Been a while… There are many things to note yet I will keep it to the things/experiences/people that have been giving me excitement, hope, and happiness lately.

1. I am grateful for the day. It has been just the right temperature; neither hot nor cool, with a little breeze and lots of sunshine. A perfect summer day :).

2. I am grateful for getting up earlier than usual and not getting crazy about hastily leaving the home a soon as I wake and dress up. I spent around 30 min at home in the morning, browsing the internet while waiting for the next bus at 8.30 am. It is awesome to note this (waiting for something/someone makes me crazy usually. waiting for the bus, which is scheduled for every 30 min used to make me extra crazy. But I seem to have tamed… at least for now… is that not awesome?)

3. I am grateful for taking the bus and arriving the office earlier than usual. I have had a peaceful morning when I brewed my coffee and enjoyed it, worked productively, and felt overall good about work and life.

4. I am grateful for walking back to home in the afternoon and taking care of some emails and other paperwork after that. Working at home is usually a very relaxing practice for me. I am so lucky to have a job that gives me such a flexibility.

5. I am grateful for watching TV this afternoon. After my back problem that occurred early in the new year, I had hardly spent time in my living room, or sat on the couch and watched the TV. Couch is not good for my back so it was not long before I moved up to the bedroom again, but nevertheless this change was very welcome 🙂

6. I am grateful for cooking a healthy meal for myself today. I tried a new recipe that I have got from a neighbor while I was on vacation. Pretty tasty stuff made with cracked wheat (bulghur). Hope to post the recipe one day.

7. I am grateful for the open windows and the fresh air filling my home. What a luxury it is! (old man winter does not let that to happen very frequently.)

8. I am grateful for my new throw, couch covers, shirts, and socks; tea, spices, seeds to be used during baking (nigella, sesame, poppy seeds etc.), corn flour, rice, hard salt to be consumed;  decorative artwork that my sister has given me as gifts; the bowl that I had picked up from my dad’s house as a memorial; the walking shoes and the winter boots that will last like for ever. It feels great to remove any hesitation about having/finding comfy shoes and winter boots- I feel blessed to have found and purchased them 🙂

9. I am grateful for my laptop and the internet connection that make it possible to write, read, and learn 🙂

10. I am grateful for not gaining weight lately. Hope to drop more of those resistant fat particles 🙂

11. I am grateful for having food in my fridge, freezer, and the pantry. what a blessing to know that I have more than I can consume and I am abundant.

12. I am grateful for my friends here whom I have called or seen yesterday. It is so relaxing to know that I am surrounded with good and kind people. This is particularly important for me to realize, as I have just come back from a family visit. i do not feel lonely and I feel like I have a life here 🙂

13. I am grateful for the hand moisturizer that makes the wonders all the time. My hands are prone to get dry yet this moisturizer is just right and it smells awesome. I am lucky to have found it 🙂

14. I am grateful for my plans to shop this weekend. Shopping is always a delight (if done responsibly, of course) 🙂

15. I am grateful for my back feeling good and being pain-free in the last month or so.

16. I am grateful for getting sleepy now. I may have some kind of jet-lag, which is okay… if you have ever experienced difficulty falling asleep, you will know why I am excited about getting sleepy. Long live the jet lag! 🙂

17. I am grateful for being safe and sound.

18. I am grateful for my family; we may be a hard ball together but we sure love and care each other. I am extra grateful that they are fine, healthy, and safe, too.

19. I am grateful for being grateful and being excited to have written this post.

🙂

joy journal – June 6, 2016

1.  I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up for a new day 🙂

2. I am grateful for taking the bus and getting excited about it 🙂

3. I am grateful for my coffee and my office that makes brewing my own coffee easy 🙂

4. I am grateful for my glass water jar that makes drinking water a delight. Water remains cool and fresh – way better than the plastic bottle I used to store my water. I am very happy about this progress 🙂

5. I am grateful for working with a strong focus in the morning and submitting two important documents this afternoon. I am very relieved 🙂

6. I am grateful for walking to home from the office and continuing to work at home.

7. I am grateful for having no mice activity in the last few days. I hope it will never return back!!

8. I am grateful for deciding to pick and dry the flowers from my yard this weekend. Next year, I will bring dried lilacs from my yard (in a picture frame) to my mom as a gift – I think she would like this 🙂

9. I am grateful for cooking a healthy meal and eating with love 🙂

10. I am grateful for the food in my fridge and freezer that nourishes and feeds me 🙂

11. I am grateful for having a lovely chat with my neighbour.

12. I am grateful for reading bread recipes and getting excited about making a new loaf this weekend. I plan to prepare the initial dough on friday and leave the dough in the fridge over night. The next day I will rise, proof, and bake it. I am aiming for a high-hydration bread (80-85%) – let’s see how this adventure will develop 🙂

13. I am grateful for being relax and peaceful today. Since I am taking care of important stuff prior to my vacation, I am feeling more confident that till then I will finish all I aim for. This is a great feeling 🙂

14. I am grateful for not eating too much today 🙂

15. I am grateful for being a couple of pounds than last month. I hope this is a permanent fat loss, but not transient water loss 🙂

16. I am grateful for my facial moisturizer that nourishes my face and skin 🙂

17. I am grateful for being grateful and taking time to reflect on these beautiful things 🙂

 

joy journal – June 5, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up to welcome the new day

2. I am grateful for buying myself an nice cup of coffee

3. I am grateful for talking with my family and having a good laugh 🙂

4. I am grateful for taking the bus and shopping at the mall. If I have not been on budget in the last one year, I would have taken the cab and paid of an additional $30 for the two cab rides (to and from the mall). I am so proud of myself not doing this anymore 🙂

5. I am grateful for the napkins, freezer bags, and jars I have bought for myself 🙂 One of the glass jars is red and the other is purple. They are the cutest jars I have ever seen 🙂  I am so lucky that I have found them 🙂

6. I am grateful for all the gifts I have bought today.

7. I am grateful for eating yogurt today. I have not been eating much lately even though I am usually a regular yogurt-consumer. I like the fact that I am back to eating this healthy food in the last two days 🙂

8. I am grateful for appreciating everything I have in my home. Everything works just fine and they are so nice to have around.

9. I am grateful for water!

10. I am grateful for flossing and brushing my teeth- good to help my body keep healthy 🙂

11. I am grateful for binge-watching a TV show today 🙂

12. I am grateful for being excited about an apple-cinnamon cake I am planning to bake next week 🙂

13. I am grateful for reading all the interesting and tasty recipes; especially about bread 🙂

14. I am grateful for my books, my pens and notebooks, my kitchen items, my food, my furniture, my TV, my computer, my cable and internet service that make my life safe, nourishing, and entertaining.

15. I am grateful for feeling better this weekend. Yesterday and today were really cool, with little attention given to work. I cleaned my home, cut the grass, aerated my home on both days, shopped, baked my first empanadas, and relaxed. It is as if I do not wish tonite to end, but that is not a realistic wish. Like anyone else, I will go to work tomorrow, take care of stuff, drink coffee, and return back to home in the evening. And at night, I will enjoy my life by reading blogs and watching TV. That sounds like a nice plan 🙂

16. I am grateful for being grateful and taking my time to note these.

 

joy journal – May 31, 2016

1. I am grateful for getting up this morning. I was tired and got stressed right away about work, but at least I have had a restful night.

2. I am grateful for catching up the bus. It was kinda late but so was I 🙂 so it worked out just fine this morning 🙂

3. I am grateful for my coffee and the new water jar I have. It is such a beauty 🙂 one of these types where it actually looks like a glass jar with a handle. It is not only fun to have around but is also very healthy. I used to drink from an old plastic water bottle… Pew – glad that it is gone!

4. I am grateful for working two hours with quite an intense focus on a document. It drained me but at least it is taken care of 🙂

5. I am grateful for leaving my office for home to keep working at home without distraction. I was tired yet still walked. My work at home went well too but after a while I decided to stop and take a break. I am almost exhausted and this is not a good feeling. I need my energy and mental clarity and focus to finish my stuff in the coming two weeks.

6. I am grateful for eating relatively healthy today.

7. I am grateful for not eating too much today 🙂

8. I am grateful for relaxing the whole evening by watching a TV series and reflecting on the positive things in my life. It helps me to feel better and like everyone else I deserve to feel good 🙂

9. I am grateful for the quiet environment and neighborhood, which makes it easier to take a rest and relax.

10. I am grateful for not using my reading glasses. They tire my eyes quiet a bit )or by reading all the time, I tire my eyes myself…). I need the glasses at the office but at home, I usually can manage without them. This is good and helps with relaxing of my eyes.

11. I am grateful for water! what an energizing and rejuvenating drink! 🙂

12. I am grateful for being calm and having confidence that I will do my best in the coming weeks and will finish things as much as possible. even though I cannot finish everything,  I will be fine with this, knowing that I really worked hard to finish my work 🙂

13. I am grateful for being invited to review a document for a national organization. That is a sign of my national recognition as an expert and I find pride and excitement in this 🙂 I also deferred the deadline for my report a month or so, so that in case I cannot finish it prior to my vacation, I will be able to submit my record after I come back from my vacation.

14. I am grateful for declining to review another report I was invited to review. This time it was an international organization that I had helped in the past. It felt good not to spend time on this task, even though the recognition felt really good. Ironically, my work has more international recognition than a national one. Thus I get more excited when I am invited by a national organization than when I get excited by an invitation from an international one. Weird… I guess we all crave for attention from somewhere we do not get it 🙂

15. I am grateful for my floss 🙂 it works all the time and tells me how my gums are doing. In the last few weeks, my gums have been really healthy (they did not bleed while flossing). I am so happy about this 🙂

16. I am grateful for my job that has flexible hours. It would be better if I had stayed in my office as people talk and to them me not being in the office would mean not working. Only a bunch of people who feel like me and prefer the undistractive home environment to work can understand this. Luckily, I have many people like this around and it feels good to have this support and flexibility.

17. I am grateful for my salary and benefits that make my life affordable and somehow secured.

18. I am grateful for my computer, internet connection, useful websites, and the blogs that I keep reading and learning from 🙂

19. I am grateful for being content and grateful, and having the energy and time to write my joy journal 🙂

joy journal – May 27, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up in a relatively good mood – priceless 🙂

2. I am grateful for taking the bus and being happy about it.

3. I am grateful for my office coffee! I cannot get tired of this. i am so lucky that I have an office for myself and I am accountable to only myself… That is great to note this as I have not particularly noticed it before… Coffee makes my mind work well I guess 🙂

4. I am grateful for having a long but nevertheless useful meeting.

5. I am grateful for walking back to home right after the meeting. It was kind of chilly but that is alright. Better days will come!

6. I am grateful for checking my home and finding no pest activity during the day. I feel good about this but I am not naive enough to  think that it is over yet. nevertheless, this is a peace of mind for today.

7. I am grateful for the cat next door that shows up in my yard time to time. I wish she could visit my home too so that the pest would have an extra motivation to leave my premises! 🙂

8. I am grateful for the misty weather today, which allowed me not to water my seeds in the yard.

9. I am grateful for not eating too much today. My appetite is not there in the last few days. I am feeling great about this, though I should make sure I eat healthy stuff. I noticed that I do not eat fruits as much as I would like. Gotta solve this problem this week 🙂

10. I am grateful for the fish I have baked this evening and it is being affordable and quite tasty.

11. I am grateful for the relaxing atmosphere of my home. I have everything I need and want (except the pests! 🙂 ).

12. I am grateful for the comfy bed I have that allows me to both relax and sleep on.

13. I am grateful for making new plans for my saving. As soon as I come back from my vacation, I will do some adjustments to further save and use my own hard-earned dollars. I deserve this.

14. I am grateful for my computer and internet connection that makes my life easy and enjoyable.

15. I am grateful for my job that allows me to have a comfortable and safe life.

16. I am grateful for all the savings I have made since the last one year. At the beginning of June, it will be a year that I started budgeting in a serious manner According to my records, in the last one year I have saved roughly 7K…… That is an amazing amount of money that I would have otherwise thrown away. I am proud of myself 🙂

17. I am grateful for being alive, healthy, safe, and sound.

18. I am grateful for my back feeling better and not needing exercises. being pain-free is an amazing feeling 🙂

19. I am grateful for being grateful and taking time to write my joy journal.

joy journal – May 26, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up feeling well.

2. I am grateful for catching up the bus. I did not have to wait for it long this morning 🙂

3. I am grateful for forming a new potential collaboration and initiating an exciting proposal. We hope to be able to conduct this project as we have the expertise and the idea is interesting. While we are also cautious about the difficulties and the need for funds, nevertheless, since the interest is there, we will look for the opportunities and hopefully jump over the hurdles. let’s cross the fingers 🙂

4. I am grateful for realizing that there is a tension between a team member of mine and I. This needs to be fixed by me sometime soon. Work is stressful, pressuring, and difficult and we have had extensive discussions and meticulous job. Along the way we also accumulated pressure and tension, which we need to either cool down and vent it out. I will see how that will be fixed. One good opportunity is my coming vacation, which will help us not interact for a while. That can help reduce the tension and heal the emotions associated with it.

5. I am grateful for calling the pest control company today. I am very pleased with this, as I have an habit of delaying this kind of calls during the work hours. This time I was prompt and the company was, too. One gentleman came to my place this afternoon and placed baits around the kitchen area. We have identified activity around certain places and it looks like a new and not an extensive infestation. Also, it was great to know that it was mice, not rats 🙂

6. I am grateful for working at home in the evening and then walking to an appointment. That means I have walked around 1 hour total today 🙂

7. I am grateful for correcting the cashier that she charged me less than what she was supposed to do. I am glad that I have done the right thing.

8. I am grateful for not eating too much today 🙂

9. I am grateful for bumping into a couple of my friends while walking this evening. It was nice to chat with them and it was nice that they gave me a ride back home 🙂

10. I am grateful for working at home till late night. My mind is active and this is usually a good thing for work but an annoying thing for my mood. I better relax now and cool down. Once upon a time my mind was working hyper all the time and my sleep was disturbed for an extended period of time (like a year). It is not fun. But I am glad this has not repeated since then, other than occasionally.

11. I am grateful that tomorrow is Friday. I have a meeting to attend at noon but other than that my schedule is pretty empty.

12. I am grateful for this weekend when I plan to shop for flowers for my yard, clean it up further, and cut the grasses. I hope it is not gonna rain this weekend so that I can do all of these.

13. I am grateful for my home that provides me with a safe shelter, my furniture, appliances, TV, computer, internet connection, cable, clothes, shoes, kitchen items, and all bunch of all other things that make my life comfortable 🙂

14. I am grateful for being writing to this journal and remembering all the things, people, and experiences that I can be grateful for 🙂

random thoughts

It is a warm and humid day – it started raining in the evening and that feels just like the springs I know. One moment warm and the next moment it slightly cools down with the rain. All is welcome 🙂

I am happy with the work I have done today. I came home in the afternoon to work without distraction and it proved to be a good decision.

I have a new flower bloomed in my yard 🙂 it is hidden in between the leaves of a kind of large green plant. I did not plant it there, so I am assuming it somehow got in there. I also see many small plants here and there. As soon as I understand what they are i will either plug them out or let them grow. They are kind of under a tree from next door and I am assuming that they are the seeds from that tree that germinated. But I cannot be sure yet – I am wishfully waiting.

It is official that I have a pest problem…. Disgusting….. I found new poops in my kitchen counter that make me want to puke… I am calling the pest control company tomorrow – hopefully they will be able to give me some baits and this problem will be resolved soon. I am pretty much annoyed but then I know that I am doing okay in terms of taking steps: I have sticky bands everywhere, poison in two places, electronic repellents (which I think are not working as I found the poops close to them….), i placed all food in cabinets into glass jars or in the fridge, and I try to show up in the kitchen time to time to make sure that they know they are not the only thing there and behave maybe. … Maybe… I can only hope 🙂 I know this is not a pleasant topic to write about – bear with me. I just feel better facing the issue, that is all.

In contrast to almost all of the mornings in my life, this morning I have got up feeling good…. You know what I think is the reason? I filled my mind with positive thoughts right before I went to bed by writing my joy journal. I am curious to see whether I can replicate this feeling tomorrow and the days after that. If I can see that is the reason, then, my friends, I may have just found the key to happiness and less crankiness 🙂

That would be just awesome 🙂

 

joy journal – May 24, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up.

2. I am grateful for not stressing myself at all and waiting for the bus, like 15 min. 6 months ago, me waiting for 5 min was not possible. I have changed 🙂

3. I am grateful for my coffee.

4. I am grateful for working productively and being excited about it 🙂

5. I am grateful for the warm weather. the trench coat is not needed anymore. I will leave home with jacket tomorrow.

6. I am grateful for walking back to home in the evening and feeling sweaty.

7. I am grateful for my rosemary plant looking better and healthier. I think it needs water frequently, which I will give to it every morning.

8. I am grateful for watering my seeds and chatting with my neighbour at the same time.

9. I am grateful for eating baby carrots! 🙂

10. I am grateful for deciding not to bake bread this weekend. I will rather prepare a vegetable stock and also shop for the yard. My plan is to purchase mulch and some plants. I also am thinking about re-planting some little trees, particularly, lilac shoots, towards the back of my yard.

11. I am grateful for opening the window and refreshing the hot air at home.

12. i am grateful for making plans for work this week – I have excellent plans. Let’s hope I will be able to keep up with them.

13. I am grateful for my home, my yard, all the life forms in my yard, and my neighbourhood.

14. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – May 22, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well.

2. I am grateful for buying myself a coffee and enjoying it. I must admit – it is becoming more and more boring. I buy the coffee and then sat at a table for a few minutes, and then grab the coffee and walk back home. I wonder; do I really need this? Perhaps, I should stop buying coffee and a french press and start brewing my own at home. I can purchase aromatic coffee to motivate myself.

3. I am grateful for cleaning the yard a little bit more and planting seeds 🙂 I planted parsley, basel, and sweet pumpkin seeds. I also have had seeds for some flowers that I have no idea what they are; they are planted too. Exciting 🙂

4. I am grateful for meeting with a neighbour while I was working on the yard. It is an elderly lady, who was very nice and kind. She even offered to give me some flowers as she was trying to thin them down. If that happens, I will be very happy 🙂 what a lovely lady !

5. I am grateful for giving water to the seeds in the afternoon. It took me maybe 8 trips to the back of the yard with a pitcher, but I am happy that they could get this essential element. I must repeat this every day till they germinate and possibly after that. It will be so exciting to see the little sprouts 🙂

6. I am grateful for putting all dry food, including spices, that were preserved in nylon bags, in to safer containers. I am not happy with the fact that I found some pest activity in one of my cabinets. I have not had pest problems lately and I was pretty  happy with this (I had one 4 – 5 years ago, which had bothered me a lot. these things called mice can get in everywhere and it takes weeks to get rid of them even with a proper pest control). I decided I could not risk anything. So I used my glass cans for many items, a large oven dish with lid to preserve my flour bag in, and an old canister to save the spices. I now have only a small amount of sugar in paper bag and all the rest is protected. My, please do not let these pest remain here. I put sticky pads everywhere – it is disgusting to see mice catch on them but it is more disgusting to have mice at home….

7. I am grateful for baking two loafs of bread today. One of them, the one with the rosemary and green olives, was amazing! I could not taste the plain bread yet, which I was really looking forward to – maybe tomorrow. I will freeze some of them as I have baked 3 breads this weekend and I do not want to end up eating all of them.

8. I am grateful for relaxing today. I have not thought about work and I do not need to think about it till the morning.

9. I am grateful for cooking a nice dish today; dried eggplants with rice. Yummy 🙂

10. I am grateful for deciding to shop next week and purchase red mulch to help decorate my yard and to cover some problematic areas. I think this is the best decision to fix the yard. I am sure it will look a lot better. I also hope to buy yard plants and flowers. next weekend will be exciting 🙂

11. I am grateful for my back feeling good and not being problematic. I have been feeling good in the last few weeks and am not doing my exercises frequently. I liked the exercises; they were good for me. But they were nevertheless one additional item on my to-do list, which means an additional strain on my mood. So far, so good 🙂

12. I am grateful for having the night to myself – I plan to read interesting blogs and watch TV shows.

13. I am grateful for the nice weather. I kept my window open for many hours today too to let the fresh air in – what a great feeling 🙂

14. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – May 21, 2016

I woke up cranky this morning too and I remembered that the best remedy for this feeling was to remember and note things/people/experiences that I was grateful for. I have not been writing my joy journal as frequently as before – will try to write more often 🙂

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and waking up right after 9 am – neither too early nor too late.

2. I am grateful for my morning coffee at the cafe. I did not buy anything to eat this time. I used to buy bagels or, lately, tea biscuits . I realized that I needed neither of them – I had decided not to eat bagels anymore because the bagels of that cafe are not great. I also decided today that my tea biscuits were much better than theirs. So i would either bake for myself or unless I was hungry, I would not put any of these products in my system.

3. I am grateful for spending time in my yard, cutting the grass and cleaning the pieces here and there. Do not get me wrong; I do not like cutting the grass at all. It makes me tired (my arms especially) and I do not enjoy the scent of cut grass. Yet, today was special as it showed me clearly that Spring was here! 🙂 I gotta do this chore for many months now every two weeks, but at least the weather is nice, I get to exercise, and I get exposed to sun. Plus, I get to feel great about seeing all the life forms blooming in my yard 🙂

4. I am grateful for getting motivated to plant some herb seeds tomorrow. I have a small part in my yard suitable for this purpose and I do hope that this year I will see some seeds germinate. Please, please, please! 🙂

5. I am grateful for checking the internet and seeing that I can use my cut grass as a mulch in my yard. i should be buying wood mulch to help shape around my trees and maybe cover an area in the yard where I have unwanted plants growing. I do not know when I can do that but until then, I will look for ways to make my yard look better and my soil nourished.

6. I am grateful for talking to my family and getting recipes. As a matter of fact, I tried a soup recipe by my mom and I must say it was great. I also did something unusual and cooked another healthy dish (very unusual for me to cook two different food at the same day…). I am very happy about these choices I have made today.

7. I am grateful for my first soda bread trial!  It did not look good at all, but, hey, it sure tasted awesome. I am very excited about this trial 🙂

8. I am grateful for trying my first poolish tonite. Poolish is a prefermenter used in baking. I hope it will work out well, as I am planning to try two other small breads tomorrow; one plain and the other with green olives+rosemary. Exciting 🙂

9. I am grateful for doing my laundry and airing the home today. Weather was awesome and warm so it made it an easy job (i.e. no need to adjust the temperatures of each room while the windows were open).

10. I am grateful for doing grocery shopping in the morning. I did not buy a lot of things, but shopping has always had a therapeutic effect on me 🙂

11. I am grateful for relaxing whole day and not thinking about work. It is great to have exciting hobbies such as baking or working in the yard that make me more connected to nature and life. I have been reading a blog today where the blogger defined making bread as helping him to get into a simple life mode….. It really clicked with me – the less commercial and dependent-on-others my daily life is, the better and simple life I feel like having. Do you not think?

12. I am grateful for my home for providing me a shelter, my furniture for giving me comfort, my kitchen items for allowing me to enjoy my life with baking and cooking, and my computer, internet, TV, and cable for making me learn and entertain.

13. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – May 2, 2016

Time to remember and acknowledge all the great things that made me excited, happy, and grateful 🙂

1. I am grateful for the good night sleep.

2. I am grateful for deciding to walk in the morning. It is always fascinating to see that I have energy in the mornings. I have suffered from low energy for many years. Since last Fall, this has changed as my doctor put me on iron and vitamin D supplements. Did the wonders for me. This has been long waited for and by all means well deserved. I am very happy and excited about this.

3. I am grateful for the nice weather today. I substituted my winter coat with a trench coat today. Overall, the weekly daytime temperature forecast are not bad. I love Spring 🙂

4. I am grateful for the coffee I brewed in the office. It is always a delight to be able to have coffee whenever I want.

5. I am grateful for the productive work today. Feeling this satisfaction is really great.

6. I am grateful for getting invited to a professional event today. This kind of invitations are a sign of recognition. Feeling humbled and also excited 🙂

7. I am grateful for walking back home from the office and enjoying my walk. I wanted to walk longer and sweat a little bit; I must come up with a longer route to walk.

8. I am grateful for doing my back exercises and also working my arms and triceps.

9. I am grateful for binge-watching a TV series.

10. I am grateful for not eating too much for dinner. I think I munched too much at the office and that is why I did not feel like eating a lot tonite. That is good as I have eaten quite unhealthy at the weekend and gained some pounds right away. I want them gone.

11. I am grateful for drinking a tall glass of milk this evening. I have drunk yesterday too, which is awesome. Milk is the one where I have got my calcium and vit D, in addition to supplements. I know that it is helping my body, my bones, and my energy levels. I am very grateful for those animals who produced it, the farmers who gathered it, the trucks that transported it, and the store that sold it to me.

12. I am grateful for not using my eye glasses this evening. I have had a habit of putting them on while I work, browse internet, read books, write stuff, or watch TV. It is tiring for my eyes. I should not be using the glasses all the time; this is what my eye doctor had recommended, too.

13. I am grateful for corresponding with a previous mentor of mine. He is a very successful person, but is hit hard with multiple medical problems. He is still young but I keep hope that he will recover soon. Another mentor of mine died quite young unexpectedly, which always makes me nervous. I am approaching that age, too…. I wonder whether our line of work has a higher stress levels and thus makes us prone to sickness? I wish to live long and happy and healthy. Remembering the passing of one and the multiple sickness of the other reminded me again to relax and not to take this work so serious. There is life outside the work. There is life everywhere. I just need to claim my own portion full of opportunities, enjoyment, love, and relaxation.

14. I am grateful for being safe and sound.

15. I am grateful for being grateful.

joy journal – April 30, 2016

🙂

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and waking up not too late. This always make me feel more energetic and more hopeful about the day. There is so much to do when you have time in a day 🙂

2. I am grateful for my regular coffee and bagel breakfast.

3. I am grateful that I have not bought many tasty-looking sweets at the cafe; man, some of the sweets are so irresistible. Like nutella-filled pastry. Which genius came up with this idea? I am sure it sells a lot 🙂

4. I am grateful that I cleaned my home. I also opened the windows almost everywhere and let the fresh air get in. I believe since December I had not aerated a couple of rooms. I am sure that is the best and now that the weather is warm, I can do this all the time.

5. I am grateful that I fixed a couple of fences that went loose because of high winds in winter. I am getting handy, which is not bad at all 🙂

6. I am grateful for doing the laundry. I am extra thankful for the machines for doing that for me 🙂 Technology is awesome!

7. I am grateful for having a healthy lunch today.

8. I am grateful or cooking and enjoying cauliflower for lunch. This veggie is not one of my favorites and the only two ways I consume it a) salad (after boiling it, mix it with whatever you would like to, season with chili or cayanne pepper and voila!), or b) the “lazy” cauliflower meal 🙂 I tried the lazy one today. In addition to knowing it it has been a healthy meal, I am also feeling great about not wasting the cauliflower (thank goodness, it had not gone bad) 🙂

9. I am grateful for wanting to walk before the lunch. I walked around 20 min in the neighbourhood, which felt good. I did not take my purse with me, which means walking was extra easy. Ladies; what is it about us and big purses that contain so many stuff? Mine is so heavy (despite cleaning it last week or so) and leaving it behind was an awesome decision 🙂

10. I am grateful for watching TV and not working on documents or something. Every one needs a change every once a while.

11. I am grateful for trying my first bread today! Yep, you have heard right – I am baking my first ever bread! How exciting is that. It looks good for now and I hope it will taste awesome too. I need 20 more minutes and then will take it off the oven. I hope to document my recipe at a later post 🙂

12. I am grateful for buying dry yeast a couple of weeks earlier. I was supposed to try some kind of pastry for someone, which I had at that time. My first impression was: how come such a small, once-celled organism can make all these bubbles and changes in the dry yeast-sugar-warm water mix in such a short time! The smell is not offensive but distinctive, and I am awed by what this small organisms can do. I tried my second yeast-fest today with my bread. Let’s see how it will turn out.

13. I am grateful for the warm and bright day.

14. I am grateful for having the day to myself.

15. I am grateful for my home, street, neighbourhood, TV, computer, internet connection, cable, and phone line that makes my life safe and comfortable.

16. I am grateful or being grateful.

joy journal, March 14, 2016

It has been a while that I have posted this journal… I am not particularly in a “joyful” mood, but then is this not the entire point of the joy journal?

1. I am grateful for the book that I have been reading, which had a chapter about “gratitude”. This has reminded and prompted me to write this post. Hoping to find many things to list now, even though I am still down after the recent death of my dad..

2. I am grateful for remembering my dad with affection and love. I am so sorry that he passed away but there is nothing much I can do about this. I rather make it a priority to remember him, cherish his memory, and make sure that he is remembered by others.

3. I am grateful for sleeping well and waking up on time this morning. Looks like I was not affected by the daylight saving adjustments done yesterday. I was not late and not sleepy or cranky; surprisingly well done.

4. I am grateful for deciding to take the bus even though it was snowing nice and easy. The bus was late but this did not defer me from waiting for it. I almost decided to return to home to check my emails to see whether my work place was closed because of the snow (visibility was really poor), but I waited anyhow and the bus showed up. All is well.

5. I am grateful for the coffee one of my friends and colleagues bought me this morning. It was delicious and a nice change from my usual coffee. This did not mean that I did not brew my coffee; I have and it was great to have it 🙂

6. I am grateful for working with a team member before noon and submitting two reports for review. It always feel good when things are done. Now we are waiting for feedback, which is fine. Feeling satisfied about work.

7. I am grateful for wanting to work today and taking care of many stuff. It has been a really fruitful day and before I realized, it was past 5pm. Lovely! I love it when I lose myself in work.

8. I am grateful for walking back home from the office, despite the snow on the road. It is difficult and takes more time to walk on snow, but I keep telling myself it is a great exercise.

9. I am grateful for taking it easy this evening. I have eaten lightly today. I do not have appetite nowadays, which is very unusual. yesterday I had felt like maybe I was getting down with a bug or something and lots of lemon juice and hot soup were my medicine. I am feeling better today but the appetite is still nowhere to be found. That is okay. I continue to have soup with lemon juice, which I believe is good for my immune system.

10. I am grateful for all the food I have in my fridge, freezer, and the pantry. I am feeling abundant and very grateful for their presence.

11. I am grateful for my computer, internet connection, books, notebooks, and pens that make my life easy and enjoyable. These are probably my most important material possessions, other than the pictures and gifts from loved ones.

12. I am grateful for one of my bosses giving me a hug today and asking how I was doing. This was the first time she has seen me since my father passed away and I really like her sensitivity and kindness. It is good to have kind and nice people around us, especially when we are most vulnerable and sad.

13. I am grateful for being grateful and taking my time to note these. I am feeling better than 10 min ago, thanks to remembering and finding all these things (and more) that I have experienced today.

 

today’s bits

A lovely day, albeit with lots of snow in front of the house, on the streets, and anywhere else I can see.

Yet, I waited for the bus this morning in an open bus stop; I should say rather 1 meter away from it right on the road (the sidewalk was completely occupied by a ~30 cm high snow – no way that I am immersing myself into that mess). Thank goodness there was not a lot of traffic and even though the bus was late like 15 minutes, I managed to be safe and get on the bus.

In my old days, I would automatically take the cab, especially in this kind of weather. Now, I am happy to take the bus. What an adventure for me…

The fact is that nowadays I am getting up with more energy and with a positive mind set in the morning, which make me relaxed, less stressed, and willing to catch the bus.

I am not sure what I owe this nice change in my life. I thought about three things;

1. I may have more energy now as it turns out the iron supplements I was prescribed to 3 months ago are working well and my iron levels are within normal levels. yay! I will continue for another 6 months, this time with one pill every other day. I am grateful that my body is responding well to the supplement. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙂

2. The yoga classes that I started at the beginning of January have a very positive effect on my body as well as my mind and spirit. I am more centered, relax, and in tune and connected with my body, and I feel overall very good. These positive feelings may be promoting better mood in the morning.

3. And of course, I have a much higher motivation now to keep up with my budget and protect my money by taking the bus but not the cab in the mornings. So far this year it has been going really well (well, it has been just 3 weeks, so I cannot generalize it yet; but I am very grateful and excited about my reduced spending so far and increased ability to save money – hope that will continue like that..). Even during the day at the office, sometime I find myself remembering how well I have done by taking the bus rather than the cab and that makes me feel good 🙂

For someone who suffered from stress and lack of energy the majority of the time, especially in the last 7 years, the experience I have had lately is so precious, so happiness-creating for me.

I am very grateful for these developments in my life and happy to share with my friends here 🙂

 

joy journal, Jan 18, 2016

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up refreshed and ready to take the day.

2. I am grateful for my coffee in the morning and at noon. It is delicious and is giving me the kick that I sometimes need to keep focus on work. I am also glad that I brew my own coffee at the office, as I please, as much as I like.

3.  I am grateful for the cheese snacks I have had at noon – better than no lunch.

4. I am grateful for taking my time in the morning to be happy about taking the bus this morning. yes, there was a lot of snow on the ground but I decided to take the bus. It was delayed 15 min this morning, but thankfully there was another lady who was waiting for it and we lightly chatted till it arrived.

5. I am grateful for liking to take the bus this morning – this feeling is important for me to keep taking the bus rather than the more expensive cab.

6. I am grateful for working on two important documents today, which are to my surprise progressing real fast. that is quite satisfactory and exciting as one of the documents I can submit this week and the other one was one of those delayed documents that I could not find energy to work on during fall. Good to see that this task now will be lifted off my shoulder 🙂

7. I am grateful for walking back to home from work, even though there was a heavy snow falling.

8. I am grateful for my back feeling better today, though walking in the afternoon made it ache more than usual. I have stretched my muscles a little bit upon coming to home and that felt really good.

9. I am grateful for having the entire evening to myself and enjoying it.

10. I am grateful for the possibility of a snow day tomorrow; they expect a heavy snow dumped tonite. So tomorrow morning I will check my emails first to see whether my work place is closed. if so, I will go to my favorite cafe and work there until I get bored of being there.

11. I am grateful for the nutritious soup and the almond milk I have had this evening.

12. I am grateful for my internet connection and computer that allows me to browse the internet and learn many interesting stuff. Just this evening, I learnt about the “grey scale” disease that GRRM created for the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books.

13. I am grateful for feeling alright, well, and relax today.

14. I am grateful for my black jacket that I love so much and which I have worn today. the color suits me well and I would like to get one or two black jackets after March when my shopping freeze for clothes ends.

15. I am grateful for communicating with an old friend of mine. She just had a baby girl and seeing the pictures made me happy 🙂

16. I am grateful for the peaceful atmosphere of my home and the night.

17. I am grateful for being frugal today and generally speaking doing really well with my frugal life and budget.

18. I am grateful for the light shoveling I have done in the afternoon – it is a good exercise though I should be careful and not hurt my back again.

19. I am grateful for my family and good friends, for their wellbeing, health, safety, and joy in life.

20. I am grateful for life, for having everything at my home working well for me, for my home being strong, resilient, safe, and warm.

21. I am grateful for being grateful and taking my time to remember these beautiful things/thoughts I have experienced today.

joy journal, Dec 20, 2015

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and taking a good rest.

2. I am grateful for the breakfast I have had at my favorite cafe; I hope to explore other cafes during the holidays to get a change of place and perspective. No matter how convenient or pleasant the usual places are (cafe, restaurant etc.), after a while, all gets too familiar. I will take the holidays as a great opportunity to go other, far away cafes.

3. I am grateful for the salad I have had; healthy and delicious.

4. I am grateful for working nice and easy today and taking care of a number of stuff. the more I complete my tasks, the better I feel. If I can handle the rest of the tasks prior to the holidays, that means I will have many days, hopefully a week, without thinking or doing work. That feels great 🙂

5. I am grateful for cleaning my email account; there is still more cleaning to be done, but hey, even progressing thus far has been feeling good 🙂

6. I am grateful for the blueberries, yogurt, and honey I have mixed together a few minutes ago. They form together a very tasty and healthy snack.

7. I am grateful for the grocery shopping yesterday; I bought a number of great veggies and other food. Some of the stuff was on sale, which made my day even better 🙂

8. I am grateful for talking to my family members today; knowing that they are all well is a blessing.

9. I am grateful for all the pens and papers/notebooks I have that makes working a pleasure.

10. I m grateful for the warmth and safety my home provides me with.

11. I am grateful for not watching TV for some time. I do not know why that makes me happy, but it has been a welcome change in my daily routine.

12. I am grateful for my computer and internet connection that makes learning and entertainment easy and fruitful.

13. I am grateful for today being a sunday and having the rest of the night to myself; there is more relaxation and positive thoughts to come 🙂

14. I am grateful for my “A song of ice and fire” series of books by GRRM. I could not read them as fast as I thought I would. And I do not think I will be able to finish all 5 books (more than 5,000 pages) during the holidays, either. But knowing that I have them and I can always read this fantasy story to expand my imagination and have great time with the characters and the fictional events make me feel happy and excited.

15. I am grateful for being grateful! 🙂

random thoughts

Life is interesting; I happen to get this impression time to time.

Today I am once again aware of this because something nice happened. Let me tell you:

For some time now I have been working on developing a project, which I halted time to time, sometime for months. I was very displeased with myself for doing this; I believe I have ranted about this earlier.

Lately, for this project I had contacted a colleague of mine to ask whether she would like to be a part of the project. I did not think she would say no, but I did not think she would like to add and lead a unique component to it, either. She did and now we have a project way better than before!

All these times I did beat myself for not taking care of this task…

All these times that I ranted about my own performance…..

All these times that I found myself inefficient or with poor performance….

None matters now.

As a matter of fact, now I am glad that I delayed this project (unknowingly) so that it could develop into this wonderful one.

Life is good, my friends 🙂

joy journal, Dec 10, 2015

Dear friends, whoever of you have something to be grateful for, please give this a try and write down what you are grateful for. At first, it may not be easy (it was not for me), but after a while it becomes an addictive, feel-good activity. You do not need to post it or make accessible by others; so you may as well use a piece of paper or a journal if you wish.

Here are my list for today 🙂

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and going to office earlier than the 1st meeting at 9.30 am. This gave me a chance to brew my coffee and relax before we sat in a room, 10-15 people, discussing a number of points and issues.

2. I am proud of myself that I could survive this 2 hours meeting – I have a problem with sitting longer than 1 hour 🙂

3. I am grateful for acting as a judge at a nearby fair! I do that time to time and I am always mesmerized by the intelligence and skills of the young professionals. What a great generation we are having 🙂

4. I am grateful for the coffee and snacks I have had at the fair.

5. I am grateful for walking back home and working diligently till 6 pm.

6. I am grateful for cooking green lentil meal with lots of onion, which is one of my favorites. It is a very tasty meal with lots of fiber and other nutrients.

7. I am grateful that I did not shop today. I wanted to; I walked by the grocery store this afternoon, but decided against shopping today. Tomorrow or the weekend will be better and more fun.

8. I am grateful for getting a highly positive feedback on my presentation a while ago! 🙂 very motivating and rewarding.

9. I am grateful for not over-spending this week. I feel like now I am opening a new page with the new week, I feel free and quite abundant.

10. I am grateful for my chequeing account being on the positive side. It has been like this in the last two months, after almost a year of negative balance. budgeting, frugality, and sales work!

11. I am grateful for a gift card I have got today at the fair. It is not too much of a money, but you know what? The organizers did not even have to make this gesture to us; we were simply volunteering and happy to do so. Nevertheless, I am appreciating their gesture and will sure enjoy a cup of great coffee or two this weekend 🙂

12. I am grateful for tomorrow being friday and except an afternoon meeting, being free to work at the office.

13. I am grateful for the holidays coming. we have 2 weeks to work and after which I will be free to do whatever I want to do for 12 days! I know I will work during these times, too but I do not mind that. I am planning to shop, taking advantage of the sales, socialize, and continue to read my “A Song of Ice and Fire” books by GRRM.

14. I am grateful that it is mid-december and in two weeks I will assess my yearly budget and see how I have done. I will take this opportunity to develop a new budget for the 2016; I am thinking about having additional shopping freezes, different categories for grocery versus others (cleaning and personal care products). I believe this is going to relieve me a little bit.

15. I am grateful for my house that provide me with a safe and warm shelter in this cold day.

16. I am grateful for my computer, internet connection, TV, cable, stationary items and notebooks/papers that make my day and life more enjoyable.

17. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

 

joy journal – Nov 5, 2015

joy 🙂

happiness 🙂

self-appreciation 🙂

joy 🙂

1. I am grateful for today; it has been a no-stress and productive day 🙂

2. I am grateful for the warm house, clothes, and the blanket that keep me warm in this chilly early winter night. We have had snow in the last few days, which is quite early. They anticipate a warmer than usual winter yet the reality seems a little bit different. In the last two years we have had harsh winters with power loss and lost of shoveling (more than I have ever done before): I am not looking forward to another one, but I am hopeful that things can turn around – who knows?

3. I am grateful for the 3 bags of ice salt I had purchased last year; they give me a peace of mind. A couple of years ago, the entire city run out of salt and managing ice in front of the house had become quite a challenge. I made a mental note to buy others when I  see them.

4. I am grateful for making a change, taking it easy, and having a breakfast at a mall this morning. I must do this more often; I must go other places at the weekend and see different places, eat different food, walk on different avenues. Good plan! I am also extra grateful that even though I was on a shopping mall this morning, I did not want to buy anything 🙂

5. I am grateful for taking the bus on the way back from the mall to the office; I am lucky that there has been a bus and I only waited for 2-3 minutes.

6. I am grateful for my gloves! They keep me warm in this chilly weather. I should start having my scarfs with me; I really needed one this evening as it was lightly snowing and windy.

7. I am grateful for seeing and chatting a good colleague and friend of mine today; always a delight to be around nice and positive friends 🙂

8. I am grateful for getting another positive feedback about my presentation on monday! Truly one of the a highlights of my professional life! It is so amazing to see what I say and how I say was useful, clear, and understandable. The feedbacks are so useful and so exciting. Do yourself and others a favor dear friends; please say, write, email or report good performances, positive impacts, or useful actions of others; whether they are your own, your family members, students, friends, or co-workers. And hopefully these individuals will start doing this, too. There is nothing more motivating than knowing that you have done well 🙂

9. I am grateful for the milk I have drunk tonite; I know it nourish my body and it is a tasty snack. I am not a milk-drinker, but started to drink it since September or so after my doctor recommended it for my bone health – I am grateful for medicine and my doctor who help me help myself 🙂

10. I am grateful for my boots; they are in good condition, walking in them is easy and safe, and they will likely to be functional this winter.

11. I am grateful for tomorrow being Friday. Fridays are almost always great! This weekend I am thinking about doing grocery shopping and maybe visit a thrifty store – just to have a different weekend experience and perhaps to buy a nice shirt. I know I have a shopping freeze for shirts till holidays, but my favorite shirts are now getting old; it would not hurt to check the store out; maybe I will get a good deal.

12. I am grateful for the food I have in my fridge. I could not consume what I bought last week yet; I would like to not let them go bad; so this weekend I will prioritize consuming the produce I already have. I also would like to buy different things this week – I am thinking avocados, almond milk, tofu or kefir, fish, and collard greens or broccoli.

13. I am grateful for not feeling the pressure to go to bed soon; I love the serenity of the nights and I would like to feel this as much as possible. It is awesome that my job is flexible and I have no obligation to be at my office at 9 am.

14. I am grateful for looking out of the windows multiple times today to enjoy the scenery; the colorful trees, ponds, and the snow all make such a nice view.

15. I am grateful for starting my new budget week tomorrow; now that I have my fresh weekly allowance, I feel abundant and rich 🙂

16. I am grateful for starting to appreciate the good things I do, however small they may be, after each thing that require an effort, I thank myself. After each kindness I show to others, I thank myself. After eating healthy stuff, I thank myself. After making good decisions, I thank myself.

17. I am grateful for having all these beautiful experiences in my life.

18. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal, Nov 2, 2015

joy 🙂

hope 🙂

good developments 🙂

joy 🙂

Life is full of ups and downs. I repeat again that not everything is all bright and shinny in my life. But I try to keep my head up off the water by focusing on the positive side. There are somethings that I will have to accept as they are, somethings that I can help change, and somethings that I can hope for.

Thank yo for joining me in this journey to focus on the positive, not the negative, so that I can have a stronger mind to deal with issues.

1. I am grateful for waking up on time and going to the office early (around 9 am). It allowed me to relax with my coffee and taking care of some work prior to a two-hours presentation. No rush, no stress. Allowing myself ample time helps me to prevent stress 🙂

2. I am grateful for my presentation going well, even though it is a 2 hour presentation. We have time to time such long presentations as educational sessions. I have been preparing for it for quite sometime and I am pleased to see that this paid off. The presentation went well, I have got good questions at the end, and eventually the message was transmitted effectively. Good job! 🙂

3. I am grateful for the positive feedback I have got after the presentation. It is more or less a formal assessment about the effectiveness of my speech. The feedback was also sent to my boss, which is great. I feel so excited and motivated 🙂

4. I am grateful for the work I have done today! I have been away from the office for 10 days or so because of my trips. I have been feeling the need to go back and finish tasks. I have started it today, which I am sure will continue for some more time. Till mid december, when I will slow down right before the holiday season, I am planning  to take care of a couple of important stuff in addition to daily tasks. I cannot wait 🙂

5. I am grateful for talking to my team members and expediting their work, too. One of the team members is about to leave and we are trying to make sure this transition is good for him as well as for us. We are progressing very well.

6. I am grateful for making appointments with my team members individually so that we can focus on their tasks and needs. Appointments make me focus my time on specific topics or specific tasks. I am happy to do this.

7. I am grateful for the coffee I have got today; light and creamy 🙂

8. I am grateful for the minor house repair being done today! Cannot believe it has been finally done. It makes me feel so relieved, so excited! There has been moments that I had felt pretty sour about the job. Having negative feelings is not nice. Now, I stand reminded that eventually things happen 🙂

9. I am grateful for the yogurt, mint, and olive oil I have eaten for dinner – I know they are all nourishing and healthy stuff that are useful for my body.

10. I am grateful for looking outside of my office window and enjoying the scenery. The trees are changing their colors – what a beautiful scenery!

11. I am grateful for remembering to smile today. One of my coworkers said I was looking stressed this morning. I was actually just neutral 🙂 I told him that this was the regular expression in my face; unless I smile, lots of people think that I am stressed :)) By smiling more often, I expect to feel better and radiate more positive energy to the people around me.

12. I am grateful for walking in the afternoon back from office to home 🙂

13. I am grateful for my warm house, my couch and blanket. They make me feel pampered and safe.

14. I am grateful for my TV and the cable with streaming service. I can choose among many series and movies to watch and there is a huge excitement coming out of this.

15. I am grateful for working at home this evening on an important document. We have been revising it for some time and I am very satisfied with its current revisions. After that, it will be ready to submit. yay! 🙂

16. I am grateful for the relaxing music I am listening right now. It is calming…

17. I am grateful for focusing on the positive.

18. I am grateful for being grateful and coming up with this list today! 🙂

random thoughts

I am very pleased to have a productive and positive work day today 🙂

I still have a lot of stuff to take care of, but at least I am back to my regular working energy; I am confident that over time I will move on things. That feels very good 🙂

I have got a very positive feedback today, which is always great to have! It is so motivating 🙂 I made a mental note to give more positive feedback to my team members so that they can also feel appreciated and motivated to do better.

Another good news was a small repair at home, which is finally done. We have been waiting for the part to be delivered to the repair company too long (more than 6 months). It was annoying and at one point made me very cranky. But I was very happy and excited to see, upon arriving home, that the repair company did it today (it is an outside job so I did not need to be at home at that time). Right before the winter. I am very grateful for this being finally done 🙂

I will be briefly work at home and hopefully finalize an important document this evening. After that I am looking forward to a relaxing night.

Cheers everyone!

joy journal – Oct 29, 2015

joy 🙂

happiness 🙂

joy 🙂

peace 🙂

Alright, alright… Not everything in life is great, positive, joyful, or useful. I have been struggling with some negative feelings caused by an ugly behavior of a colleague of mine during one of my trips lately. I was ridiculed for no reason directly related to me and I felt quite down. There are a number of blogs I wrote about it and then erased. I am making an effort to put these behind (after developing strategies that I can use next time if a similar situation arises) and choosing to focus on positivity, goodness, kindness, and joy in life!!!

1. I am grateful for coming home after 8 days of two trips done to separate cities with long flights and tiring business meetings. Boy.. 🙂

2. I am grateful for sleeping till late to give my body to take a rest today.

3. I am grateful for seeing a friend of mine today and chatting with her all nice and easy at the cafe. Always great to have understanding and lovely people in my life.

4. I am grateful for the apple I have had this afternoon. I have not particularly eaten well in the last week during my trips. The only things I have done good were to a) eat an apple a day, b) drink milk to get calcium and vitamin D, c) take my iron supplement regularly, d) eat a variety of things, however fatty or carby they may be.

5. I am grateful for the airline that put me in a business class seat yesterday (for no reason) and provided me with hot towels and complementary food. I was hungry and planning to buy something. The food they have given was great and satisfied my hunger. On a separate note, I wished there was no economical class separation on planes. I wished we were all equal. I understand business is business, but…

5. I am grateful for meeting with a long time friend of mine during one of my trips. We had not seen each other for over a decade, yet our sincere and trustworthy friendship continues as if there has been no time gap in our friendship. What a great experience 🙂

6. I am grateful for taking today off and not going to work. I was supposed to be at my office as I have many things to do, but my body appreciated the relaxing and laid back day after the trips.

7. I am grateful for talking to my family on the phone today. I am glad that they are well and sound.

8. I am grateful for all the nice, kind, fair, lovely, and good-hearted people in the world. They do make a huge and positive difference in our lives. They make me hopeful and optimistic about life. They are my role models and I wish to spread their goodness with my behavior.

9. I am grateful for the lovely and smart colleague of mine I met at one of the trips lately. She and I met many times over the years while attending the same annual business meeting. This lovely European lady is certainly one of the kind and nice people I mentioned above and wishing her the best in life and continuation of her good heart and manners.

10. I am grateful for my internet connection and computer that makes the blogging possible for me. Reading all the genuine and authentic posts is a great pleasure. I learn a lot and I get to know really great people. Many of you guys have life experiences different than mine; I would not get to know life and develop a deeper empathy if it was not because of you. Thank you all.

11. I am grateful for keeping up with my conscious spending plan during my trips. I cannot wait till the mid December when I will wrap up this year’s budget and see how much I have spent, and  how much I have saved. I am also excited about designing a new budget for the new year, 2016 at the same time. Hope is a great feeling; thanks to my budget and motivation, I have done well in the last 4-5 months and I am excited that it is very likely to keep going in the future.

12. I am grateful for not cooking today.

13. I am grateful for my new streaming service; I love finding all the movies from the past that I like watching… I am dreaming about sparing one or two days in the future, long after I work very hard and take care of my work, when I will get my hot chocolate and just binge-watch some of these movies for a full day 🙂

14. I am grateful for the pants and the t-shirt I needed to buy last week when one airline lost my luggage and I had to purchase clothes. I liked both of them; I guess they are nice additions to my wardrobe and I certainly am enjoying using them 🙂

15. I am grateful for remembering to smile time to time today 🙂

16. I am grateful for the food I have had today, the coffee I have drunk in the morning, and the clothes I wear and keep me warm.

17. I am grateful for my books. I bought two books at the airports during my trips. I regret buying both of them, though they have let me pass time at the airport. Making a mental note to not to buy books at the airports anymore.

18. I am grateful for my regrets that constantly teach me something.

19. I am grateful for hope. Having hope… Being hope… Giving hope….

20. I am grateful for being grateful! 🙂

joy journal – Oct 24, 2015

1. I am grateful for the following; I am tired after a long and daunting trip and I feel like I will leave quite a bit of stuff in my work and in my life and move towards a new, better structured, and meaningful life. I am excited about this, as sometime in the stress and problems lie the solution for a better future. I am hoping this is what is happening. I should be cautious as I do not want to make a mistake and leave something just because I am feeling tired (mentally) and frustrated. From my past experience, I have had many knee-jerk reactions, some of which I later regretted. This time, I will think calmly, estimate cons and pros, and decide about the best by taking my time.

2. I am grateful for sleeping well yesterday night prior to the early morning flight which I need to catch up.

3. I am grateful for the coffee, bagels, yogurt, cheese, and bread I have had today; they nourished my body and gave me the energy I needed.

4. I am grateful for my health and well being.

5. I am grateful for being resourceful and being familiar with minimalism prior to my trip, when my airline lost my luggage and left me with a set of clothes. I kept generally positive and look for ways to minimize the impact on myself and my business meeting. I saw it as an “adventure”. It was not the end of the world. It was not that bad. Until I talked to my airline and learning that they were sending the luggage back to my hotel the next day when I was scheduled to return back. I wonder; the airlines have no plan, no system in place to ensure the best for their customers? I plan to put these in writing together with my reimbursement form. Hope they will benefit from the feedback and if we are any lucky, then maybe they will do some adjustments for future customers.

6. I am grateful for my backpack and having some extra items in it prior to my trip. It literally helped me go thru the first 2 days. I made a mental note to have an extra trouser and a t-shirt whenever i go for a meeting, together with my personal stuff in case I get to experience a luggage lost again.

7. I am grateful for the trip starting tomorrow. It is a long trip, but I hope to enjoy my stay. I also get to meet with an old friend of mine who I love. It is gonna be awesome 🙂

8. I am grateful for doing the laundry and nothing else today. I am relaxing and mending.

9. I am grateful for not eating too much or unhealthy today.

10. I am grateful for thinking about my job and my job relationship. I think I am going thru a “middle age awakening: (not crisis). I am evaluating my past choices, my current life and work, and listening to my feelings; what are my priorities now? What would make my life more meaningful, happy, and exciting? What would make my life better? What are the things that I am missing in life? how can I get more meaning, peace, happiness, and satisfaction in my life? What should be the new directions in my life? Am I happy where I am? Where can I? What are my needs? What are my dreams?…

11. I am grateful for coming to home and coming to my senses about my healthy life style plans. I have not done well during the trip, but i have seen how good choices I have made the first day. This is a good reminder to keep going.

12. I am grateful for my family and good friends. Their love, humour, support and sincerity makes my life a lot easier and lovelier.

13. I am grateful for the relaxing music I am listening to now. It reminds me my need to stretch and being mindful. See what is important; what is not..

14. I am grateful for my blogging experience; I have missed reading, writing, and interacting with my fellow bloggers. I have been thinking the other day; no matter how depressing or problematic is a time-period in my life, I always have, find, and do things that I like and cherish. This experience is one of them.

15. I am grateful for being grateful. Honestly I started this post to feel better (which I do not…), as writing my journal always cheered me up in the past. I will accept this as what it is; I will accept my feelings as they are. Tomorrow will be another day 🙂

16. I am grateful for having hope 🙂

joy journal, Oct 19, 2015

joy 🙂

happiness 🙂

peace 🙂

kindness 🙂

joy 🙂

1. I am grateful for stretching for 10 minutes this afternoon. I have been meaning to do it for quite sometime. I am not new to stretching; I used to do it everyday years ago. I am glad I pulled a muscle at my back last week, which prompted me to make it a priority in my daily life.

2. I am grateful for the rug in my living room – it is now my stretching post! I can dim the lights, put on the relaxing music, and then stretch on the rug. What a practical solution… I feel lucky and happy for this rug.

3. I am grateful for having a decluttered house with minimal furniture. If I had more stuff, perhaps I could not find a suitable place to stretch in my house. I am not only abundant, but also free by not having many stuff around 🙂

4. I am grateful for walking in the morning as well as the evening. Both cases give me a chance to work my body and eventually relax me. The benefits of walking is a lot; health benefits is one; mental benefits is two; helping keeping my transportation expenses is three; and feeling accomplished after each walk is four.

5. I am grateful for talking to a nice colleague and having lots of laughs in 10 minutes. It is always great to be around positive and joyful people.

6.. I am grateful for all the food I have at home; they nourish me and make me feel abundant.

7. I am grateful for working well today, albeit being stressful I have done well with some tasks.

8. I am grateful for the walking shoes I have; they are comfy and good looking. It is very easy to walk, thanks to them. They make my walking possible and a pain-free activity.

9. I am grateful for my computer, internet connection, and youtube for making it possible to search for and listen to relaxing music.

10. I am grateful for all the people that created and produced the lovely music that nourish my mind and heart.

11. I am grateful for being healthy, safe, and sound.

12. I am grateful for taking care of some of the aims in my life so that I can move on with other areas that require my attention. Me controlling my stress levels as well as taking better care of my body are priorities.

13. I am grateful for making many aims of mine a habit (e.g. limiting expenses, walking more, and eating better). Sure, these were a struggle at the beginning, but now they are a normal part of my life (which I do without much thinking and mental judo).

14. I am grateful for my morning coffee; it jump starts my mental alertness and helps my day transition into an enjoyable one right away. It is great that I have many little things in my life that I enjoy and like.

15. I am grateful for wearing my rain coat this morning. It was not necessarily raining but it keeps me also warm. today was a chilly day and it just fit me well. I also noticed that it feels a little bit larger than it used to be last year; am I losing weight? 🙂

16. I am grateful for the up coming trips – they will help me refresh my mental focus and give me a good break. It will be tiring, but nevertheless a great opportunity for me to connect, learn, and explore new places and colleagues.

17. I am grateful for my house that not only provides shelter for me but also keeps me warm during this chilly months.

18. I am grateful for being grateful! 🙂

random thoughts

It is Friday!! 🙂

Oh, yes. And it feels good 🙂

I am so grateful for my job, which has flexibility when comes to working hours or being at home or in office.

Yesterday, I worked from home to finish some work and some errands in the afternoon. Today, I spend only around 3 hours at the office and then walked back home. My cold, sneezing and runny nose continue; but today I also started to have headaches. In addition, walking or sitting for long hours is not helping the muscle I pulled at my back. But more that that there was a 2-hour meeting in the afternoon I kind of dreaded. So I sent my comments and suggestions by email for the meeting, came home nice and easy, went to the cafe to work a little bit and got some ideas while walking back, worked on a critical document and finished it (yay!), sent some slides to some people, and finalized another set of slides for a presentation next week.

yes, I have done well today 🙂

I do not know how it looks to someone from outside if they see me not being in my office. Do I look like taking advantage of my work? Not working? Enjoying my time with other lovely and leisure activities?

I think to some this is what it would look like.

To me, working home is a great alternative; less distraction, more comfort. You have seen the amount of work I have done in 6 hours above. I am very pleased with all going so well, despite the frequent sneezing and the runny nose. The headache and the pain at my back are manageable for now, if not I have medication to help ease them. So all is well on my side 🙂

I am so happy that today is Friday and tomorrow is the weekend. I plan to take it easy this weekend, but will work on another document that I have not finished in the last few months. It is time that I complete it and submit. I will clean my home and do the laundry tomorrow, but I am not worried about them too much. Then, I will get prepared for my trip next week.

Life is good 🙂

have a great Friday night everyone!

joy journal – Oct 15, 2015

joy 🙂

happiness 🙂

joy 🙂

here is today’s list (try your list; trust me it does not come easy at first, but then one starts to realize how many joyful, happy, or positive experiences we actually have every single day. You may as well surprise yourself 🙂 ).

1. I am grateful for getting up early; before 8 am. This is early for me 🙂 I was not sure whether my favorite coffee was open, but decided to try my chances.

2. I am grateful for finding the cafe open, ordering and having my bagel and coffee, while also working on my laptop. I also found a chance to chat with the lovely manager I know there. She is always smiling and always so positive; It is a blessing to be around her and feel the positivity 🙂

3. I am grateful for working at home, efficiently I must say. It is one of these days that I worked really well. Because of the multiple work-related trips I must make this month, I have been time-wise constrained for some time now. I feel the stress but then I take care of the stuff, too. yesterday I finished something important and submitted it to the department. And this morning, I worked on an atypical presentation and got feedback from one of my colleagues; it looks good 🙂

4. I am grateful for today being the day I have the new cable plan that saves me around $40/month. How great is that! 🙂

5. I am grateful for getting my blood test results; everything is fine, even the blood sugar levels (yay!), but I seem to have iron-deficiency. I am really happy about the blood sugar results. I was so scared of it since the last test when it was alarmingly borderline. Now it is not and I know with my exercise and healthy diet strategy, I can even make it better. I am so grateful and excited that I promised myself to look after my body even much better. I hope to start stretching sometime as well as weight-lifting. I will also look for additional ways to nourish my body.

6. I am grateful for my body that keeps up with everything so well, so healthy 🙂

7. I am grateful for walking quite a bit this afternoon. I have had a couple of errands to take care of. All went well and I walked around 1.5 hours 🙂 I sometime try to notice how fast I can walk and I am glad to see I can walk quite fast. For my age, that is pretty good. I am not that old yet! 🙂

8. I am grateful that I did not go and eat at a Mexican restaurant on the way, even though I was a little bit hungry. Do not get me wrong; its food is awesome! But I saw myself all stuffed, not wanting to walk, and calling for a cab for a ride back to home if I had dined there…. Too much of a hassle…. I decided I could as well go home and eat as I please there. Well done 🙂

9. I am grateful for shopping this afternoon. I did not need a lot of stuff, as my fridge is still full. But I needed my fruits. I also bought a number of items on sale (yogurt is being one of them; I love yogurt) that I can preserve in my fridge for sometime for future consumption.

10. I am grateful for buying and eating carrots. I have not had them for a long time, even though they are supposedly very healthy. One of the reasons was their low glycemic index (GI) score. I am still not interested in eating them too much, but every once a while or in small quantities they are okay.

11. I am grateful for not cooking today; the left overs form yesterday were enough as the meal.

12. I am grateful for my couch, pillows, and the blanket that make me feel pampered and comfy. They make me feel like “Life is good; why should it not? I have food in my stomach, a roof above my head, health, a beautiful job, plans and hope for the future.”. I am so glad I have many pampering stuff in my life 🙂

13. I am grateful that even though I have cold, I am okay – no fatigue or low energy levels. Runny nose and sneezing are a little bit annoying, but they will go away in a couple of days. So, no worries.

14. I am grateful for tomorrow being a friday. I have a 3pm meeting that I know will last at least 1.5 hours. I do not wish to attend this meeting, at least entirely. I guess I will come home early and take a rest, or work. Friday late afternoon meetings are never a good idea.

15. I am grateful for listening to the “do you love me” by The Contours; such a cheerful song 🙂

16. I am grateful for bread not being an important food in my life anymore. I still like it and it is very nutritious, yet you know my story; I love it and would eat a lot of it every day. Now, this love has subsidized, together with my love for the bagels. I am not threatened by their availability or by eating a small amount.

17. I am grateful for the milk I am drinking right now. I know it is good for my bones and immune system.

18. I am grateful for the doctors and the field of medicine.

19. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – Oct 13, 2015

joy 🙂 happiness 🙂 joy 🙂

there is so much to be grateful of; so little time to express all. Nevertheless, here is today’s joys:

1. I am grateful for having a good sleep and getting up refreshed and ready to take the day.

2. I am grateful for walking in the morning. It was a little bit chilly but walking warmed my body and it was a pleasant walk 🙂

3. I am grateful for my coffee; since I started my job here I brew my own coffee at the office. I love the morning routine of brewing the first thing in the morning, and later in the afternoon as I wish to have it. I believe I am saving a lot of money by doing that and I am very pleased with this 🙂

4. I am grateful for meeting with my team members; they have done well while I was away last week. My new team member seems to be doing good and another team member is supporting him at his work activities. I like the collegiality that my team members shows to each other.

5. I am grateful for the seminar we attended at noon. The topic is closely related to what I would like to develop. Seeing the cons and pros of other teams’ works is certainly beneficial for the design of my own project. I will see how mine will be finalized. I really hope it will be funded 🙂

6. I am grateful for the snacks at my office. When I do not have time to grab something to eat, they are the ones that i munched on.

7. I am grateful for having nice chats with two other employees at my department. It is good that we can be cozy and friendly with each other so that next time we need each other’s help, it will be easier to communicate.

8. I am grateful for the late-evening meeting we have had today. I am usually drained in the afternoons, but this one was interesting and charging.

9. I am grateful for walking in the evening back to home. When I reached home, it was past 6.30 pm. It was kind of late and I did not feel like cooking for dinner. It was good that I have had food prepared at the weekend; they helped me to have my dinner without too much of a hassle.

10. I am grateful for working on a presentation scheduled for next week. This was only requested last week. So time-wise I am constrained, as I have another presentation to prepare for a meeting two weeks from today. I was stressed this afternoon, but now I have half of the presentation ready, which is a relief.

11. I am grateful for not eating too much today 🙂

12. I am grateful for the food I have in my fridge and freezer – they make me feel abundant.

13. I am grateful for yesterday being an off day; although today felt like a Monday, there is only three more days till the weekend. I plan to work during the weekend to catch up with tasks at work, but at least this is going to happen within the comfort of my house.

14. I am grateful for the milk I am drinking; it is a new addition to my diet after my doctor recommended vitamin D and calcium supplementation. I am happy to get these nutrients through food rather than supplement pills (though I need to take one pill a day, by drinking milk, I free myself from the second pill).

15. I am grateful for the pain medication I have had at home; I pulled a muscle at my back. these medications help control the pain and increase my mobility.

16. I am grateful for not taking the cab today and for not spending on anything (yay!). Come to think about it, since I started to walk in the mornings too (the last few weeks), I have had many “no expense” days (including no bus fare); how great is that? 🙂

17. I am grateful for being warm, safe, and sound in this chilly autumn day.

18. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – Sept 27, 2015

There is so much to be grateful about 🙂

I have been feeling the need to acknowledge them, which always make me feel great. So here they are:

1. I am grateful for being safe, alive, and healthy.

2. I am grateful for my family and friends, without whom this life would have been quite dry, unlovely, and unexciting.

3. I am grateful for sleeping late today; every once a while it is a good break for my body. No activity, no digestion, no unnecessary thoughts. It felt good.

4. I am grateful for having my coffee at the favorite cafe, browsing internet, and just relaxing this morning.

5. I am grateful for catching the bus and going to shop. I found a chance to chat with a lovely lady while waiting for the bus and the ride was pleasant.

6. I am grateful for buying the last bit of the stain to finish staining my deck. The person at the store said it was normal for the stain to lift off in our climate. So I have not done anything wrong with the stain last year; it was supposed to happen 🙂

7. I am grateful for walking around and checking a dollar store. It is one of my favorites as they have very nice stationary items (which I LOVE) and great gift bags. I bought a couple, just to make myself feel happy. That store also reminded me; when I was a student and when I was not making as much money as I am now, I had assigned myself $10/week just to spend in the dollar stores. There has been a great feeling coming out of forgetting myself in these stores while checking the items and then buying the things that will give me joy.

8. I am grateful for not buying myself a lunch while I was away from home while shopping.

9. I am grateful for the toilet papers I had needed and bought with a huge discount/coupon savings today. I am so excited about this, as I have been meaning to do this for sometime. I checked for months the stores, but was not able to identify such sales till today. Today was the day and it felt good. I do not have to think about it for a year or so.

10. I am grateful for the honey and rolled oats I have purchased today. I have not bought honey for years (I used to add it to my tea for its nourishing and relaxing effect). And this is possibly the second or the third time that I bought the oats. I bought these to make myself granola bars as snacks. I tried it this evening and I should say it is a very filling snack. Plus, it is sweet, which is nice. I am planning to try other types, such as with raisin and seeds/nuts, to have different snacks for myself.

11. I am grateful for the plant I have bought today. It was on sale and it is so beautiful. I need a nice pot and new soil for it, which I will buy in the coming weeks. I also am thinking about buying a plant fertilizer; I guess all of my plants would like some extra nutrient time to time.

12. I am grateful for finding my mascara in the store today; it is price is 50% of what it used to be in the past. I am not sure what the real reason for this is. Maybe new products showed up and it is not that popular anymore. I do not know, but I know that I am happy to have it 🙂

13. I am grateful for buying and drinking skim milk. I am not a milk person; but after realizing the nutrients in it, I cannot not have this nutritious drink anymore. I will make it a regular beverage for my daily life.

14. I am grateful for my clothes and shoes; I have more than enough for a couple of years and that feels good. I am abundant.

15. I am grateful for everything I have at my home and my home itself. When I look around, I can see that I lack nothing and I have everything. I am very thankful for this.

16. I am grateful for thinking about new budget categories, starting with the new year. I think I need a separate category for clothes+shoes as well as for cleaning products. Currently I am confused about whether to include them in my weekly allowance or not. If I do include them into the weekly allowance, then I end up over-spending time to time. I do not like this. I do not like over-spending 🙂

17. I am grateful for the salad I have had this evening; it was fresh, healthy, and tasty. I love salad! 🙂

18. I am grateful for my house, my jacket, and my blanket that keep me warm in this chilly night.

19. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – Sept 20, 2015

joy…happiness… peace… joy…

I have no entry in this journal in the last few weeks – time to spill all the joy 🙂

1. I am grateful for getting up on time this morning – I was tired from yesterday but I did not sleep late. Good job 🙂

2. I am grateful for walking at the Terry Fox Run with my colleagues; we not only raised funds to help cancer research but also socialized and burned energy :).

3. I am grateful that I found a chance to extra walk today; the Terry Fox Run venue was 25 min away from my home, which I walked to and from. I am glad the weather was permissive (e.g. not raining) and I was not lazy or tired; so I could do all the walking 🙂

4. I am grateful that I saw myself walking at a pace that I used to 5-10 years ago; would that mean I am not that old after all! 🙂 I loved that feeling; walking, sweating, but not panting or running out of breath. Just like the old times! My body does an amazing job 🙂

5. I am grateful for checking a grocery store on the way back. It is one of the big stores. I used to shop there and then winter hit and I forgot to visit it. I made a mental note that it is a great store that I should check time to time. Walking to and from will be extra exercise, too 🙂

6. I am grateful for finding red cabbage in the store. Yuppi!!!… I have been craving for it for weeks now. I love red cabbage as a salad material! I bought 2 small ones (I must go back to that store time to time!)

7. I am grateful for talking to my family today – what would I do without them?

8. I am grateful for working on my computer and moving up with an important document. I still need to work on it, but tomorrow before noon I will have time to do so. Then I can submit it for review.

9. I am grateful that instead of working whole afternoon and night, I decided to take a break. the last few days I just has been running from one task to other. Stress is negatively affecting me. It is better that I take time for myself to recharge.

10. I am grateful for liking my work I did yesterday with the deck. Yep, the new stain is much lighter in color and the entire deck looks patchy; but hey I hopefully will finish it next week (right before the rain/winter) 🙂

11. I am grateful for, on the average, eating better. I think it has been 2-3 weeks now I did not eat bagels at my regular weekend breakfasts… what a change… I never thought I could do this, but looks like when the right time comes, it does happen.. Wishing this will extend to my other not-so-good habits soon 🙂

12. I am grateful for my home, power, TV, cable connection, computer, phone, and all the furniture, food, and items in it that make my life safe, comfortable, and delightful.

13. I am grateful for the soup I made this afternoon – warm and nourishing.

14. I am grateful for my plans for the next weekend! Yep; the week will be too rush-rush (too many stuff to take care), but the weekend I sure will take time to relax. I first will go get some more stain to finish the deck, will do shopping at a nearby more affordable store, visit two thrifty stores for anything interesting (not that I am planning to buy stuff unless they are great; but I so enjoy going thru stuff at those stores. Not sure why I do not have the same pleasure from going around other, regular stores. Could it be because I know that I can afford many of the nice stuff at the thrifty stores? Or is it because these stores have many interesting items from many different trends/seasons, but not necessarily only from the latest trends like other stores?)

15. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – Sept 2, 2015

joy, happiness, excitement, joy 🙂

1. I am grateful for the little salary increase I have got this week. It is not too much, much less than what we used to have. But it is better than nothing.

2. I am grateful for renewing for my mortgage and getting a little bit lower rates. I am also grateful for increasing my payment so that the debt can be paid faster.

3. I am grateful for working from home monday and tuesday. It was great to have this change, have piece of mind, focus on the work at hand, and have the comfort of home.

4. I am grateful for starting to eat a little bit healthier yesterday. It will be a struggle for some time, and I do expect to start from the beginning time to time. But I am glad that I finally implemented some changes in my eating; start was the hardest part so far. The rest? I will see.

5. I am grateful for the food I have in my freezer and my fridge. They nourish me, help me enjoy my life a little bit more, and help me eat better.

6. I am grateful for starting to declutter my living room – it has been a couple of days and I am not finished yet. But it will eventually and with this hope comes the contentment.

7. I am grateful for my friends; today I had a chat with one of my dear friends. She is awesome, really awesome. It is great to spend time with funny, smart, and positive people.

8. I am grateful for checking the web to get ideas to better decor my home with artwork. I have got quite a bit of inspiration.

9. I am grateful for my TV, computer, internet connection, cable, electricity, water, and everything else in my life that makes me safe and entertained.

10. I am grateful for not eating bread in the last two days.

11. I am grateful for walking from office to home this afternoon. A little bit exercise. I have been consistent about it, which I like. Hope to continue like this.

12. I am grateful for taking the bus this morning, too, even though I got up a little bit early and had to spend time at home prior to catching the bus.

13. I am grateful that I brought my office the work-related books that I used to keep at home. They just fit there a lot better and I have less crowd in my study.

14. I am grateful for donating around 40 pens to my work place today. I have had these pens for up to 10 years (I am not exaggerating) and never or hardly used. As part of my decluttering adventure, I am glad now that they are to be used by others and that my home has less items.

15. I am grateful for my throw that keeps me warm in this chilly night.

16. I am grateful for the big green onions I have found at the store the other day. they are locally grown, waaaaay bigger than regular onions, yet with a sweet taste, and I just loved having them in my salads. I hope to find more tomorrow.

17. I am grateful for my gums feeling healthy. I have been flossing consistently and I am happy to say that my gums do not feel sensitive to floss anymore. I think that is a good sign.

18. I am grateful for the apple I am eating right now.

19. I am grateful for this weekend being a long weekend. If the weather is good, I plan to re-stain my deck and paint the window trims.

20. I am grateful for having so many things to be grateful of 🙂

21. I am grateful for being grateful.

joy journal – August 29, 2015

Joy, happiness, joy, happiness, joy! 🙂

1. I am grateful for today; being well and sound, waking up, however late and tired.
2. I am grateful for the beautiful, warm, and shiny day; it prompted me to do something other than my routine and spend time outdoors.
3. I am grateful for catching the bus and going to a shopping mall area. I was right on time.
4. I am grateful for donating the clothes I had sorted out while decluttering my wardrobe a while ago. It felt good 🙂 Hope they will find a new owner, who will appreciate them more than me.
5. I am grateful for walking to another thrifty store – I ended up not purchasing anything this week. It is surprising but I am happy with my decision.
6. I am grateful for deciding to go home to eat something rather than eating in a Chinese restaurant that I enjoy time to time.
7. I am grateful for checking a store at the shopping mall and finding two beautiful art pieces! I fell in love with them right away. They are similar to each other (sold together), picturing a forest with amazing trees, amazing light, and fall colours. As soon as I put them on the walls, the atmosphere of my house changed for a better one. It looks, I do not know, different, beautiful, and like a home with a character. They both demand to be looked at and enjoyed. I love them and I love the fact that I purchased them 🙂 I would like to buy more beautiful stuff to give my home what it deserves.
8. I am grateful for taking the bus back from the shopping mall. Again I did not wait too much, so it was an easy ride. I feel lucky 🙂
9. I am grateful for changing my Saturday routine by going to the stores today. I did clean my home upon my return and I am still not done with the laundry, but it is well worth having this change.
10. I am grateful for aerating and cooling down my home.
11. I am grateful for the new mats on my bathrooms. There was an immediate face lift. I am not into having a lot of stuff, but I guess some things are really good. A nice change, nice colours, nice feelings 🙂
12. I am grateful for cooking a nice meal for myself tonite, even though I was late because of shopping and then house chores. It turned out to be tasty and healthy.
13. I am grateful for not eating too much bread today 🙂
14. I am grateful for realizing how tired I got up this morning. No, I did not like being tired. But I liked the fact that my body was talking to me to take better care of it. I better eat healthier food. Also walk whenever I can.
15. I am grateful for finding additional art-work that one of my friends had given me as a gift. It is a little four-piece stuff that just looks cute. I just need a place for them to hang on. Hmmmm…
16. I am grateful for having only good news today.
17. I am grateful for today being Saturday and tomorrow being Sunday. I can enjoy my time, relax as I please, and take my time with the things I have to do around the house.
18. I am grateful for the handyman, who will come tomorrow and do some minor work for me. It is really nice to have someone to do stuff that I am not capable of doing myself.
19. I am grateful for not being too frugal and preferring today to buy the art-work that makes a positive difference in my life. I really like that, as some of the stories of the frugal people are a little bit too much… I do not believe in restraining myself that much, at least not yet. As a matter of fact, after today’s experience, I decided to buy more for my living room and the bathrooms. I am thinking maybe a blue art-work for the living room, right across from the couch that will give a feeling of “freshness and clarity”. For the bathrooms, something colorful and lovely; maybe some flower pictures. Come to think about it, I have many pictures that I can print and hang on to my walls… Time to do this 🙂
20. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – August 16, 2015

1. I am grateful for getting up before 9 am. Days when I get up that early make me feel like there are so many stuff I can do within that day. I like this feeling. Often times though I have no idea how to fill the day…
2. I am grateful for going to my favorite cafe and eating my favorite bagels and drinking coffee, while also surfing on the net. It was a delightful morning.
3. I am grateful for doing grocery shopping this morning. I bought only a small amount of stuff, knowing that I can always visit the store should I need any items (it is 5 min away from my house). I felt abundant once I got some produce.
4. I am grateful for yogurt. I time to time consume yogurt regularly and enjoy it highly. I had run out of it yesterday but was able to get two containers today. It is such a healthy food – I seriously think that it neutralize some of the toxins…
5. I am grateful for eating an apple, salad and a healthy meal today.
6. I am grateful for starting to declutter my home today. It is going well, I feel like I gotta declutter even harder, and am excited about the feeling it gives. Relief in so many different levels…
7. I am grateful for finding items/clothes that I need while decluttering. It looks like I have forgotten what I have.. But then if they are not where I can see them, how can I remember every single item? Lessons learnt 🙂
8. I am grateful for aerating my home today. Fresh air is awesome. It also cools down the upstairs, making sleeping easier and comfortable 🙂
9. I am grateful for today being a sunday. I was free to do whatever I want to do and I enjoyed relaxing at home very much.
10. I am grateful for turning the TV off. I am listening to the music rather. It is a first for me – in the last few days I was not paying much attention to the programs anyways; so why to keep it working for no reason? I am proud of myself for doing this (I always have had TV on to have a background noise – until this time; who said “never say never”? 🙂 )
11. I am grateful for deciding to dump my VCRs and CDs as well.
12. I am grateful for the little mat I have found today – it fit so well to is new place I am awed 🙂
13. I am grateful for the trees in my yard. When they whoosh with the wind, it is so calming.. I would not buy a house that did not have a yard or no mature trees in it.
14. I am grateful for flossing today 🙂
15. I am grateful for living in a quite neighborhood.
16. I am grateful for deciding to not throw a birthday party for myself. I want to, I really do. I want to have my friends around, eat, and laugh. But then the idea of shopping and cooking makes me highly hesitant. I made a deal with myself – I will not have the party but will give myself a gift. Something unique, original. something that will make me remember this beautiful age.
17. I am grateful for all the books that I have at home but did not read. I thought about the books today extensively because I know I will purge them quite a bit too. But more than that I know that there a bunch of books that I have never read. These books excite me as I can grab any of them anytime and satisfy my need of reading without making new purchases. Very good 🙂 All I have to do is to continue my decluttering process and identify those books.
18. I am grateful for the foods I eat, clothes I wear, furniture, laptop, internet, TV, cable I use, water I drink, and the air I breathe.
19. I am grateful for reading a blog by a terminal cancer patient. She brings in a different vision to terminal disease; rather than resisting the idea of being terminal, she accepts it and sees the positive in every single moment. She sounds pretty sincere, refuse to be a victim of “why (i got this disease)”, and that is why I believe we need more patients like her providing their view. While I do not like cancer and deaths from cancer, if (and only if) it is inevitable having some kind of peace or acceptance around it very much lessens the “power” of cancer over us. That is what I thought after reading that post – that cancer had no power on that person. And I liked that. Very much indeed….

joy journal – August 15, 2015

I have not written my joy journal for quite sometime (due to vacation). I missed expressing gratitude and the good feeling coming out of it so much.

1. I have many things to be grateful about the time I spent with my family – there is no short way to express all of them here. I cherish every memory and every smile, hug, and kind word. I am grateful that my family members are well and sound; loving and supporting; and genuinely interested in my well-being. Thank you all of you for being there for me.

2. I am grateful for my job. I have gotta give its credit; it gives me a sense of purpose, excites, and provides me with livelihood (despite the challenges and occasional crises that I face). Thanks to my job, I get to see around the world, live in different cities, meet with people with diverse backgrounds, and get insurance. Insurances are important too – providing a sense of security if something out of ordinary occurs in life.

3. I am grateful for my house. It is in a quite neighborhood that is close to downtown as well as my work place. It is true that the prospect of the serious repairs (e.g. the foundation problem I probably have) has been giving me the chills and depressed me beyond my imagination; that I cannot develop trust to the previous owners/renovators, which prevents from feeling peaceful in it; and that I constantly find myself checking for potential issues and thus further create anxiety in myself. But then what can I do? I did not know there may be problem in my house. I did not know when I purchased my home that houses can be fragile and they require constant maintenance. I did not know that it would take me a long time to accept these and then finally find peace in this acceptance. I have not still fully accepted these and thus am emotionally suffering deeply, but I know eventually one day I will give up the resistance and glide into acceptance gracefully. I thank my house-troubles for this; reminding me that it is a process and I am going thru it.

4. I am grateful for my retirement plans, however small they may be. It is true that I could have saved and invested more for my retirement and in the past I have had very obvious expenses that I could have avoided. Yet past is past and I can only look at the present and the future. I have been giving serious thoughts about budgeting lately (mostly motivated by the expenses related to the repairs at home) and have progressed quite satisfactorily. I have a healthy and abundant budget that will take care of my fixed as well as variable but essential expenses that I have been implementing in the last 2-3 months. I know I can do better once I feel comfortable with it. It is awesome to feel this hope and confidence. It is awesome to know that I am making a difference in my financial situation, however small it may be.

5. I am grateful for summer; where I am usually is cool in summers (15-25 C). But since I came back from vacation, it has been hot, sunny, and lovely. A perfect summer 🙂

6. I am grateful for the document I have to finish till monday evening. I have made quite a progress with it yesterday and today. Seeing that I can work effectively under mild stress by taking it lightly (the benefit of having a wonderful vacation prior to it) is one thing, but more importantly the fact that I had to do it in such a short time is what helped me to adapt to work so soon and to stop feeling the emotions associated with leaving my family.

7. I am grateful for my blog. Writing is therapeutic, reading other posts and interacting with fellow bloggers are fun, interesting, and informative. It certainly helps me feel better.

8. I am grateful for the breakfast I have had this morning together with a friend/colleague of mine. I had my usual bagels and coffee after 6 weeks of vacation and a wonderful conversation with my friend, which felt great 🙂

9. I am grateful for walking to and from the coffee shop and sweating a long the way.

10. I am grateful for my new little fryer that makes fried eggs so tasty, so different 🙂

11. I am grateful for doing the laundry and aerating my home today. No I am not cleaning my place this week. My friend who house-sat while I am away already took care of this. I am feeling blessed.

12. I am grateful for being keen about starting a huge decluttering at home. Yep! I have been meaning to do it for quite sometime. I will start easy with bathrooms (which are easier to declutter) and slowly move to the other parts of the house. I will open every single box, purse, bag, and drawer. I will sort things out generously, collect the usable items for donation, and dump the rest. I really need this – I feel like I am carrying a huge and unnecessary weight on my shoulders. This feeling gotta go. I am also excited for the possibility that I will find out many stuff that I had forgotten I have had but are useful or valuable. cannot wait to rediscover my stuff 🙂

13. I am grateful for my couch that provides me with a comfortable place to sit on and write this journal.

14. I am grateful for my laptop, internet connection, cable, TV, phone and all others that help me have a comfortable and engaging life at home.

15. I am grateful for all the stuff I have brought from my vacation. Many of them are the gifts that are given to me by my family members, which I love and cherish. Seeing them around make me feel extra grateful and happy.

16. I am grateful for the music I am listening to right now. It is relaxing and something I have not had heard before and thus is interesting.

17. I am grateful for today being Saturday. I can enjoy it as I please without going to the office.

18. I am grateful for my joy journal and my continuous wish to write in it.

19. I am grateful for life.

20. I am grateful for being grateful.

joy journal – June 29, 2015

1. I am grateful for sleeping well and getting up.

2. I am grateful for having enough time in the morning to catch up the bus. Each time I see it turn around the corner right before coming to the bus stop, I feel that great enjoyment in me. “It is here! and I am taking it!”. Who knew taking bus would be such a joyful thing? 🙂

3. I am grateful for working really well at the office. One of my team members and I completed a critical task of a project that took us almost 3 years to do. We still need to do some simple analysis tomorrow, but now that everything is ready and checked and verified, the rest is really easy and straightforward. There was a great excitement and a sense of accomplishment today 🙂 And it was well deserved 🙂

4. I am grateful for a colleague of mine giving me a ride this afternoon; we had a great chat together and it was a lot of fun.

5. I am grateful for having a relaxing night. It is raining outside but I have a friend with me, who is a great company. We both are used to work on our computers so it is great that neither I nor my friend is feeling like it talking or doing things together. There is a great relief in this – I am not a great entertainer 🙂

6. I am grateful for my friend saying nice things about my home and the yard today; come to think about it yes, I have a nice place. Maybe not well decorated yet, but it is spacious and clean. My yard is pleasing even me, with the clutter gone, grass is tidied up, and the lilacs bloomed 🙂

7. I am grateful for one of our reports now published! We worked on it, like many others, for quite sometime, but most importantly, the team member who did the work was particularly careless. It was very disappointing and caused me not only being stressed out but also work harder and longer with low motivation. I am glad now that the work is fixed, the report is finalized, and this entire stuff is over.

8. I am grateful for the orange I have had after the dinner today; it was fresh and very tasty 🙂

9. I am grateful for helping a friend of mine with a work-related question.

10. I am grateful for my home being strong and safe; my coach for being comfy and strong; my blanket for keeping me warm and cozy; my food for feeding me and nourishing my body; my clothes for keeping me warm; my computer for allowing me to read, write, research, and learn; my TV for making the background noise; my power for making my life easy and comfortable; and my body and mind being healthy and stress-free today 🙂

11. I am grateful for checking the garbage collection day; it looks like the garbage will be collected on Thursday not Wednesday this week.

12. I am grateful for one of my team members who told me that the bus schedule has changed now (summer schedule), which causes some of the services cut. I checked it online – there are now 2 bus services in the morning not 3. Good to know 🙂

13. I am grateful for keeping the bathroom window open to get fresh air in.

14. I am grateful for having the Wednesday off (Canada day); I may still go to office and take care of stuff. But at least I do not have to get up early; I can take my time that day 🙂

15. I am grateful for keeping up with my budget and continuing with my conscious spending plan.

16. I am grateful for being excited, joyful, happy, and grateful of things, people, events, and memories today.

joy journal – June 25, 2015

1. I am grateful for being alive, healthy, well and sound.

2. I am grateful for going to work a little bit early today; that allowed me to attend a meeting, send important emails, and meet with my team members. We worked till 6.30 today, what a day 🙂 We fixed some errors and moved the projects. One of my team members said “it is good that we are checking all the data; even minor we have a chance to fix the errors”. That is pretty awesome! 🙂 I am usually annoyed by errors and get tense, which is also reflected on my team members. Nowadays we have been checking many important data, finding errors, and fixing them, which makes our work high-quality; but it certainly drains me and one of my team members who needs to fix the errors introduced by his work. It is hard…. But I am glad at least this part is over now and confidently we can use the data for our future projects 🙂 I am also grateful for one of our team members keeping us positive during the entire time and reminding me that we were doing great checking our work.

3. I am grateful for walking in the afternoon although it was raining a little bit. Very healthy exercise and the rain was good for my skin (a natural moisturizer) 🙂

4. I am grateful for not gaining weight nowadays. My face looks a little bit thinner and longer; I feel like I remember this face I see on the mirror now 🙂 I now officially lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months 🙂

5. I am grateful for working on an important document today with a team-member; it is moving and will be okay. But there are so many gaps and editing to be done that I am feeling strained or demotivated. Yet, we keep going.

6. I am grateful for getting a visit from a senior colleague of mine, who is an amazing speaker. He delivered us a mini-talk a couple of day ago at an event, which was inspiring, motivating, and lovely. I invited him to give us another, longer talk sometime which he enthusiastically accepted. How great!

7. I am grateful for feeling a little bit better this evening as we continue to take care of the work at the office. yesterday I was pretty stressed, but this one is lovely..

8. I am grateful for the tea I have had in the evening; relaxing and nourishing.

9. I am grateful for my warm home in this cold day. I am not sure what degrees it is out there but I had to wear a sweater today, in addition to my trench-coat. I want the summer…. A lot..

10. I am grateful that despite the weather being relatively cold this June, my power bill has reduced quite a bit compared to the last month. Almost 45%… That is great, is it not?

11. I am grateful that today was the pay day and according to my calculations I keep saving from my cheques. This time not as much as I would like to as I had to shop at the weekend for needed items (a new luggage etc.); it made me feel down at first but later I decided to use this feeling to enforce further savings and keep consciously spending every single time..

12. I am grateful for the peaceful night and the music I am listening.

13. I am grateful for tomorrow being Friday. Not that I am looking forward to taking a rest at the weekend (will be busy with work and things to do at home), but just because it is a Friday 🙂

14. I am grateful for getting only neutral or good news today.

15. I am grateful for my throw, couch, and pillows that make my night so comfy, so relaxing, so warm..

16. I am grateful for the “free television” channels in my cable; I gotta see the TV shows and series I like whenever I want as long as they are made available in these channels. One particular series I like is the “Elementary”. What interesting characters and twists.

17. I am grateful for being able to find all these things that make me joyful and feel better.

joy journal – June 22, 2015

1. I am grateful for waking up, albeit with a negative mood, yet for nevertheless being alive.

2. I am grateful for missing some people, some smiles, some good memories that I cherish. Yep, I have lost those people, yet having the memories is priceless.

3. I am grateful for working stress-free but effectively today; many tasks have remained that I need to take care of prior to my vacation. I think this weekend and next week (July 1st – the Canada day holiday) will be great opportunities to put an extra effort to finish them all.

4. I am grateful for being usually organized and keeping a to-do-list at the office and at home. Once I take my time and put my focus on the projects/work and itemize their steps in a sequence, the rest is just following the plan one thing at a time. No need to in-depth thinking about the entire picture every single day.

5. I am grateful for typing and printing luggage name tags today; I bought two tag holder yesterday for my coming trip. I have had many occasions when the luggage either did not arrive to the right carousel or the right airport! Describing the luggage each time and waiting for them to be brought back to the residence is a headache. The name tags are supposed to help with the process. More importantly, it is for my peace of mind; last time I could not have had a name tag because of hurry and all I could hope was the description I gave would be enough to locate the luggage. It worked last time, but this year I am more experienced 🙂

6. I am grateful for having the night to myself – peaceful as usual.

7. I am grateful for eating fruits tonite – it is pretty much a habit now. I was only a sporadic fruit-eater. In the last while, I have been consistently eating apples and oranges. They help me with limiting the late-night eating habit (I used to not sleep if I had not eaten carbs, such as bread).

8. I am grateful for the tea I have had this evening – something different today a ginger-lemon tea. Surprisingly refreshing and tasty.

9. I am grateful for being okay with trying new stuff; like internet music sites other than youtube. Thanks to one of them I have come across one of the most beautiful songs…. I have been very happily listening to it, even though its genre is not one of my favorites.

10. I am grateful for walking in the afternoon (from the office to home); a slight yet consistent exercise 🙂

11. I am grateful for my notebooks, pens, computer, internet connection, books, cable, TV, phone line and all the food and furniture I have at home. They are useful; helpful; make me life comfortable and entertaining.

12. I am grateful for my blog; thanks to it I have a chance to write and formulate my feelings, thoughts, plans, and wishes.

13. I am grateful for keeping up with many of the challenges I have assigned to myself: I am walking whenever I can; continuing to eat consciously and simple; doing grocery shopping as needed not automatically; continuing to consciously spend my funds and making a consistent effort to keep my expenses within my limits; losing weights slowly without no sight of gaining back (yet); moisturizing my face everyday; drinking tea every work-day; continuing with my spending freeze of books; listening to the wonderful music both at the office and home (thanks to internet and computer); enjoying the view from my office and my yard every single day; and writing to my joy journal at least twice a week (not as frequent as it should be but that is okay).

14. I am grateful for not getting up late even though I go to bed late in the last couple of weeks; getting old 🙂

15. I am grateful for helping two people at work today and getting an unexpected offer of help from someone else for a big project of mine; he is supposed to introduce me to important connections tomorrow; cannot wait 🙂

16. I am grateful for looking at the mirror without getting terrified with the size of my belly! I am extra cautious with the belly as it can enlarge in a couple of days just like a balloon. It is such an interesting area in the body; seriously. I guess the types of food I eat can make this area change in a short time. The only way to get rid of this ever-hanging issue is to lose the fat around the belly area. They say this kind of fat is the most dangerous one, as it is close to the critical internal organs and fat can increase the level of inflammation that is linked to many disease such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and early aging…

17. I am grateful for being grateful.

my another set of two-cents on budgeting and saving

Vastly because I am bored this evening and thus am looking for something interesting to deal with, I decided to write about budgeting and saving again.

While I am an experienced saver, I had not been for some years and the possibility of financial hardship in future and having a chequing account with almost $0 in it (mostly due to home-ownership), you know I have been trying to change things a little bit.

Read a lot, tried and liked some of the strategies about budgeting and saving.

Here they are:

1. Expense freezes: Stop purchasing items or services of your selection for a short and defined period of time. Short period are important as in my case at least, it tells me that this is not a total deprivation; I know for example I will start buying books again (I have one more month left out of two months freeze). It does not hurt when I have such a mental attitude (and freedom).

2. Change the items/services for the expense freeze activity periodically: After one freeze can come another one; rotate the things/services so that you will never feel deprived of any of the many items and services you like.

So, after books, what will be my new freeze item? I am thinking about not buying spice or tea for 2 months. I love spices and teas; but I already have so many of them at home and teas at the office; so why do I need to purchase new ones? Maybe the only one I can buy is the savoury; this spice has something very much appealing to me.

3. Take an inventory of items: That I find is a very surprising activity. I have not checked or emptied my pantry for sometime. I am sure when I go in it, I will find many stuff that I do not regularly use, currently possess, but nevertheless forgot. Many of the spice jars (some may need to be dumped as they go bad after a while) or tea bags I know I have are good examples. I know I have some canned food which I have not eaten for some time; is it not a waste not to eat something already available?

Just last week I noticed how many rolls of toilet paper and paper towel I have stocked up. I am not going to buy paper towel until I have 6 rolls left (it can take upto a year to come to that point). I can buy toilet papers only when they are on sale . Otherwise I am good for another year.

When I look for other parts of my house, I am sure I will find other items/goods I have forgotten I have. I have a facial mask somewhere, which I loved using….Time to find it.

4. Re-use if you can: I am sure we all do that somehow, but good to remind ourselves time to time.

I used to use cleaning clothes in the kitchen, which I would replace every two weeks. I realized I can actually wash them up and extend their usage. The books now I am reading, which I have bought years ago, are other examples. Or the shopping bags I use to protect the small garbage cans (rather than buying garbage bags). The list can be really long.

5. Forego the comfortable alternative time to time: I was writing a shopping list last week and I noticed that I would like to purchase wet mops to clean the floors. I am happy with them; they are practical, doing decent work, and when done go to the garbage easily. I will try whether I can clean the floors with other stuff, like paper towels or old clothes. Just for some time.

The most important one for me is of course taking the bus rather than the (comfortable) cab 🙂

6. Give yourself rewards: I cannot tell how good that feels. I am not talking about having big rewards, but eating out a couple of times a week, buying a hand lotion with a lovely scent, or trying new types of flossers that make flossing just a pleasant activity are among the rewards I have given myself lately.

7. Design a budget for yourself and track it weekly (and then monthly and annually): I have calculated my annual  income as well as fixed and variable expenses (an approximate) lately using Excel. I have a much better idea about what I can do, what I can change, and what I cannot. I also have an idea about how much I can save (both the maximum and a less, more realistic number). An unexpected positive outcome of this budget sheet was the realization of how well I was doing in some categories; for example the % of my retirement investments are above good. So even though I have little cash in my chequing account, I am not totally disadvantaged.

Short-term assessment of my budget, such as for a week, works wonders for me. I not only control my spending better (now that I have a motivation to see the progress in a week) but also see the general spending pattern I have; how much I spend for grocery? Cleaning products? Transportation? Dining out? Extras? How do I feel about all of these? Can I let go some of them? Should I include some more?

8. And the magic!: If there is a magic to saving and budgeting, it is to have the motivation. My motivation to save (more) came from home-ownership and serious repairs. I did not want to have a worse level of financial hardship in the future, so to help prevent it I am saving now. That is my motivation. What is yours? What are yours? Keeping a focus on the end-product can help you keep motivated.

9. And the extra magic!: Be grateful for all efforts you put into your budget and savings; the articles and blogs you have read; the funds you have saved; and your determination to keep going even though unexpected expenses occurred or you slipped off your track and thus your budget or savings do not seem to be working for you and you feel maybe disappointed with yourself or the process. It is important to recognize your interest, motivation, and effort no matter how the finances turn out. Be proud.

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There; now that I have written those, I already feel better 🙂

Good night everyone.

joy journal – June 14, 2015

I have not written in my joy journal for some time. What better way to start feeling positive, grateful, and even happy than writing, remembering, and cherishing the wonderful things, memories, thoughts, and people happening in my life?

1. I am grateful for wanting to write on my journal. I am grateful that I crave to do so to feel great; anytime available 0$ anti-depressant 🙂

2. I am grateful for a nice weekend; my mood was not bad, I was not exhausted or bored – it was just fine.

3. I am grateful for the breakfast in the morning. I went to a different cafe this time, closer to my favorite bookstore. I took my time to go thru the magazines and books (one of them was about Italian food), which was pretty refreshing. I feel a lot better and fully focus on while reading; it is one of the best ways to relax my mind.

4. I am grateful for the time I spent in the bookstore – this time too I did not find an exciting book (or, is it my book-purchase freeze that makes me difficult to choose books?), but certainly the time spent there was well worth it.

5. I am grateful for comfortably walking this morning; great exercise.

6. I am grateful for buying myself a lunch; in the afternoon I was actually pretty bored and wanted to get out of the house. I was also hungry – so I bought myself a meal. Next time, instead of two pieces of fish, I should order one; it was too much 🙂

7. I am grateful for continuing with my budget this week too; I notice that the majority of the expenses occur during Friday-Monday. This somehow makes me nervous; what happens if unexpected expenses show up till the end of week? I really do not want to pass my maximum weekly allowance.

8. I am grateful that I get nervous about my expenses and reaching the maximum amount of weekly allowance – that means I am conscious of my spending and how much funds I let myself use during the week. This feeling I am sure will help me to control the expenses in the remaining days.

9. I am grateful for the healthy dinner I have had; boiled cauliflower coated with garlicky yogurt, topped up by chilly pepper stir-fried in olive oil. It makes my mouth watered! The majority of you may not be familiar with the garlicky and salted (depending on your preferences); I admit that it may not be appealing for everyone – but garlic helps reduce the blood pressure in some people (including myself) and the health benefits of the yogurt I am sure are well known.

10. I am grateful for the relaxing day; it lightly rains today, a little it grey too. But that makes it only a perfect day to spend at home, relaxing, reading, and watching TV.

11. I am grateful for my books; I have found many books about financial and retirement planning that I had forgotten I have had. I have enjoyed re-reading one of them today and I am eyeing another one. I love reading about savings and investment 🙂

12. I am grateful for removing extra grass from my yard.

13. I am grateful for all the food, clothes, shoes, and furniture I have at home. They give me protection and comfort and a feeling of abundance; while following a budget and saving funds, I found one tricky thing is to not let yourself feeling deprived. Identifying what we already have may help with this feeling.

14. I am grateful for the visit I will pay to my family in July – I have some time to finish time-sensitive work till then. Then I can enjoy my full-month of vacation with family and friends, hopefully while not thinking or dealing with work.

15. I am grateful for increasingly wanting to declutter my house. I have so many stuff stuffed here and there; especially the storage area. Even the things around may need to go; the other day I threw away a nail polisher, which changed its colour from transparent to yellowish….. Cannot be still good; I am glad I have noticed it and dumped it. I wonder though how many more stuff I have that are not functional or needed/wanted anymore? Some……

16. I am grateful for my couch and the blanket that make my sitting and reading so comfortable, warm, and relaxing..

17. I am grateful for my house for being mine, old but spacious, having a great insulation and ventilation system, and feeling like home to me… despite its expensive problems.. it is not its fault, is it? I gotta start having more positive feelings about my house..

18. I am grateful for realizing I may be at the beginning of a middle-age crisis….. Time to re-prioritize what I want from my life and how to reach them; drop those not useful or hurtful as well. One life and it is passing really quick..

19. I am grateful for being grateful.

joy journal – June 11, 2105

1. I am grateful for feeling better today.

2. I am grateful for the summer weather – for two days straight we have had incredibly warm (not hot) weather with blue sky. Its positive effect on me is incredible.

3. I am grateful for taking the bus this morning. I needed to wait 10 min at home, which I have. I must admit though the first thought passed my mind was “I can take the cab this morning”. It somehow went away after I managed to keep myself busy for 4 minutes at home.  When I got off the bus, I thanked for the opportunity to walk even for a short distance to my building.

4. I am grateful for eating two apples today. Healthy and tasty.

5. I am grateful for meeting with someone in our organization who provided me with excellent assistance on some project-related questions.

6. I am grateful for walking to and from the meeting (total around 25 minutes).

7. I am grateful for attending a seminar by a wonderful speaker; I enjoyed meeting with her, listening to her informative and energetic presentation.

8. I am grateful for walking to the appointment with the lawyer this afternoon. His office is 5 minutes away from my house and I could easily find it. I did mental-wrestling about taking the cab or walking. Eventually walking won 🙂

9. I am grateful for working at home after my appointment – I worked on an important document, which went really well in a short time. I am pleased.

10. I am grateful for meeting with my friends and having a dinner at a nearby restaurant. We were 5 people, all nice and cheerful people. The meal was great and so was the coffee 🙂

11. I am grateful for not over-eating today.

12. I am grateful for my conscious spending plans – lately they started to make a visible difference in my finances. I am highly motivated to keep going and save a lot more.

13. I am grateful for having a relaxing night – it is peaceful.

14. I am grateful for my plans to work tomorrow and possibly Saturday.

15. I am grateful for the coming weekend. I would like to read books, many of them if I can 🙂

16. I am grateful for keeping up with the challenges I assigned to myself: today I walked in the morning and then in the afternoon; took the bus not the cab; ate relatively healthy; did not make a purchase; enjoyed the view from my office; smiled more and had great time with friends; combed my hair in the morning, and determined to lift my mood, finances, and healthy life-style up.

17. I am grateful for being grateful.

joy journal – June 10, 2015

1. I am grateful for the warm day – today was the first day this year when only one jacket was enough (not two). It certainly felt like summer (finally)! Yay!

2. I am grateful for dumping the garbage for collection this morning – each time I am fascinated by the fact that so far I have not forgotten to do this 🙂

3. I am grateful for the left-overs from yesterday, which made a tasty dinner this evening.

4. I am grateful for my new computer! Yes, I am. It is fast, shiny, and does not get hot or crash every hour, as the previous one did 🙂 I am very happy with it.

5. I am grateful for the internet music sites I have learnt from one of my team-members today. I used to listen to youtube, but there seems to be other amazing sites. I find these sites refreshing and very useful. songza.com is one of these sites in case you are interested in. I am also amazed by the fact that I never thought about looking for sites other than youtube – was I limiting myself? Why did I not explore? The lesson I am getting out of this is there are numerous opportunities out there should I decide to look for. This concept can be translated to other aspects of my life. Wow! Love this 🙂

6. I am grateful for one of my team-member who enthusiastically work and generate very exciting data. Once needs to recognize and acknowledge the excellent team-players. They do not come very often, but if you see one, please try to keep them. One good team-member can do 10x better than 10 lousy team-members.

7. I am grateful for the classical music I am listening right now – incredibly energetic and harmonic. Made me feel good and at the same time very excited. Cannot wait to explore all genres 🙂

8. I am grateful for the relaxing night; it is peaceful and free.

9. I am grateful for everything I possess; the food in my kitchen, refrigerator, and pantry; the clothes and shoes, the furniture and everything else. I am abundant, safe, and sound thanks to them. I am grateful for myself and my job for making these possible.

10. I am grateful for learning to say no. I am getting better at it.

11. I am grateful for all the books I have. Some of them I had forgotten that I have had. Thanks to my shopping freeze, now I can find all bunch of interesting books to read right at home; very exciting!

12. I am grateful for working well and taking care of stuff. I have progressed quite a bit with the report I am working on. I have checked the majority of the data and so far we are good. I still have some stuff to do, but I have a great momentum and that will help me to move it way forward.

13. I am grateful for my new categorized budget and my awareness and enthusiasm to keep my expenses low.

14. I am grateful for keeping up with the challenges I have assigned myself a while ago: I cannot say I am routinely doing all of these, but they are in my list and whenever I can do any of them, I am happy to note. Today I took the busy (yay!); felt the happiness of taking the bus and congratulated myself at the office (yay!); walked in the evening; made no purchase (extra yay!); enjoyed the view out of my office window; drank chamomile tea; listening to the music (both at the office and now at home); expressed my appreciation and faith in my house and myself (that is something new; I find that it lifts my negative mood a little bit about my house and the repairs it needs).

joy journal – June 6, 2015

1. I am grateful for the beautiful day today – a little bit foggy, a little bit chilly, but nevertheless a nice weekend day.

2. I am grateful for sleeping well yesterday. I slept till 11 am this morning, a little bit unusual for me, yet the rest of the day was all right.

3. I am grateful that I had cleaned my home yesterday. This week I left my office early and yesterday I took the opportunity to clean the house in the afternoon. That would mean I had the day free today. Yay!

4. I am grateful for the breakfast; I did not bring in my laptop to work this time. That allowed me to go thru the magazines and just relax. I took a couple of minutes to just gaze out and try to decide what to do with my day: I was not rushing, which is a great change 🙂

5. I am grateful for going to the office and doing some work. I feel good and my mind, which was bored by not working lately, is satisfied.

6. I am grateful for taking the bus today and walking in the afternoon back from the office. I am feeling good 🙂

7. I am grateful for the grocery shopping. I think I have not done one in the last week or so. I bought fresh produce, a different type of bread, canned foods (lentils and beans; my favourites as salad), snacks for the office, and so on.

8. I am grateful for now being 7 pounds lighter compared to 3-4 weeks ago. I am assuming it is because of the conscious eating and limiting the bread to some extend. I am still cautious and not getting too excited as I know my weight can fluctuate 3-5 pounds within a day. But this does not mean that I am not motivated to continue to eat well and keep checking the progress. Who knows, maybe this time, I have a chance to drop these pounds.

9. I am grateful for the peaceful Saturday evening and night. It is relaxing and free of issues.

10. I am grateful for seeing the house across from the bus stop today, which is being renovated. They stripped off the front of the house and I can see all the woods and the rest. For some reason, this gave me strength – it does not look as complex as I thought it would be. I am feeling more positive towards the renovations in my house now.

11. I am grateful for all the books I have, which I can look at or start reading to fill the night with interesting information or stories.

12. I am grateful for all the shoes, clothes, furniture and food I have at home that make my life easy, safe, decent, and abundant. I used to stock up durable items whenever I had a chance. I am not stocking up lately but I already have many clothes, shoes, items, and food that I can keep going with. Acknowledging their presence gives a huge “I am abundant” feeling.

13. I am grateful for opening an Excel sheet and keeping tracking my everyday expenses in different categories. I note that I am much more conscious about my spendings now.

14. I am grateful for not going to shopping malls. I want to. I want to check the thrifty stores as well; they are so affordable and contain so many interesting items. But I will not do that for now. I have everything I need. Maybe in a couple of months I can go check them again.

15. I am grateful for tomorrow being Sunday; I have no particular plans so I will take it easy and maybe walk a little bit. If the weather permissive (raining outside now).

16. I am grateful for drinking tea whenever I am in my office, walking from office to home almost always, making a huge effort to take the bus rather than the cab, shopping when required rather than once a week, eating more apples and less bread, walking sometimes just for the love of walking, feeling energized by the good weather, enjoying my office and sight from the window, keeping a modest life-style and being interested in using my money for the best, seeing a positive difference in my chequeing account in the last few weeks, being motivated to do a better job in terms of healthy eating, exercise, and conscious spending, loving my hair for getting longer and combing it time to time :), and dutifully cleaning and aerating my home every week. Boy, I am doing really good 🙂

17. I am grateful for being peaceful and grateful today.

joy journal – May 25, 2015

1. Another beautiful, warm spring day that fills me with energy, optimism, and love. Yes, love. Love for the season, for the sun, for the awakening of the nature, for the renewal, and for the hope all these positive changes bring. I made a mental note today that in the coming years’ March and April, I will remind myself how the Spring feels in May. The things I can do better (e.g. walk more), the things I can do differently (e.g. spending time with nature).

2. I am grateful for taking the bus in the morning – I feel like accomplishing something huge! I even printed out the bus schedule to help myself. I never complained about taking the bus so far – when I can do it I love it.

3. I am grateful for working lightly and not being stressful at all. I enjoy working my mind better than not though. So maybe I can find some problems/questions to work on. Mental exercise is awesome 🙂

4. I am grateful for leaving my office early and walking a little bit longer than usual. I love looking at the houses along the way and thinking “would I buy this house?”. Sometime the answer is yes. I like houses with bay windows and in good conditions (who would not?). I also noticed that I do not prefer houses more than two storeys and without a yard. View is also important 🙂

5. I am grateful for getting an email from a well-respected leader in our field today – she would like to visit our department and get to know our work and interests a little bit better. This is a great opportunity and I am truly honoured by her contact. Would like to do my best to form a great work relationship with her.

6. Oh by the way, I am extra grateful for my colleague who did not respond to the request of the person in (5) above, which prompter her to contact me instead. Am I not lucky that I have this chance of communicating with her? yes, I am. Certainly, somebody’s lack of action is somebody else’s good luck. Thanks a lot 🙂

7. Additionally, I am grateful for my hard work as I had emailed a proposal to a group this morning, which also includes the person in (5) above. I think the timing could not be better 🙂

8. I am grateful for the healthy food I have had today. I ate bread but the rest was all healthy food.

9. I am grateful for watching TV; I am watching a movie I kind of remember, yet I have no recollection of neither the story nor the characters 🙂

10. I am grateful for combing my hair this morning. I do not usually do that for some reason, but now that it is getting long, it is getting all tangled. I better comb it after washing.

11. I am grateful for deciding to take a better care of my skin. I use a wash clothe today to exfoliate and moisturise my face. I hope to remember to put my night cream before going to the bed. I should also start putting sunscreen on my face before I leave the house.

12. I am grateful for loving my flossers. I have been struggling to floss for many years. Right after my semi-annual dental visits, I would continue for some time but after that it would drift from my mind. The one that worked with me was a tri-liner flosser (not the string). It did the wonders with me. it is interesting how long it may take sometime to find out the best working solution for our quests… Trial of new options is a must.

13. I am grateful for keeping up with some of the challenges I assigned to myself a while ago: I took the bus; walked; drank two cups of great smelling and tasting herbal tea; looked out of the window and the yard to enjoy my surroundings; ate mostly healthy food; did not make unconscious spendings; and listened to the music at the office 🙂

14. I am grateful for being grateful, noticing my joyful moments,  doing activities that make me feel accomplishing my goals, and writing them to my joy journal.

have a great night everybody 🙂

joy journal – May 24, 2015

1. A truly exciting and blissful day; it was sunny (although windy too) and energizing. I am grateful for every moment of this day.

2. I am grateful for not sleeping in late. I got up around 9 am, which is great. At first it did not feel so exciting, since the breakfast place does not open till 10am, but eventually I made it to 10 am and then the rest of the day was long and full of things to do!

3. I am grateful for the breakfast and the chats I have had with the staff. They are young bright people who are just going thru school and part-time job at the same time. It is kind of difficult; I remember my own years. but they seem to do both just well and are incredibly nice people to interact with.

4. I am grateful for shopping and getting shocked by the receipt!! It was not too much, but then it was.. I liked the fact that I reacted negatively to spending that much today. This tells me that I am really in the “conscious spending” mode and I am very happy with that. I am extra grateful that I left one item prior to checking out.

5. I am grateful for buying the glues my sister wanted for so long. I am also grateful for the shea butter hand cream I bought for myself; it smells good and feels very smooth. It was above my budget but I bought it anyways to treat myself. Conscious spending does not mean I need to constrain myself to the degree that I cannot enjoy my own money, especially for something that is good for my body.

6. I am grateful for the healthy lunch and dinner I have had today. yes I have eaten bread too (which I am trying to cut), but at least I have also eaten veggies, either raw or canned.

7. I am grateful for spending time in the yard, getting mesmerized and fascinated by the young trees, checking the seeded areas for growth, and removing some dandelion out. I could sit whole day out, breathing fresh air, listening to the trees and birds, and feeling the sun warming my bones. I am lucky I am to have a yard and I am very thankful for that.

8. I am grateful for walking twice today; first while going to the store to purchase stuff and then in the afternoon. The nice thing about nice weather is the energy and wish to be outside it gives. I could not help myself but put the shoes on and went out. walked to another grocery store maybe 10 min away. Since last year I have not been there – it is a relatively small store but the fresh produce is fantastic. I did only buy a pack of chocolate-biscuit I was craving for and enjoyed it while walking back to home.

9. I am grateful for having an upbeat, relaxing, and energizing weekend. This weekend was truly a blessing. My mood is high and I am looking forward to a productive work week ahead of me.

10. I am grateful for TV and the movies I have watched this weekend.

11. I am grateful for having the love in my heart to give to the trees, the plants, and anything else in my yard.

12. I am grateful for speaking with my family and my best friend today; their support is always useful, sincere, and strong.

13. I am grateful for deciding to take a longer route starting yesterday to walk from office to home in the afternoon. The change of scenery should feel good and it will give my body a better exercise.

14. I am grateful for all the food I have at home. My pantry and fridge has more than enough food to let me go through the week.

15. I am grateful for the blogs I have read today – I learn so much about gardening, budgeting, and crafting. Learning and curiosity are the sources of excitement 🙂

16. I am grateful for being relaxed, positive, and grateful today.

random thoughts

It is a beautiful bright and warm day. Could not ask for more of weather. Is it not awesome that the weather has such a positive effect?

Kind of a regular Saturday for me – the routine is the same; getting up, getting breakfast and doing light work at the favourite cafe, cleaning and aerating the house, and doing laundry. these may be routine, but they feel great nevertheless; the ability to waking up, the ability to buy myself breakfast, the ability and motivation to do work at the weekend, the great feeling after seeing my home cleaned and organized. Routine or not, many things to be grateful for.

One change I have made today was to switch to my recliner – time to give a break to the couch. The good thing: where I sit now, I am capable of hooking my sound system and listen to the music thru my computer. That is great. A couple of days ago my next door neighbours were having a barbecue party and they were listening to nice, upbeat music. I enjoyed listening to it and now I can do that myself.

have a great, shiny, and happy Saturday everyone.

joy journal – May 22, 2015

1. I am grateful for reading a post about gratefulness. It immediately lifted my mood 🙂

2. I am grateful for sleeping soundly and getting up easily this morning. I was energized and rested. That is, to me, a great feeling.

3. I am grateful for eating two apples today. I noticed that when I eat sliced apple, my chances of liking it is higher. No idea what causes this perception, but just to keep eating this healthy and hearty fruit, I will keep doing what works. By the way am I the only person noticing better digestion due to apple? Interesting…

4. I am grateful for shopping this afternoon. There were many fresh produce, all looking colourful and delicious. I am grateful for the vine tomato for smelling so good, the hot pepper for being so delicious, for zucchini being so plum, the canned lentils, beans, and corns being affordable and ready to consume.

5. I am grateful for walking back from the office. Today is the first day that it felt really like spring and thus I switched to my spring coat. No more winter coat! 🙂 I am so excited about this. I have so many different and nice coats/jackets that I would like to wear now. I feel abundant and i love the change 🙂

6. I am grateful for leaving my office early day and working at home. I did light work only; my next week schedule is pretty light, which excites and relaxes me.

7. I am grateful for telling to the interviewee this morning right away that I would not be interested in hiring him. I usually would like to be positive but this person was really not ready for an interview and did not have a professional attitude. Case closed. I will focus on other applicants now. Amazing how the info on the paper and the person in reality can be so different.

8. I am grateful for spending time at my yard in the morning and the evening. Just for a few minutes, just to look at the life forms in it, to see whether any of my seeds came to life. Nothing yet, but tomorrow is another day – who knows what will happen? Hope is the best remedy 🙂

9. I am grateful for getting an okay and support for an event I would like to organize within our unit. My boss is supportive and contacted admins to make sure they were okay with it. I have drafted a document to circulate to some of my colleagues who were interested in giving me a hand with it. Together we can move this idea and have a wonderful event.

10. I am grateful for three small trees in my yard. Last year they were small; this year I decided to remove them, but could not – one of them turned out to be quite difficult to get out, so I left them alone. This morning I noticed that they started to bloom and they look so healthy, so alive, so awesome! Seriously! 🙂 I have no idea which kind of trees they are but I am grateful they are in my yard and thriving in it!

11. I am grateful for the relaxing Friday night. I have two weekend days to enjoy without going to work. I can walk, I can shop, I can have breakfast, I can clean and declutter my home, and I can just relax reading and contemplating.

12. I am grateful for chatting on the phone with one of my colleagues in another city. We have known each other for more than a decade and have been collaborating about several projects. It is awesome that we can both talk seriously about the work and then have friendly conversations and laughters.

13. I am grateful for thinking about cancelling the cable and subscribing to netflix instead. Not sure whether it is possible to stream with my old TV, but a phone conversation can answer that question.

14. I am grateful for all the pens, papers, notebooks, and other stationary items I have. I love, love, love them. Buying them, seeing them, and using them. Writing and reading are so integral to my life-style anything that propels and helps them is appreciated.

15. I am grateful for being abundant, safe, sound, and healthy. I am grateful for all the furniture, items, clothes and shoes I have that make my life easy and going. I am grateful for all the cleaning products and other regularly used-up items which I have stocked up and available for use when needed.

16. I am grateful that I kept up with some of the challenges today; I drank a fabulous cup of tea at the office today; enjoyed looking at the yard and trees several times; ate relatively healthy, and walked for 30 min on a beautiful day.

17. I am grateful for being grateful and expressing it.

joy journal – May 20, 2015

1. I am grateful for having a good night sleep. It is getting warmer and my bedroom for sure feels the difference. I lowered the thermostat yesterday and I think I can lower it more. That feels good. I feel like soon I will start opening the windows upstairs during the evenings. Imagining all the fresh air coming in, that idea excites me very much 🙂

2) I am grateful for having no meeting today. as a matter of fact for the next two days as well I have no meeting scheduled! That is great as it gives me a sense of freedom as well as the ability to focus on tasks that require long and uninterrupted time. I have worked with my team members today and moved one of the lagging tasks ahead. We all are feeling excited about this and certainly motivated! 🙂

3. I am grateful for working till past 6pm today. Longer days, combined with the natural light coming out of the office window is energizing. I seriously did not want to leave the office this evening.

4. I am grateful for walking to home from the office. I still am wearing my winter coat, which started to be too warm. I will try to switch to my spring coat soon.

5. I am grateful for eating eggs for dinner. I love eggs. I had not had any lately. they are so amazing, tasty, and nutritious.

6. I am grateful for not eating too much today. Especially when comes to carbs (such as bread), that is good news for me 🙂

7. I am grateful for checking the bus schedule. What did I see? between 8-9 am, there are 3 services not 2 (that I thought). That makes taking the bus so much easier for me. why did I not notice it before? I have no idea – one of these things that you would think you know, but turns out not. Eh..

8. I am grateful for lying on the couch. I usually sit. But tonite I am resting my body a little bit. I feel like breaking the routine and doing something nice for my body. well done 🙂

9. I am grateful for dumping the garbage, including the junk and dry branches/leaves I collected from my yard. A total of 5 bags – one of the largest dump I have ever made. It is good that I have not forgotten to put them outside for collection.

10. I am grateful for the nice person who housesits when I am away for an extended period of time. Even though I have to pay for the service, the peace of mind in knowing there is someone reliable to take care of my house is great. I also learnt all bunch of stuff about the house safety from this person as well as a security company. Learning is interesting and empowering.

11. I am grateful for deciding to pamper my body by moisturising, eating better, and walking more.

12. I am grateful for my line of credit. Now, that is weird I know – it would be much better if I had not needed it. But I do need it and it helps me from having a negative chequeing account, which costs more than the current credit balance.

13. I am grateful for experiencing something this morning. I went to grab something to eat and on the way back while waiting the elevator, I just straightened my back and shoulders and immediately I felt good. Confident. Determined. Man, it is true that our posture effects our mind and our mood! A very valuable experience for me. Surely will be practised again (highly recommended to try).

14. I am grateful for the quiet and safe night; I am grateful for keeping a quiet and peaceful life; I am grateful for taking time to relax; and I am grateful for everything and everyone that make these possible for me.

15. I am grateful that I could keep up with some of the challenges I assigned to myself: maybe not too many but here they are; eating better and enjoying the view, both at the office and at home, and relaxing.

16. I am grateful for being grateful and finding the energy and the wish to write these to my joy journal.

joy journal – May 16, 2015

Here are the events, feelings, activities, and realizations that gave me a chance to be excited, happy, or positive.

1. I am grateful for its being Saturday. Although I want to work and finish tasks, I appreciate the freedom to do whatever I want or need.

2. I am grateful for meeting with a friend of mine at my favourite cafe today. We had breakfast together, chat, and looked at her pictures from a recent vacation in a beautiful city. It was a great change for me and I liked being social :).

3. I am grateful for cleaning my home today. Saturdays are usually the cleaning and laundry day for me. I 90% of the times keep this habit. I am glad that it was not difficult to do it at all.

4. I am grateful for aerating my home. It is truly a spring day, so nice and warm. I like opening the windows and letting fresh air in. It gives me a sense of being in a “healthy” home.

5. I am grateful for working at the yard, getting exposed to sunlight, breathing in fresh air, and exercising my body. My yard looks better than yesterday and I am getting more and more interested in doing better.

6. I am grateful for the seeds of herbs and plants that over the year I had bought and accumulated. The day to plant them finally arrived! Tomorrow I hope to plant some flower seeds. I need to choose excellent places for them so that once planted and grow, they always can stay where they are.

7. I am grateful for taking three pots out on the deck. One of them has a variety of flowers that are originally designed indoors. I am not sure whether I should plant them on the yard, but I guess it is better to try that. Other two; I had planted herbs in them but they never excelled indoors. I am hoping they will thrive outdoors. If not I am not losing anything 🙂

8. I am grateful for cooking and eating a healthy meal for dinner.

9. I am grateful for being excited about the spring, nature, and warm weather – who would not? 🙂 I notice that the awakening of the nature has a positive effect on me as it gives hope. Hope that dark days will be followed by bright ones, hope that whatever is challenging us will cease to be so. Spring is truly the season of hope.

10. I am grateful for having the evening to myself. I enjoy reading blogs and getting inspired by them. I also like watching TV and having my books next to me; when the time comes, I will read and enjoy them.

11. I am grateful for continuing to be a conscious spender.

12. I am grateful for being excited about new ideas, new hobbies, and taking the time to read and learn about them. For example gardening and conscious spending are my two recent interests. Those who post about them here; you all are awesome!

13. I am grateful for not being able to find one of my garden cutters. I cannot find it at home. No idea where it is. Yet, while looking for it, I had a chance to see what else I have had and I am happy to see how much stuff I actually own (all useful).

14. I am grateful for replacing the soap with a new one; it smells so nice that I felt blessed. Small things can have profound positive effects on me. A $2 soap making this effect is amazing.

15. I am grateful for dumping some extra stuff from my bathroom. I am thinking about de-cluttering again and I started with the easiest place – the bathrooms. I do not have a lot of stuff in bathrooms, which helps me to identify and dump un-useful, unused, or old stuff. The rest of the house then can follow. My biggest concern will be the storage cabinet, which is full of old paperwork. I am not sure whether I am doing good keeping them or not? I will see.

16. I am grateful for being grateful and excited about today.

stay well everybody

joy journal – May 14, 2015

1. I am grateful that my mood is up today. Partly because I did hardly have any time slot empty today. I can say maybe up to 8 formal and informal meetings I have had and all went all right. I love being busy but also relax; it was one of these days.

2. I am grateful that I noticed one of the reasons I feel stressed or lazy, especially in the mornings, is that I get up with many thoughts in my mind. I think if I focus on something rather than what I have to take care of during the day or in future, my chances of feeling better is more likely. They say being in the moment helps with this kind of stuff; would like to find a way to divert my mind to more positive things. May not be easy, but I will try 🙂

3. I am grateful that I made a conscious choice of not eating the cake at the social this afternoon, but rather had vegetables. I am seriously proud of myself. I had a chance to eat a variety of veggies and did not let my body get irritated by sugar.

4. I am grateful for one of my good friends/colleagues giving me a ride this afternoon. She is a sweetheart and I am lucky to have her as a friend. It makes a huge difference to have good, kind, wise, and nice people in my life. I am extra grateful that in the car there was another colleague of mine, whose name I had known but never had a chance to meet with. Considering that she had actually resolved one of my work-related issues today (I got a letter from her just today), I was so excited to meet with her. Amazing!

5. I am grateful that weather is nice today; not necessarily warm but really nice and bright. They say it will raise up to 16 C tomorrow. Cannot wait:)

6. I am grateful for having a phone interview in the morning with an applicant for my team. The applicant is not necessarily the best one suitable for my projects, yet there are some nice qualities about him that I may be interested in recruiting him. The phone conversation left a good impression on me. Better than what is written on the paper.

7. I am grateful for shopping in the afternoon. I found fresh mint, which excites me very much. Where I am, it usually is not a common herb, but I love it! I could not be happier 🙂

8. I am grateful for having a large green salad where I liberally used fresh mint. It was amazing! I should go back tomorrow and buy more. I would like to grow mint myself – I tried it before but now more than ever I am determined to find a way to do so.

9. I am grateful that I have had a protein-based meal for dinner and I am very pleased with the recent eating pattern. I bought bread today but I am keen of eating it less and veggies more. I will see how it goes.

10. I am grateful for my shoes, clothes, furniture, stationary items, my computer/cable/internet connection/TV that makes my life easy and comfortable. I am extra grateful for my house, however problematic it may be, for sheltering me from bad weather and the rest.

11. I am grateful for weighing a little bit less today compared to last couple of days. I know my body does not like simple carbs, especially bread, in excessive amounts. I am keen to keep my body happy and continue to lose water or fat, whatever it is that I am losing and have a healthy blood chemistry (i.e. normal level of glucose).

12. I am very grateful that I kept up with some of the challenges I listed a couple of days ago.  Specifically, I could get up right on time (8.15 am), waited and took the bus rather than the cab, drank a cup of tea at the office, not only looked out of my own office window but two other places to enjoy the scenery during the day, ate better and healthier, did not make unconscious expenses, shopped lightly and bought fresh produce, and smiled once or twice during the day (that made me smile now 🙂 ).

13. I am grateful for being grateful today.

cheers

joy journal – May 13, 2015

1. I had difficulty sleeping yesterday night, but I am grateful I got up only 30 min late. That meant me not being able to wait for the bus (argh!) and taking the cab again. I am not going to beat myself up for that, but I am extra grateful that I am feeling not good about this. I am hopeful about tomorrow.

2. I am grateful for taking care of a number of small stuff at work today. I feel the need to work on the major tasks, but when my daily schedule is fragmented between meetings, phone calls, urgent matters to take care of, and my team member’s needs, it is somehow difficult. I am planning to preserve the morning hours for me only. I think that is a great idea and I hope to implement it, starting tomorrow.

3. I am grateful for having a relaxing night at home. I have this new interest of “conscious spending”, which prompted me to look for and follow a number of blogs nowadays. I should say I am really inspired! I know I will not do the majority of the things suggested, but nevertheless they keep me focused on the conscious spending idea and help me to make small changes everyday.

4. I am grateful for having a really healthy dinner this evening. I did not buy bread today, so I am lacking the carbs to make me sleepy, but eating fruit a few minutes ago almost filled me and I hope this feeling will help me to fall asleep tonite. If I can make it, then it will make me believe that I will be able to live without being dependent on bread to make me feel good or sleepy. Confidence is a great feeling for implementing changes.

5. I am extra grateful that while I was getting ready to make pasta for tonite’s dinner, I changed my mind and rather prepared a vegetable dish. How could I do that? I am proud of myself 🙂

6. I am grateful that I worked with a junior team member of mine today on a project. I did not have clear answers but at least we tried to clarify things and I am hoping that was a good learning opportunity for her. She thanked me at the end, saying that now she has a better idea of how things should be. Is that not awesome? It is awesome! Do you know why? Because my other team members always expected me to have answers right away and fix things, which does not happen all the time. Great to have someone new with a different attitude around.

7. I am grateful for working till 6 pm at the office. Since days are longer now, it just feels okay to spend longer time at the office.

8. I am grateful for flossing almost consistently in the last month or so. Now, you may say, dear reader, that this is gross. I totally agree with you! It is gross. but then it is also healthy and I am kind of excited to be persistent about it. The trick that worked for me was to use the “flossers” rather than the floss (i.e. string) itself. this experience reminds me that sometime there are multiple ways to do things and if one way does not work, keep looking for alternatives. And who knows? Maybe we will come across one that works for us. Keep hope.

9. I am grateful for eating an apple today. Why? because of its health benefits 🙂

10. I am grateful for my computer that is still working. It has been slowed down in the last one year and frequently shuts down. When it shuts down, it does not start easily afterwards. Poor thing. It is time to get a new one and I ordered for one. Until the new one comes, I will be thankful each day I am capable of using it and connecting to internet.

11. I am grateful that I remembered to put the garbage out this morning; it is garbage collection day. So far I have not missed it not even once. I congratulate myself.

12. I am grateful for keeping up with some of my challenges today. In short, I ate healthy, limited the carbs considerably, drank two cups of tea, smiled once or so even when there was no one around, looked out of the window to enjoy the view, and did not have extra expense (other than the cab fare) that would threw away my “conscious spending” plan. well done!

13. I am grateful for not being lazy and writing this post tonite.

cheers everyone

joy journal – May 12, 2015

1. A relatively good day; I noticed that as I work, get results, and complete stuff I feel positive. I am very grateful for my job and feeling good, thanks to it.

2. I am grateful for the beautiful day! It is still chilly but bright and shiny. The effect the sunlight makes on me is amazing. Now that I have a window at my office I believe I get exposed to it more and that has substantial positive effect on me. well done! 🙂

3. I am grateful for getting up exactly at 8.15 am (to catch the bus at 8.35 am). They say that if you tell your brain the time you would like to get up, it does work like a clock. If this is the case (e.g. not a coincidence), then I thank my brain for making this possible today.

4. I am grateful that I dragged myself to the bus stop (rather than taking the cab), waited for the bus, and arrived my work place right before 9 am. I am cautious but I do really hope that taking the bus is now becoming a habit for me. Good for the environment, good for me.

5. I am grateful that I ate an apple today at the office. It was delicious and I know it is healthy.

6. I am grateful for drinking not one but 3 cups of tea today! I really love that I keep doing it. I even offered a cup of pomegranate tea to one of my team members, who loved it too. It is great!

7. I am grateful for working really well at the office; one of my team members and I came up with a good idea and did some awesome work. My team member and I are an excellent team – we understand each other, the way we work is similar to each other, she has a keen eye thus we catch mistakes and unclear points well (very critical in our job), and has an incredible positive energy and enthusiasm. I am very lucky to have her in my team and wishing her always the best.

8. I am grateful that I walked from office to home. Healthy and relaxing!

9. I am grateful for eating a large salad and protein-based meal for dinner. I am extra grateful that I limited my intake of refined carbs today.

10. I am grateful that today I did well in terms of the challenges I assigned to myself: I got up at 8.15 am, catched the bus, ate better and limited carbs, drank at least 1 cup of tea, I (when I remembered it 🙂 ) smiled even when there was no one around, looked out of the office window to appreciate the surroundings. Not bad for now, eh? 🙂

11. I am grateful for being grateful.

cheers

joy journal – may 11, 2015

1. Not a bad day at all! I am very grateful for feeling better today compared to yesterday.

2. I am grateful for finally having had it, noticing I made myself unhappy by delaying tasks and plans, and challenging myself to take action. I know myself; I may not continue as I so far remained undetermined to take strong steps toward my wishes. But I also know that if I am pissed off enough, if my issues/tasks lagged too much and started to bother me, I can take a very strong stand. I hope that time arrived.

3. I am grateful for going to bed relatively early and waking up at the exact time I wanted to get up; 8.15 am. Why is this time important? Because if I get up at that time, I can catch the 8.40 bus and arrive the office around 8.50 am. Perfect timing!

4. I am grateful I took the bus this morning, as part of a challenge I invited myself into. I needed to talk myself into it, I was still resistant, but I could make it. One thing is critical for me to take the cab – to get up exactly at 8.15 – 8.20 am. Anything later or earlier than that prompts me to take the cab.

5. I am grateful for enjoying the bus trip – it takes 10 min to reach my office so it is fast. Additionally, I get to see a different route.

6. I am grateful for drinking three different kinds of tea at the office; at noon and afternoon. Tea makes me feel good.

7. I am grateful for taking care of three tasks that I have been delaying for some time. When they were done it was only 10 am – I felt like I accomplished a lot and also have a lot of time to start dealing with other work.

8. I am grateful for typing the step-by-step tasks that I need to take care of at work. Printed them out and placed on my desk. As I take care of them, I highlight them. Visually I am capable of seeing them being taken care of, which generates a sense of satisfaction and confidence. It actually makes me happy 🙂

9. I am grateful for eating sensible today. No breakfast as usual, a protein snack at lunch, and then a hearty salad and bread at the dinner. Bread could be limited, but that is okay 🙂

10. I am grateful for doing grocery shopping today. I have not done this in the last 10-12 days. I did a conscious shopping – only bought what I would need in the coming few days and purchased in relatively smaller amounts. I am trying to not waste grocery and decided to buy in small amounts but frequently.

11. I am grateful for buying apples today. time to time I love eating apples, but not all the time. I also love golden delicious or mcintosh apples most. Good to have found them today.

12. I am grateful for walking from office to home. It takes around 25-30 min. Supposed to be very good for my health. Also I do not need to wait for the bus. Extra grateful 🙂

13. I am grateful for following some blogs about budgeting and saving. I can be a great saver – I have been for some time. I am inspired back to reducing my expenses by reading others’ opinion and tips. I am very happy with that. Time to start also following blogs on healthy eating and exercise, though 🙂

14. I am grateful for working really well today – the satisfaction coming out of is awesome.

15. I am grateful for being grateful.

Have a great night everybody!

joy journal – May 9, 2015

1. I am grateful for getting up early – 8 am to be exact. I found a chance to fill the day with many activities.

2. I am grateful for having breakfast at my favourite cafe – the staff changed, which makes it a little bit different. Change is good, though I would prefer the previous staff – she was really nice and kind.

3. I am grateful for getting bored at home and going to the office around 11 am. I have worked with a team member of mine, who was also at work. With time available, we have taken care of some stuff. I could not finish my own work but that is okay. I worked a little bit back at home, which made me pleased. I also printed out some documents which I can handle tomorrow.

4. I am grateful for drinking two cups of teas today at the office – I am feeling better when I drink tea 🙂

5. I am grateful for walking back from office to home. I was feeling lazy (as usual) but decided to walk anyhow. That amazes me; good job! I should integrate more walking here and there, especially at the weekends. It is relaxing, healthy, and makes me feel good.

6. I am grateful for cleaning my home – honestly I did not want to do it today (one of the reasons I went to office today). But I did it. I also opened the windows and let fresh air in. Additionally I noticed that the crack on my wall is getting worse – it is time to get a second opinion and start taking care of it before it gets way worse. Not that I feel good about it, no. I quietly wished that the crack was random, due to the warming temperatures. But no, I guess it is more like a foundation problem. Emotions around financial hardship, stress to find and arrange for a good repair company, and finding the time to deal with all of these are not joyful. But, knowing that I have nothing to do but work towards the repair at least focuses me. Focus gives me peace of mind.

7. I am grateful that I finally focused and planned my work-related tasks. Now, I have a plan. When you have a plan, an itemized and scheduled plan, it does not feel overwhelming. One step at a time. things are clear in my mind and thus I feel motivated to take the steps.

8. I am grateful that I also listed the things I have to take care in my life. I have been aware of them for a long time, with little determination but nothing too substantial. For example, my weight, my unhealthy eating habits, the need for more exercise, and reducing my expenses. I have done all of these before and I was more or less successful – especially about frugality and healthy diet+exercise. I have the expertise, I have the confidence, I just do not have the determination… I just gotta take action.

9. I am grateful for figuring out why I constantly feel the need to pamper myself. because I have too many things to deal with (work, house, and life). Since these issues are not going anywhere unless I start taking care of them, they just keep accumulate and collectively bother me. I need a plan. I need to stick to it. I will write on this later in detail – it will help me to activate the plan.

10. I am grateful for having a healthy dinner tonite.

11. I am grateful for having the night to myself – quiet, lovely, and peaceful.

12. I am grateful for getting ready for a good night sleep. I really hope that it will be a restful sleep.

13. I am grateful for tomorrow being sunday. I can go to office, I can take my time and relax at home, or I can do whatever I would like to do.

14. For some reason, I am grateful for not shopping in the last 10 days or so. Could not figure out the reason yet 🙂

joy journal – April 27, 2015

A rainy, foggy, but nevertheless a precious day of my life. Here is my gratefulness list for today:

1. I am grateful for the rainy and foggy day. It has been like this since saturday. Foggy days, although are depressive on the long run, also gives a mystical sense to the city. It is actually a great time to take pictures. I imagine a street lamp illuminating in a dark with fog at the background. Almost a black-and-while photo, which may include colourful houses at the back. The whole picture would look so awesome…. I can see it in my mind clearly – and it makes me happy.

2. I am grateful for keeping up positive and continuing to deal with the issues. I am proud of myself for holding up.

3. I am grateful for today being another light-work day. I have not worked too much, but I gotta start doing this soon so that I can finish lagging work and start fresh ones. It is exciting 🙂

4. I am grateful that I am still excited about my new office 🙂 I know, I know dear reader you are probably about to puke, but it seriously it makes me happy and excited. I still tell everyone I see at the workplace what a nice office it is and how happy I am to have it, including my boss. My boss smiled and said “I heard from 3 other people how happy you were with your office”. She was happy for me. I thanked her previously but it does not hurt to thank her here again for my office, considering that there are only 4 offices with windows (one of which is mine) and we are around 30 people. My boss said the fact that in contrast to some others, I actually spend a lot of time in the office, which helped me to get the office. Thank you, thank me 🙂

5. I am grateful for walking in the afternoon, a little bit faster this time. I walked with one of my colleagues, who walks faster than me. So today’s walk was more like a cardio exercise, more healthy. Yay!

6. I am grateful for being warm tonite. It has been cold lately, but today feels allright.

7. I am grateful for all the books I have around me. I was not reading lately, but I have occasional look at them, which is always pleasing.

8. I am grateful for my team being back and fully settled in the new place. They seem allright with this change and rapidly adapting to the new environment. We had a meeting today and we slowly getting back to operating fully.

9. I am grateful for one of my favourite TV shows airing tonite. They say it is going to be one of this memorable ones – cannot wait 🙂

10. I am grateful for feeling better tonite.

11. I am grateful for flossing lately. It may be gross to mention it, but considering how healthy it is and how lazy I usually am, I am proud of myself.

12. I am grateful for my sense of humour today; with several of my colleagues today I participated shortly in a group exercise that involved coming up with creative and humorous quotes. It was hilarious and I had great time.

13. I am grateful for not eating too much today.

14. I am grateful for not being lazy and walking within and between the buildings today.

15. I am grateful for brewing my own coffee this morning. I have also drunk two cups of tea at noon. I had a variety pack of tea that turned out to be really exciting. 6 different types of teas. I loved the opportunity to choose among different tea bags and I know that in the coming days as well I have the same opportunity. Considering the health benefits of tea, I am now more than before motivated to drink tea.

joy journal – April 26, 2015

I am literally pushing myself to write this journal today. While writing I am sure I will feel better remembering things that I am grateful for – that is my greatest motivation to write now.

1. I am grateful for going through ups and downs, positive and negative in life, which so far all are deal-able things. It does not mean that I am having a great time; I feel like acknowledging things helps with reducing their effect and seeing them within the larger picture helps me to downgrade their importance and thus their effects.

2. I am grateful for having breakfast this morning. Not necessarily enjoyed it as I was not hungry, but that is okay.

3. I am grateful for the throws one of my friends gave me a while ago. I use them to cover the couch while I am sitting on it. They help it from being getting dirty as I am known to have ink stains all around where I am 🙂 At first I did not like them, but now I can see how useful they are.

4. I am grateful for its being Sunday and still afternoon. I am seeing today as a great opportunity to feel my emotions, rather than suppressing them. It is not pleasant but I think healthy.

5. I am grateful for tomorrow being a work day, which will help me to start dealing and moving with the work-related issues. I hope to get positive progress.

6. I am grateful for my TV and cable. I am watching a movie; the sound track for a few seconds made me felt good.

7. I am grateful for all the food and clothes I have, my home, my furniture and all I can get for myself to provide myself with a comfortable life.

8. I am grateful for my job that keeps my mind busy and helps me with my life.

9. I am grateful for family and friends who support me, listen to me, make me laugh, and enable me to share.

10. I am grateful for the grey day that makes me feel like I am having a long evening and night, which are the most peaceful times of the day for me.

11. I am grateful for chatting with one of my colleagues at the breakfast cafe in the morning. What a nice feeling to be around nice and positive persons.

12. I am grateful for watering my plants yesterday. I sometimes forget to do this. The effect of water is immediately observable. I like plants; one of my plants has been with me for 5-6 years. Quite a resilient plant that does not require much of a care but still keeps green and leafy through winter and summer.

13. I am grateful for being lazy today; not doing much other than watching TV, occasionally writing and reading.

14. I am grateful for getting increasingly aware of the life-style changes that I need to make. I cannot say that I have taken firm steps to do the changes, but they keep showing up on my mind and keep bugging me. I wonder when I will make the changes. I kind of feel like when the right time comes, they will happen. But if I keep having my excuses (i.e. lack of time or energy,, stress levels, need to pamper myself), I am not sure whether it will become reality. I can only hope.

15. I am grateful for not being crashed under the weight of my issues.

16. I am grateful that I know I have options to change my life for better. I can start exercise programs, I can shop better and spend time at the kitchen to prepare healthier food, I can cut out unhealthy food from my life and actually save some pennies, I can start walking in the morning to increase my daily exercise, I can take a break during lunch to walk around a near-by pond and park, I can start doing exercise by watching exercise programs at home, I can motivate myself to lose weight… The problem with weight lose is that it is hard to keep off the pounds coming back and different programs seem to work with different individuals. I know exercise helps me to keep it on track (but not necessarily helping me to lose weight but sure helps me to feel good and maybe eat less), so what is the best way? what is the best continuous way to lose weight for myself? Gotta figure that out. Bread comes to my mind first. Leave the bread out and then see.

17. I am grateful for having some left over meal today. I am not feeling like cooking; so the left-over is quite helpful.

joy journal – April 21, 2015

here are the good things, events, people, thoughts, and feelings for today 🙂

1. I have issues to deal with (work and house related), but I am keeping my morale not down. This surprises me for sure, but also delights me. I think the positive things happening in my life (such as the new office) and new support for some of my projects make me have a positive outlook on life’s challenges. More than that I guess I am getting increasingly seeing the whole picture (that is, life as a whole) and the importance and place of my issues. They are important issues, but I am not resisting to these issues, rather accept them as they are. I may or may not be able to solve this issues with desired outcomes, but I know I am doing my best.

2. I am grateful for having my dinner ready this evening; it is a left-over from yesterday so I did not have to think about what to eat, or spend time cooking.

3. I am grateful for walking this afternoon from office to home. It is surprisingly chilly outside, though the sky is clear and bright. I am perfectly fine with that.

4. I am grateful for the plant I bought for my office yesterday. I was not at first sure whether it would fit my office well. Its not exactly dark green, which makes me think like maybe it is not at its best condition. But, its leaves looks allright (i.e. soft), not too spiky and as such does have a soft impression. It just fit on the window trim well, in its new vase I had bought during the weekend. Looking good.

5. I am grateful for eating some fruits at noon when I attended a presentation by a colleague.

6. I am grateful for chatting with another colleague about a project of mine. He is supportive, which is awesome! This project is the biggest I have ever developed, once I form the project team, I plan to make an application. It is not going to be easy to get it funded, but I think it has a good chance of getting funded. Once funded, then it will be a busy time running that project, but I am (at least for now) okay with that.

7. I am grateful for cleaning my office a little bit today, before the dust can settle in. It did not require much effort, but it tells me that I can do this frequently so that I can keep it fresh, clean, organized, welcoming, and harmonic. I thank myself for being determined to do so 🙂

8. I am grateful for sleeping well yesterday night.

9. I am grateful for replacing my office garbage can with a new one! How nice 🙂

10. I am grateful for my house, TV, couch, other furniture, food, and power that make my life easy and practical.

11. I am grateful for the move to be finishing tomorrow. I have one equipment and my assistant has her computer and folders to be moved tomorrow. These will be the last things that link me to the old building and the office. After that I will submit the keys and say goodbye to old and continue to cherish the new building/office.

12. I am grateful for the book I have got at the weekend. It is positive and helps me to keep calm at the face of issues and challenges.

13. I am grateful for having a nice phone conversation with a colleague/friend of mine today, who allowed me to talk about the work-related issues and get her opinion and positive back-ups.

14. I am grateful for being fully comfortable with my new office and its arrangements. Some of my colleagues are complaining about not getting used to their offices or new telephones etc. which I have not experienced at all. I am, in contrast, celebrating this change 🙂

15. I am grateful for my purse. It is the largest one I have ever bought or used. I bought it last year, was very hesitant at first, but it takes up so much stuff, often many paperwork as well as all bunch of personal items.

16. I am grateful for tomorrow being a garbage collection day. I can dump all the old stuff and open space for the new ones.

17. I am grateful for not having a serious problem at home.

18. I am grateful for being well and sound.

19. I am grateful I have lost some pounds. Now, this is surprising as I am not making an attempt to lose weight (even though I would like to) and I have not particularly eaten all-healthy food lately. So I am giving it to moving around more (moving the office etc, the shopping mall visits at the weekend etc.)

20. I am grateful for being grateful and enjoying writing my joy journal. It sure gives me a break from daily thoughts and makes me positive.

Joy journal – April 19, 2015

1. I am grateful for getting up not late this morning.

2. I am grateful for going to my favourite cafe for breakfast. It become an habit to pick my laptop with me and work there. I am not sure whether this is good or not. Today I just did some email correspondence but no serious work. The nice thing is that the person at the counter (who was not the regular staff that we chat time to time, who pours my coffee right away as soon as I enter the shop), had made my coffee ready, too! It is great to go to the same places which are run by the nice people. they get to know you well and surprise you with this kind of gestures. Awesome!

3. I am grateful for calling my family and then catching the bus to go to a shopping mall. I felt like not staying at home this weekend, which is something new. I am not sure whether it is the boredom (i.e. doing the same things over and over at home), or the fact that the days are brighter and livelier. I just feel like spending more time outside than inside. I think that is a lot better than sitting on my couch 🙂

4. I am grateful for the nice notebooks I found on sale today; I bought two of them at a reasonable price. they are so cute! I am planning to give them to people I love as a gift.

5. I am grateful for buying a nice colourful card and a nice frame for someone as an engagement gift. I guess she will love both of them. until today I had never bought a gift for engaged people. I kept wondering; what kind of presents are given when someone gets engaged? Is this an appropriate gift? I have no idea 🙂

6. I am grateful for buying a thin but large-enough mat to place under my chair in my new office. my new office has a carpet, which is all nice and shiny for now. but honestly i do think it is not suitable for the climate where I am. In winter, the entire office area will be dirty and wet with the snow/rain etc. I would like to cover my floor as much as possible with washable or easily replaceable items. I still need to get a runner, which I can get maybe next week.

7. I am grateful for buying nice vases today; I could not get plants for my office today, but the vases are ready! One is yellow and the other one is red. They will give colour and life to my new office. Exciting!

8. I am grateful for buying myself a lunch at the mall. I was not particularly hungry today (as yesterday) when I bought the meal. I know I do that to pamper myself… But perhaps I can stop doing this as when I am not hungry, the meal does not taste that well, either. better buy myself meal when I am hungry 🙂

9. I am grateful for the book I have bought today. It is one the books of my recent favourite author. I did not think it was as great as the other two books I have got, but that is okay.

10. I am grateful for the back-pack and totes that make carrying the items easy.

11. I am grateful for not buying anything that I would not use or give away as gifts. I am happy with the fact that all I bought will be used and none of them are extra items.

12. I am grateful for having a healthy meal at home.

13. I am grateful for feeling kinda allright today. time to time I get negative mood, but I guess that is what life is.

14. I am grateful today is a Sunday, which allows me to take a rest and enjoy my day.

15. I am grateful that my home is warm, my couch is comfy, my socks and blanket keep me warm, my water is filtered, and my TV is in good working condition.

16. I am grateful for taking responsibility for my financial situation and cutting unnecessary expenses, starting today. I also happily acknowledge the things I do well in terms of frugality.

17. I am grateful for internet and this blog site. I came to read the stories by many people that I only know through here. I am still hesitant to interact by writing comments and replies, but I guess I am getting used to it. there are really nice people out there.

18. I am grateful for walking in and between the stores and carrying my stuff. both of these activities are supposed to be good for my health.

19. I am grateful that I did wait for the bus on the way back from the mall – almost an half an hour… It was chilly but i did not even think about taking a cab, which is quite pleasing. I think taking the bus is becoming my “normal”.

20. I am grateful that I was not lazy or had low energy or something, and could do all of these activities today.

21. I am grateful for being grateful today 🙂

joy journal – April 18, 2015

It is a relatively nice day with nice activities and new excitements.

1. I am grateful that I got up early (9 am), but not later. That gave me a chance to find something different to do.

2. I am grateful I went to the shopping mall by taking the bus. I am extra grateful that I could wait 30 min at home to catch the bus :).

3. I am grateful that I took my time to go through the stores, enjoyed my latte and breakfast, checked the bookstore and other stores. Even though I have not purchased a lot of stuff, it felt really good.

4. I am grateful for walking around 20 min to a thrifty store from the mall. I generally am either lazy or have low energy and walking even 20 min seems like an extra work for me. Yet, the motivation to check the books at the thrifty store was strong enough to let me walk there.

5. I am grateful for the books I have purchased. One is about a cancer patients recovery from this disease and the other one is about decluttering and simplified life. Cannot wait to read these books.

6. I am grateful I bought myself a meal before I returned back to home.I was not particularly hungry but felt like I pampered myself, so well done 🙂

7. I am grateful for cleaning and aerating my home today; always a great feeling.

8. I am grateful for the healthy meal I have had at home for dinner.

9. I am grateful for three more books arriving on the mail yesterday. It is amazing that the package fit into the mail box. Otherwise, the package could not have been left and I would have to go to the post-office to get it. I have one more book to receive, hopefully in the next few weeks.

10. I am grateful for planning to go to another shopping mall tomorrow. I plan to buy a runner and maybe one or two plants for my new office. I am so excited!

11. I am grateful for it is being a saturday and a quiet and relaxing day. I have nothing to take care of, other than finishing my laundry and reading my new books.

12. I am grateful for my blanket that keeps me warm in this chilly evening.

13. I am grateful for today being a warm and bright day; I almost sweated with the coat on. Spring is almost here, I can feel it 🙂

14. I am grateful for my clothes, furniture, house, job, salary and benefits, food, TV, computer, cable and internet connection.

15. I am grateful that I am feeling alright today and I am hopeful about tomorrow (as I plan to shop again) and about monday (as it will be the first day at my new office) 🙂

joy journal – April 16, 2015

What an exciting (and tiring day 🙂 ). Here are today’s list of joyful events, experiences, and hopes.

1. I am grateful and extremely excited that I took the bus this morning, too. I have a weird habit of leaving the house upon getting up. It is an urge that I cannot explain and it does make me take the cab rather than waiting for the bus. And snow days are the worst, as I feel trapped at home. But today even though I had to wait at home an additional 15 min, I made it by keeping me busy with checking the emails. Time flew before I knew it and I arrived the bus stop maybe 5 min earlier. I made it! I hope to continue like this and keep taking the bus. It is easy, affordable, and fast!

2. I am grateful that I gave myself another present by buying coffee in the morning. It is an aromatic kind of coffee that I like. I think I should actually buy myself that kind of coffee to brew in my office.

3. I am grateful for moving my office and organizing everything in my new office. It is such a great office and I really like it. I am so excited!

4. I am grateful that I took a couple of minutes in my ex-office after we moved everything and contemplated about the times, cries, laughter, challenges, and good work I have had there. I have been in that office for more than 6 years… A lot of emotions attached. But, I love the change and I am cherishing it.

5. I am grateful that the water fountain is close to my new office (I drink around a litre of water every day at the office) and there is a sink in one of the rooms where I can wash my coffee mugs and coffee maker without spending too much time.

6. I am grateful for dumping quite a bit of unnecessary paperwork among my files. I think I have had something like two boxes of garbage dumped from my belongings. I am excited that I now have less files and folders, got rid of my second bookcase (which I have never liked anyways), by desk-station’s cabinets can hide away extra folders, and drawers takes up my personal stuff.

7. I am grateful that I had the momentum and the motivation to set everything in proper places in my new office. It was tiring, but I am amazed by my perseverance. I did not think that I could finish it today, but actually it happened. I know myself – if I had not finished it today, the remaining work would remain undone for some time. This office deserved better!

8. I am grateful that one of my work is now accepted! I had seen the congratulating emails after I got my computer is hooked up in the new office around noon. It always feels good 🙂

9. I am grateful that I have got rid of three old computer hard drives today. I do not know why I kept them for so long in my office. I think because they could still be useful for trainees or something. That experience made me remember one of the suggestions I had read somewhere that if we have not used something for six months (clothes included), it is time to let it go. Excellent advice.

10. I am grateful for walking back to home from the office, despite the facts that I was tired and there was a chilly wind outside.

11. I am grateful for eating salad and healthy today.

12. I am grateful that I have the evening to myself. I will take my time to relax, read, and watch TV. I guess one of my favourite TV shows has a new episode tonite. Cannot wait.

13. I am grateful for getting sleepy in the last few nights and going to bed at a regular time. That makes me sleep easily and get up early, too. Lovely.

14. I am grateful for my couch, furniture, food, house, power, TV, computer, and internet connection all of which helps me to have a comfortable, sheltered, and nourished life.

15. I am grateful for tomorrow – I gotta be somewhere else for a 6 hours work-related event but it does not start till 11 am. So I have the morning free. I plan to go to my favourite cafe, have breakfast, and also work till 10.45 am. It is a good plan.

16. I am grateful for being grateful and feeling better and excited today.

joy journal – April 15, 2015

relatively great day; I am thankful for many things today;

1. I am grateful that I slept well. It was comfortable and I woke up easily. I had a meeting at 9.30 am so I could take my time getting up (I planned to arrive directly at the meeting in another building). That also helped me to take the bus, rather than taking the cab. I not only saved some pennies but also walked a little bit to the bus stop and then to my meeting. Great!

2. I am grateful for the person at the desk that allowed me to use their phone to find out where the meeting was. It turns out I ended up at the wrong building and thanks to the phone conversation, I was able to locate the meeting room.

3. I am grateful for 10 min walk from the building where the meeting was held to my office. Morning walks energizes at the end, but I find myself to lazy to walk in the mornings (usually have low energy in the mornings..). I can try more often, knowing that at the end I will feel better.

4. I am grateful for buying myself coffee and muffins for breakfast. Now, brewing my coffee is more practical and affordable (which I do 99% of the time) and muffins are not necessarily healthy; I know. But, it did feel good..(I usually do not eat in the mornings).

5. I am grateful for lightly working (without much stress) but effectively. There was a project that I was working on, writing for almost 3 months. I changed the scope quite a bit as I learnt more about the important details of the work to be done. But today I was able to get a short draft and email it to an important senior collaborator to get his support and possibly involvement. My collaborator would not like to be involved in the project as he is trying to reduce his work load, but is highly supportive of the project and allowed me to use the documents and the work-space for this project. I am forever grateful!

6. I am grateful for having a nice late afternoon meeting, casual and positive conversations, with great colleagues. Always a delight.

7. I am grateful for moving 5-6 more boxes of items from my current office to the new office today. I believe I need another 4-5 boxes to fully carry the items to the new office. I am also grateful that I put an order to move my computer to the new office on monday, but not wednesday, which is my official moving day. That means I think tomorrow is my last day at my current office (friday I have out-of-office tasks to do, so will not be at the work-place). I sure will give my thanks to the office, which has been a home to me in the last 6 years.

8. I am grateful for cleaning some of my (emptied) office furniture today. I still have 3 desks and a bookcase to be cleaned really well prior to the move, but I guess I can do that next week.

9. I am grateful for one of my colleagues giving me a ride back home.

10. I am grateful for having the evening and night to myself. It is peaceful and relaxing.

11. I am grateful for having salad at dinner today. One healthy meal I have had 🙂

12. I am grateful for receiving one of the books that someone I care about asked me to get for her. I found it in my mail box, which is great. Should the book have been big or heavy, the postman would not leave it to my mail box; rather I would have to go to the post-office. I am grateful I did not have to do that.

13. I am grateful for the beautiful day; it is bright yet chilly, but that is okay.

14. I am grateful for having no negative news or experiences today and feeling good. That feeling is awesome :0

15. I am grateful that two bloggers, thesmallc and C. Hills  have shared what they were grateful for yesterday as a response to my joy journal entry! It is really exciting that these ladies adopted the idea of joy journalling and shared own joys! I feel really excited about this and wishing them and everyone else a great experience with joy journalling:)

joy journal – April 14, 2015

Here are the things I am excited, happy, or content about today 🙂

1. I am grateful for walking back from office to home – 30 min of walk. It is relaxing and good for my body. Well done 🙂

2. I am grateful for working with little or no stress today. Things are moving smoothly, though I will start working heavily again sometime soon.

3. I am grateful for eating some fruits at noon when I attended a presentation.

4. I am grateful for having a warm and bright day.

5. I am grateful about breaking my routine and working at my favourite cafe this afternoon. The waitress is a nice young lady; we chat each time (usually at the weekends). I was happy to chat with her (talking about coffee and weather, what else? 🙂 ). She asked me how long I have been here and whether I got used to the weather. yes, I have gotten used to the weather, but it took me a couple of years…. 🙂

6. I am grateful that there was still bagels at the cafe so I could get them this afternoon as well. Sometimes they run out of them, as these bagels are really nice and many people consume them.

7. I am grateful for taking the evening and the night easy, browsing the net and reading. Life is good when the mind is occupied by lovely things.

8. I am grateful for my food. I have not necessarily eaten ultra healthy today, but every once a while should be okay.

9. I am grateful for switching to walking shoes. I do not think I need to wear my winter boots again. I have lovely shoes, comfortable, too, which will be awesome to walk in.

10. I am grateful for being healthy, safe, and sound.

11. I am grateful for feeling better today, compared to yesterday.

12. I am grateful for combing my hair in the morning. How come I get so lazy I have no idea. My hair is long now and I can have a nice hair cut sometime to refresh my look.

13. I am grateful for the nice and chatty cab driver in the morning. He is not one of the regular drivers that give me ride in the morning. he was nice and excited about the beautiful day. Happy people’s attitude is infectious. What other way to start a day than such positive experiences?

14. I am grateful for sitting at my couch, rather than my recliner. There is something cozy and healing about this couch… It makes me feel pampered and relaxing. That is very interesting considering that it is just a couch…. Whatever that is, I will take it. feeling good is priceless.

15. I am grateful for continuing to clean my office and boxing some stuff. I cannot wait till next wednesday to finally say goodbye to my current office and move into my new office. Bright, clean, new office with a window. New furniture and environment. feeling good :0

16. I am grateful for meeting with a nice colleague of mine today. Having a chat felt good and his work is really interesting. We hope to recruit him to our department.

17. I am grateful for not getting a negative news today.

18. I am grateful for being hopeful about the spring and the summer. I am grateful for the hope that finally I will be able to feel the breeze on my skin. I am grateful that I will be able to go to the parks and listen to the trees as the wind goes through their leaves, making that beautiful and relaxing wooosh sound. I sometimes would like to think that trees can actually know a lot… strange but that is what it is 🙂

19. I am grateful for easily feeling grateful today 🙂

joy journal – April 12, 2015

I have not been particularly feeling upbeat lately, yet I know writing this journal will help me remember/notice things that are actually positively influencing my life. So, here they come:

1. I am grateful for being healthy, well, and sound.

2. I am grateful for chilly yet bright day.

3. I am grateful for working a couple of hours at my favourite cafe yesterday and today.

4. I am grateful for eating salad today; a big bowl of it. I am grateful that I was not lazy enough to prepare it.

5. I am grateful for my job, salary, and benefits. these help me engaged, produce, and accomplish. They also help me with my life and financial independence. Certainly, it would help a lot if I had protected my money and spent it more wisely. When I was young, I was very good at it. In the last five-six years, I am somehow spending it without thinking too much. Do not get me wrong, I do save and invest for my retirement or for emergencies. Yet, I know if I was dedicated enough, I could cut back some of my unnecessary expenses and instead invest them. I try hard to implement a cut-back, yet it seems like I rather want to pamper myself. Consider me taking the cab to the office every morning; the bus stop is so close to me and it is only 8 stops to my office.

6. I am grateful for talking to my family on the phone. Their support and love is something I cherish the most.

7. I am grateful for my TV, my computer, and internet connection. Thanks to them, I can spend time learning or entertaining.

8. I am grateful for deciding  to sell my house and buy a condo. I think it is the best for me, though I am not naive enough to think that purchasing a condo will solve all the problems. It is only that I find it hard to take care of my place and it currently is too big for me. Within next year, hopefully I can start the process of selling-buying. The idea that I will not have to cut the grass, plant flowers and tend to the yard, arrange for repairs, painting the deck, do caulking around the house somehow gives me a relief.

9. I am grateful for its being a sunday. It is quiet day, mostly relaxing.

10. I am grateful for having calm nerves nowadays. It is a good feeling. I like myself calm and positive. Life is supposed to be dealt with and I am doing my best to do so. Past few months were stressful and busy; yet I have found a chance to take a rest from work thanks to my flu last week.

11. I am grateful for not getting a bad news today.

12. I am grateful for my clothes, furniture, and the food. they help me survive and nourish.

13. I am grateful for the day being almost over.While I enjoy being at home, sometimes I am deeply bored. I did not want to go somewhere else, such as shopping. I did not feel like going to the bookstore, either. I contemplated about eating out, but decided not to (could not come up with an appealing choice…).

14. I am grateful that my appetite seems to be curbed nowadays. Not sure whether it is a remnant from the flu last week, but so far I am okay with not eating too much, especially the bread.

15. I am grateful for writing this journal today. It has not been an “up” period lately, but not “down”, either. It is just what it is.

joy journal – April 1, 2015

It has been a good day; here what make today a good day and me grateful for it:

1. I am grateful that I am alive, well, and sound.

2. I am grateful for the healthy meal I have had for dinner. I did not eat bread today, either. Kinda missing it as it has a pacifying effect on me. But perhaps after a couple of days, I will get used to that “withdrawal” symptom 🙂

3. I am grateful that even though I had a busy schedule today as well, similar to yesterday I kept calm and efficient and took care of work well.

4. I am glad I have walked back from office to home. I even did grocery shopping, something less to think about for the weekend 🙂

5. I am grateful for my progress in topics that I tend to procrastinate. Mostly because I do not know what to do actually. Such as finding a construction company to fix minor stuff around my house. I cannot say I have found it yet, but I have started and once I start, I keep going. I will do just fine, with some good luck in finding a good company.

6. I am grateful that the positive effect of the books I have had last week are continuing. I am calmer, more positive (and kinder), and quite functional. As a matter of fact, more efficient. I know after a while I will stop reading them and start other books, but I take this experience as a gift.

7. I am grateful that a task that required some extra time, which was not welcome by the other side is now completed. I have done my best to do a good job, as much as I can under the pressure of timeline. If there are any omissions or mistakes, I guess I should remember I have done my best with it.

8. I am grateful that now I have time to move on with other important projects that have been waiting my attention for some time. It is great that starting next week, I will be able to take care of them.

9. I am grateful that I have got a complementary copy of a business book today; it is a great book, did not cost me anything, and it is free to be used by anyone in my department.

10. I am grateful that Friday is off! I am actually very excited about this! Why? First of all, it is a good break from office – I am sure on Sunday I will be bored and be very enthusiastic to go back to office on Monday and work :). Second, I am aware that on Friday stores will be closed; but that is okay; I can clean the house and do laundry that day. But Saturday and Sunday, I am sure I will visit the shopping malls, mostly the book stores, change the environment, drink coffee at different places, buy new books, and read my books with excitement 🙂 excited!

11. I am grateful that I am grateful today.

joy journal – March 30, 2015

Here is today’s joys 🙂

1. I am grateful that I have waken up easily and relatively early 🙂 When I woke up, it was bright and shiny, and I could see the light beams on the floor. That was such a magical feeling… I think we will get spring sometime soon… Not fully for some more time, yet eventually. Yay!

2. I am grateful that I felt really good in the morning. I really think it is the effect of the books I am reading.

3. I am grateful that this positive feeling continued the entire day; I was calm and totally not stressed, even though it was one of these busy days with maybe 30 min left to myself in between the meetings. I could see that this was possible and I could do it. This is seriously the first time I felt that calm/relax in the face of a busy work day. I am hopeful that I will do that again and I am amazed that it actually occurred to me today 🙂

4. I am grateful that in the evening, I stayed late in my office and worked smoothly. No stress, no regrets, no complaining. Thank you books! 🙂

5. I am grateful that I walked from office to home. Because of the snow storms and all, in the last few weeks I was taking the bus. Today I walked, I remembered how easy it was, sweated just a little bit, got fresh air, and was proud of myself.

6. I am grateful for having a big salad and some other healthy dishes, but no bread today! I am honestly excited about this. gaining independence from bread will be awesome! 🙂

7. I am grateful for relaxing at home tonite. I have not started reading my books that have such a positive effect on my mood, but I know I will start doing so and go to bed in a much better mood than usual.

8. I am grateful that yesterday night, instead of resisting to leave the peaceful atmosphere of the night (that I love so much, which thus makes me go to bed late usually), I decided to be positive about it and did not complain to myself… I guess that helped me to go to sleep peaceful, but not resentful 🙂

9. I am grateful that Friday is off and this is going to be a long weekend! yay! I am so excited about this! I am positive that I will handle work and finish a couple of critical tasks so that I can enjoy my weekend without working! OMG, I will shop again this saturday; books, books, more books! I am so excited about this 🙂

joy journal – March 29, 2015

I had a jolly joyful day so far; cannot wait to share 🙂

1. I am grateful that instead of going to the cafe I always go at the weekends, I took the bus and went to a shopping mall. I usually cannot wait… it is just something about me.. But this morning I managed to spend around 40 min at home without getting crazy (!) prior to catching the bus. I am changing in a positive way. I cannot say I have changed it totally and now I am as patient as anyone else, no. But I can say I did that today and I can do it again. Awesome 🙂

2. I am grateful that I went to a different cafe at the mall and got my coffee. I did eat the same unhealthy breakfast (bagels), which I still need to work on, but I have done something unexpected and tried a latte! It was great and lovely change from my usual coffee. As a matter of fact, latte seems a lot more like a treat than regular coffee. Why not to get more frequently?

3. I am grateful that the servers at the cafe were nice and lovely. I am grateful that I read magazines while having my breakfast.

4. I am grateful that I bought small notebooks; I have a thing for stationary items such as notebooks, pens and others. Make me excited 🙂

5. I am grateful that I walked up to go to a big bookstore! What a nice feeling! There were so many beautiful books and it was bright and nice. I got a book from one of my favourite writers that I did not even know existed. I cherish that book now.

6. I am grateful that even though it was raining/snowing a little bit, I decided to walk maybe half a kilometer to go check a thrifty store. It is sunday so I was not sure whether it was open, yet my motivation to be there was good enough. And it was open. I could not find books that can interest me today there, yet I found 2 bowls that I was looking for. They actually looked like the bowls I have at home, and it turned out to be correct! Now I have 4 of the same bowls that I like and use frequently. I was lucky today 🙂

7. I am grateful that my energy levels were great today. I was not complaining about walking or going from one store to other, not at all. That is a great feeling that makes me more confident about my energy levels. I think I am not lazy or tired all the time. I think they are temporary and I can and I do have an adequate level of energy 🙂

8. I am grateful for waiting for the bus and reading my book at the bus stop. It was a cold/rainy day yet I did not get bored or something and take the cab rather than the bus. I am very proud of myself. I can wait…. This is the second time I waited for something today and again I am really enjoying this change in my behaviour.

9. I am grateful for doing the grocery shopping on the way back home. I bought healthy food and contemplated a lot about whether or not to buy breads. Eventually I did not. My determinism to have a healthy diet is continuing, which is very pleasing.

10. I am grateful for the healthy meal and salad I had this afternoon; that tells me that I am really making an effort to eat better.

11. I am grateful for my books – I am reading a couple of them, both of which are very easy to read and are positive. I feel the positivity surrounding me.

12. I am grateful that it is sunday and it is peaceful, nourishing, and positive.

13. I am grateful for  not letting one of my friends on the phone bombarding me with negative experiences and all. She says she is very positive but then when she talked to me she always mentions about the negative things. It feels like she dumps all of her negativity on me. I cut the conversation asking for a positive talk. I am proud of this.

14. I am grateful for the road salt I have stocked up at home. In the grocery store there was no more salt today. I anticipate that I may need another one or two bags of salt before the winter clears up. And I already have them. Feeling good 🙂

15. I am grateful for being grateful. If anyone is reading this post, may I kindly ask you to consider trying your own joy journals? It does not have to be a post like this; it can be a computer file or writing on a notebook. I hope writing joys of the day will make you feel positive feelings.

joy journal – March 28, 2015

here are my joyful moments/thoughts today.

1. I am grateful for getting up early. In the last few weeks I have been sleeping in quite a bit. That seems to have lifted this week. That is good as sleeping long hours actually does not make me feel good. It also leaves time for things to do and gives a sense of freedom to do things without rushing. Awesome.

2. I am grateful for the breakfast and the little work I have done at the cafe. Taking care of work makes me feel good; I feel like now I have more “time” for next week.

3. I am grateful for chatting with a colleague at the cafe; that place seems to attract many people I know from work. Lovely.

4. I am grateful for understanding that it was me who has not drawn a new and better direction for my life. It was me that created this routine and more importantly who sticks with it.. Why do I keep sticking the same things, even though I am not happy with them? For example, it is better that I do not eat carbs, like bagels, in the morning, yet it is my favourite (of course) thing to have at my favourite cafe. I checked it today; there is no non-carb/sweet thing in that cafe. I gotta change my breakfast habit and possibly the cafe I go. It is possible that I can still go there to drink coffee, but do not want to eat bagels anymore..

5. I am grateful for cleaning my home, even though I do not like it; once it is cleaned, however, it feels great. Dilemma.. I am also grateful that I have aerated my home – it was not that cold today so opening the windows for some time was okay.

6. I am grateful for cooking a healthy vegetarian meal for lunch and enjoying it.

7. I am grateful for making the decision to go for shopping this afternoon. It is quite a change as I usually go early during the day. well done!

8. I am grateful for taking the bus to and from the shopping mall. I was lucky in both cases and did not have to wait for them for extended periods of time.

9. I am grateful for catching some sales; I bought a nice slipper for my self for such a low price. I am really excited about it. Its colour is awesome, giving me joy.

10. I am grateful for all the stationary items and others I bought at the dollar store. I always enjoy going there. Not everything is great, but some stuff is and they are affordable.

11. I am grateful for leaving a couple of extra items prior to checking out. See, I can spend smarter.

12. I am grateful for seeing the snow. The day was warm, but as soon as I went to the mall, it started to snow. It is actually a great sight…

13. I am grateful for my backpack that makes carrying the stuff easy and practical.

14. I am grateful for my house being close to the bus stop.

15. I am grateful for  my books – the one I am reading right now is a great book. Its every page is coloured with a different colour and contains positive images. It is a great feel-good book.

16. I am grateful for the healthy and tasty salad I have had this evening.

17. I am grateful for listening to beautiful music with beautiful, positive lyrics. I want to surround myself with positivity, positive thoughts, positive experiences, positive people. Positivity brings in a positive perspective. Life is lighter, brighter, and easier to handle in a positive environment.

18. I am grateful for having the night to myself and today being a Saturday.

joy journal – March 27, 2015

I think the main reason I want to keep writing to my joy journal is because I am depressed and need to feel good. So; let’s do this one more time:

1. I am grateful that I woke up a little bit earlier this morning. I did not want to; I have such a low energy overall, but especially in the mornings. Usually, lots of things look difficult to me in the morning and thus I prefer the comfort of the office (i.e. go to office right away). This morning though, I had to go to the City. So despite my usual reluctance, I did go there… Come to think about it, I think what helped with that was I needed to shovel the front of the house a little bit… The city trucks cleaned the snow on the streets yesterday night and of course dumped quite a bit of snow to the front of my house. I had to shovel it to open a walking passage. I wonder whether this extra activity in the morning actually helped me to “wake up” a little bit?

2. I am grateful for realizing that my lack of energy in the morning (or overall during the day) may be because I do not move my body and as such my body remains in a relatively lethargic state whole day??? If that is the situation, there is solution to my low energy levels (see also the point 3 below)! I am kind of excited about this…

3. I am grateful for having a conversation with one of my good friends this afternoon. I had mentioned her about my energy levels. She said ” lack of activity/exercise is making us slow and lethargic (at work) and being slow at work means we need to spend more time at work, which in turn limits our chances of exercise – what a cycle..”. How wise is she? Very 🙂

4. I am grateful that the cab driver this morning was one of the regulars, who is kind, positive, and super professional. As soon as I left the cab, I was ready to take the day. Good humans make a huge positive difference.

5.  I am grateful that the people at the City were incredibly kind, nice, and helpful. They have helped me get good advise about what to do with my wall. One of my walls is cracked; it is a straight crack on both sides of the wall. The inspector I talked to was a nice, kind, and highly informative person, who told me that that was somehow normal, the house was moving, and unless I can see through the crack or it starts leaking water, I should not worry. However, she said if I am nervous about it, then I should see a structural engineer. I will certainly do that, first thing on Monday morning! I could not solve the problem, but I have taken time and energy to start working on it – I am proud of myself 🙂

6. I am grateful that instead of omitting that wall-crack, I got worried and took steps to understand it and to get it fixed. It did not feel good; feeling worry never is. yet, thanks to these feelings, I took action to get fix it. Thus, until this moment, I was negatively reacting to the feelings, but this turn of perspective is very welcome 🙂

7. I am grateful that the City was just 50 meters away from the company that files my taxes each year. I have been meaning to get my tax stuff done for sometime; yet it is such a busy time of my work that I was sceptical that I would ever spare time to go there anytime soon. I had all the documents with me for some time, so I took that chance, went there, and a very nice lady filled my tax for last year! It is a relief, the lady was so nice and friendly, and I was able to get my tax refund cheque immediately.

8. I am grateful that my bank is also in that area. I deposited my tax refund, purchased some coins that help me with my daily life, and then went to a nearby cafe to get breakfast. The day was bright and warm, people were nice and helpful, I had taken steps to resolve or took care of two important tasks for my life (e.g. the wall-crack issue and filing the tax), and I was enjoying my breakfast and moment. I thought quite a bit about not to go to the office today, but then felt the pressure of things that I have to take care. I went to office anyhow.. It was nevertheless a very joyful morning 🙂

9. I am grateful that I took the bus after the breakfast to go to the office. the bus literally arrived 1 minutes after I arrived to the bus stop – was I lucky today or what ? 🙂

10. I am grateful that I have taken care of two small but important emails/tasks in a short time, but after that i decided it was time I had some social interactions. So, I went to see a friend of mine – she just moved into a beautiful building with a nice office. I grabbed some chocolates and teas. We both were tired, overwhelmed by work, and had low energy levels. For some reason, we started talking about second hand stores and she said we should go now! what else do I want! of course. and there we went.

11. I am grateful for this second hand store – I have a thing for this kind of stores. They almost always have interesting stuff, one can find nice stuff at a very affordable price, and purchasing things from these stores helps the charity and recycling of items. I bought 5 different books in great condition and I am very excited about them 🙂 I also bought a nice jacket. Unbelievable 🙂 !

12. I am grateful that my friend gave me  ride home and I then bought myself a nice meal as a present.

13. I am grateful for my friend.

14. I am grateful for being able to buy myself a dinner.

15. I am grateful for reading my books tonite, which relaxes me.

16. I am grateful that I have made some healthy choices of food, even though not completely healthy. I am working on it, resisting the temptation to go back to completely unhealthy eating.

17. I am grateful that writing this post made me feel relieved and positive. Joy is here, however temporary it may be….

have a joyful weekend 🙂

joy journal – March 19, 2015

Feeling not bad; in contrast I am joyful today, so let’s write them down 🙂

1. I am grateful I get up not late anymore (after the spring daylight saving switch); it is good. I can go to office on time and make the best of the day.

2. I am grateful I have lost a couple of pounds lately; I am loving this. Let’s hope I will continue to eat healthy 🙂

3. I am grateful for working just fine; I had a meeting in the middle of the day, which somehow derailed me from work/focus, but I cannot complain about the work I have done today. Feels satisfactory.

4. I am grateful for taking the bus on the way back from the office. I have witnessed a lovely example of kindness; when the bus had stopped at a stop, 20 meters ahead of us an elderly lady fell and could not get up. All traffic stopped to let the lady go up. However, the lady could not, which I believe was because of either her injuries or the ice on the road. A passenger from the bus, another lady, got off the bus and helped her out. Another person from a vehicle on the road also helped. The elderly lady was able to walk herself, which was very pleasing to see. I thanked the lady on the bus, who helped her; I think kindness should be acknowledged; they have done very well. I hope when they need help, there will be others who will help them, too.

5. I am grateful I did my grocery shopping this evening. I am pleased with what I have got and excited about the salt-bag I purchased; sometimes they are so hard to find! I figured while I have the chance I can get an extra one for the house. Well done.

6. I am glad I have carried my groceries and the salt (25 pounds) to home. Even for a short distance, I think carrying heavy items helps the bones and the respiratory system. Happy with that.

7. I am grateful it is thursday, the day before the friday! I plan to shop this weekend, which is always exciting.

8. I am grateful for getting a working copy of the software today that gave me trouble yesterday. I am extra grateful that I had contacted the company yesterday; they confirmed that they also experienced the problem and they will send out a report to get it fixed/notify people. For some reason, I am feeling very good about that; did my trouble with software yesterday help other users? I think so. Then, the trouble I had yesterday is all worth it.

9. I am grateful for having extra toothbrushes at home – the one I have is new but its such an abrasive kind of brush that I feel like it hurts my teeth/gums. I am replacing it with a soft one I had stocked up a while ago.

10. I am grateful for chatting with a good friend of mine today. Always relaxing to have a good and sincere communication.

11. I am grateful for being grateful and feeling good today 🙂

joy journal – March 18, 2015

Here is today’s joy list 🙂

1. I am feeling alright today; I have been feeling better nowadays, which is great. Not sure whether I have a relax schedule this week and I can focus on work and take care of stuff without much stress, or was it the long-weekend that helped me relax. I am not sure, yet whatever it was, I am very much grateful for this feeling.

2. I am grateful for being well and sound, warm and sheltered. My thoughts are with those who lack these basic needs.

3. I am grateful for not getting a lot of snow today; we had flurries in the afternoon, but it did not continue after that. Everywhere is full of snow – there is no sidewalks visible. This was the heaviest dump of snow this year, which I hope will wash away soon by the help of rain (hope no ice will form after the rain though..)

4. I am grateful for my morning coffee! Always a delight 🙂

5. I am grateful for working fine today; I left the office late again. I had a trouble with one of the statistical programs we have been using. It seems the new version installed in the last few weeks has some problems. I called the company and they showed quite an interest to the problem and phoned/email me back several times to resolve. That feels good.

6. I am grateful for taking the bus this evening; despite the snow.

7. I am grateful for eating healthy. As a matter of fact, I think it was the healthiest meal I had in the last few months. Good job! 🙂

8. I am grateful for noticing once more that sometimes it is best I take a break prior to making a decision for a new issue. I gotta give my mind some room to evaluate things, to see the picture wholly…I am so fed up with fire-fighting with issues everyday that I just do not want to spend time with anything, just make a decision. Sometimes, though later I come up with better decisions. Mental note to self….

9. I am grateful for waking up on time this morning.

10. I am grateful for not having an early morning meeting tomorrow; I can go to bed late tonite and enjoy my time until then reading and watching TV.

11. I am grateful for the kindness I have seen from a stranger today. I may as well create similar experiences for others.

12. I am grateful for shovelling the front of my house a little bit this evening. I predict there will be more snow coming possibly tomorrow, and the already high snow banks around my door is not going to help at all. I actually suspect that these snow banks are getting harder to shovel, so when new snow dumps, it is not gonna be fun.. But I will see how it goes.

13. I am grateful that in two weeks, we will have another long-weekend. Great, great, great!!!

14. I am grateful that I am not sickened by stress, at least do not show some symptoms…. One of my colleagues had some health problems lately which she purely says because of stress… everybody I guess responds to stress differently. I am grateful that despite my stress, my system works just fine..

joy journal – March 17, 2015

here are today’s joyful events, thoughts, and experiences 🙂

1. I am grateful for shovelling intensely in the morning. The snow was too much and the plows did not do a good service to me by throwing all snow from street to the front of my door. It was a great exercise to open a passage to the street, though 🙂

2. I am grateful that I did not have a meeting or so in the morning, which allowed me to shovel. Otherwise I would have to miss the meeting.

3. I am grateful that instead of buying coffee and some unhealthy breakfast treats from the cafeteria, I chose to brew my coffee in the office.

4. I am grateful that while there was a lot of snow, there was no ice that made walking difficult today.

5. I am grateful that I worked efficiently at the office, especially in the afternoon/evening. Feeling the satisfaction 🙂

6. I am grateful that I catched the bus back to home 🙂

7. I made a concious decision to enjoy my night and take my time relaxing, even though I came home late from office. That is relaxing, very much indeed!

8. I had a different type of dinner today (different than regular ones); it feels good I am thinking; if I continue to be concious about my eating, I can greatly help my body with its well-being.

9. I am grateful for feeling less stressful compared to last week; I believe the long-weekend helped me to relax.

10. I am grateful that I started an urgent task, which I was not very motivated to do. Now that I started it quite strong, I am sure it will be completed soon; yay!

11. I am grateful for my warm house in this chilly time of the year; wishing everyone, especially the homeless people, a safe and warm place to spend the nights.

12. I am grateful for my relax schedule this week – it helps me to not only relax but also to perform serious work that requires attention and focus.

13. I am grateful that I am not worried much about another snow storm that will likely blast us tomorrow/thursday. Maybe I will have to shovel more, maybe it will be another snow day; whatever it is, I will take it (unless snow makes it completely impossible for me to leave my house..I may get near-crazy then.. I will wait and see)

joy journal – March 16, 2015

In a snow-day like today, there are usually things done to be grateful for :), here they are:

1. I am grateful for getting up at my usual time prior to the end of daylight savings last week – the entire last week I had continued to function 1 hour off; my body seems to have adjusted to the change now.

2. I am grateful it was a snow day and I had an unexpected one day off. I am not going to hide the fact that I was bored a little bit at home, but nevertheless I guess it helped me to refresh my mind a little bit.

3. I am grateful for shovelling a lot today; great exercise 🙂

4. I am grateful that we had chatted with a neighbour of mine while shovelling. I meant to introduce myself for some time. It is great that we both were shovelling at the same time 🙂

5. I am grateful that I have eaten more protein and vegetables today than my usual. In the last couple of months I have not been cooking much, or eating vegetables. It is a good step toward taking care of my body’s needs and well-being.

6. I am grateful that while shovelling I have noticed a couple of teenagers carrying coffee cups with them. I immediately understood that a large coffee shop around the corner is open today, despite the snow storm. I went there after a couple of hours to drink coffee and have a late-breakfast. Walking, even for a short distance, the fresh air, coffee, and the nice lady at the cash were all lifted my mood quite a bit.

7. I am grateful for listening to the music and relaxing a bit.

8. I am grateful for calling people I love and chatting with them.

9. I am grateful for the day; it may be snowy, windy, and all, but I am here now and I am glad I am alive to see this day.

10. I am grateful that despite the weather we have not lost power; heater, TV/cable, and computer/internet are all functional, making my life better.

11. I am grateful for chatting with two of my friends today; they are both very nice, very kind friends. It was good to connect.

12. I am grateful for watering my plants. For some reason I keep forgetting. Today I broke my routine of watering them at the weekend only. well done 🙂

13. I am grateful that I was helpful to a colleague of mine with a matter – it was through email, did take 5 minutes of my time, and it was useful. I am happy with that.

14. I am grateful for not feeling down today.

15. I am grateful for changing the topics I usually read today. humour for example – I think I should visit more humour-related sites. It makes one feel better.

16. I am grateful for my house being allright, despite the cold and bad winter we have been having so far.

17. I am grateful for being grateful, for finding things to be happy about, making efforts to enjoy my day, and giving thanks to people. I just had thought this morning; I have these slippers that I like but now are quite worn-and-torn. I am thinking about replacing them. I imagined dumping them into the garbage can without thinking… I did not like this idea. They served me well and they deserve to be cherished and acknowledged, not disappear from my life as if they meant nothing to me. when the time comes, I sure will say good-bye to my slippers with my thanks. The same attitude I wish to have for other items or people. Especially people..

joy journal – March 15, 2015

There are three occasions that will make me write my joy journal; a) when I feel so grateful that makes me excited, b) when I feel down and know that writing it will help me feel better, and c) out of (daily) habit.

Today it is (b).

What am I grateful for today?

1. I am grateful that it is a chilly but bright day; the sky is blue and shiny. Spring will arrive sometime soon and I believe the worst part of the winter is over. there is hope.

2. I am grateful for the breakfast I have had this morning and reading the magazines at the cafe.

3. I am grateful for going to the bookstore and buying two books. I am not showing much interest to them right now, but I know when the right time comes, I will enjoy reading them.

4. I am grateful for being safe and healthy, no matter how much I feel overwhelmed, stressed, or bored. That shall pass, too.

5. I am grateful for my TV; the background noise is good. Without it, it feels too silent, too awkward. I am grateful for my cable, too.

6. I am grateful for not working today. the week will be filled with work anyhow.

7. I am grateful for talking to my family on the phone today. they are well and healthy, for which I am extra thankful.

8. I am grateful for not being hard on myself for not being in control of every single issue in my life; time to relax, accept, recharge, and be compassionate.

9. I am grateful for the food I have; I plan to have a healthy dinner this evening. I am sure I will feel a lot better then.

10. I am grateful for my recliner and the throw. They make me feel pampered and warm.

11. I am grateful for walking a little bit today. I had no energy or wish to walk in the morning, but the roads were not icy and I could walk maybe 15 minutes to a cafe I like. It is good for my body and mind.

12. I am grateful for starting to write poems again. Not all is good; but time to time I find myself have written a nice one. That always feels great 🙂

13. I am grateful for writing to my joy journal – it did not necessarily make me feel good today, but I will take this as a part of life. In life not everything makes us happy or miserable all the time. I am not resisting to this feeling. The simple truth.

joy journal – March 9, 2015

It is good that I feel like writing my joy journal today, too.

I had a habit of writing it everyday, which was quite a pleasant experience. For some reason, I do not write it everyday anymore. I am not sure why, but I am pleased that now I would like to pen them down here.

1. I am grateful for feeling better today; optimistic and joyful.

2. I am grateful for taking mental notes that after every gray day comes lighter ones. mental pain and confusion are transient – eventually things will be okay, as much as they can be.

3. I am grateful for my house, clothes, food, TV, computer, and cable/internet connections. they make my life safe and sound, and connect me to the rest of the world. There is so much to read out there and learn. Share, too. Sometimes, I feel like 24 hours is not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Life is good. At least I have things that attract my attention and make me curious. Vola!

4. I am grateful for sleeping well – I could get up early but I did not. I went to office late and did some light work. I left it early, too. The sky was so nice today; blue and bright, even though it is an icy and cold day. I decided to go enjoy my life by visiting my favourite book store this afternoon. The time I spent there is usually incredibly peaceful and relaxing. i chat with the owner of the bookstore – he also realized I had not been to there in the last 2-3 months! I used to go that bookstore every saturday and sunday. My primary relaxation and enjoyment. I cannot believe I was away for so long, but now that the weather is getting better, I can start visiting it at the weekends again.

5. I am grateful for 3 books I have purchased today. One of them is particularly good and captivating. It is about stress, its effects on the body, and the ways to control it. Considering how stressful and depressive I was last saturday, what the author wrote in that book all made sense to me. I am thanking the author for understanding and writing this book for people like me. I felt “understood”. That is priceless.

6. I am grateful for relaxing today. I understand it from my breath. The quiet and deep breath…To be able to notice is amazing; that means my mind is not busy with many little things.

7. I am grateful for thinking that I can take tomorrow off. I have been planning to take one or two days off for some time, but had not had the chance so far. Today was so relaxing that I think I will take this opportunity and continue to be away from the office while I can do it.

8. I am grateful for a work-related problem being almost resolved today. we still some work to do but it is gonna happen. It is quite a relief and one of the important lessons learnt in my career. Experience makes a difference, lessons create wisdom.

9. I am grateful for being calm at the office today. There has been an unexpected problem, but I did not get upset about it. I accepted that sometime things happen. It is a quite minor stuff, maybe that is the main reason for me not reacting negatively to it. But nevertheless I am happy to see this side of myself. I can be calm! 🙂

10. I am grateful for my pens. I have a set of pens that I bought at a small price. They run out of ink pretty quickly, yet it is awesome to write with them.

11. I am grateful for my decision to go shop tomorrow. I do not have to buy many stuff all at the same time, but it is a great break and I can grab a small number of stuff that I will need pretty soon. I am excited about this 🙂

12. I am grateful for being challenged about a project of mine last week. it did not feel good at that time, but now I can see things more clearly, and as a result, and I can explain things more clearly, too. Is that not awesome! 🙂 It made me better.

13. Now that I decided not to go to the office tomorrow, I can watch my favourite TV series that will start in an hour. Excitement.

14. I am grateful for my couch. yes, it does make me a couch potato, but at the same time, gives me a place to crawl, relax, and feel pampered. My thanks are also extended to my blanket that I have had for almost 5 years. I love its nourishing and warm colour and the warm, smooth texture.

15. I am grateful for life.

joy journal – March 8, 2015

I cannot think about a better way to continue feeling better than writing the things I have been grateful for lately. I do not know what I will write right now, but I know that once I intend to write them, I will find them, I will remember them. That is in the simplistic term an effective therapy for me. Here I start;

1. I am grateful for my family and friends; for their love and support, their well being and health. I love them dearly.

2. I am grateful for today being a sunday. I have maybe another two hours before I go to bed and I can enjoy every minute. This being said, I can enjoy any minute any time; it is my choice and my right.

3. I am grateful tomorrow is a work day – one more day at home would get boring for me. I have the choice of taking a day off if I feel like I may need time for myself, or do not want to be in the office. That freedom feels good.

4. I am grateful for gathering myself up after the depressive day yesterday. I am not sure what happened or how I managed it. It did not happen because I tried something, some way, some strategy (such as meditation, talking to friends, or so); it just happened. I feel like my mind helped itself. It feels good.

5. Despite all issues, worries, or negative things going on in my life, I am aware that I am not the only one, so I feel some kind of relief. Many people have even more dare issues to deal with; sickness, grief, financial troubles, etc. I know I am not immune to life’s challenges. I know that I will go through them like anyone else.

6. I am grateful that I have food, clothes, furniture and a house to live in.  I am thankful that I can afford all of these.

7. I am grateful that this morning at my favourite cafe, instead of working i read a magazine. What a nice change! And change I like. Routine gets boring after a while; seriously does. I need change; different places to see, different colours to wear, different opinions to hear.

8. I am grateful for my blog, computer, and the internet connection that makes this writing possible.

9. I am grateful that I realized I need a break. yes, I do. how wonderful it would be if I could afford a mini vacation, a week maybe away from this cold winter and every day routine.

10. I am grateful that I support myself fully and I am capable of facing things, however scary or annoying they may be. I am thankful that I appreciate myself and thank myself.

11. I am grateful that there are some nice voices, smiling faces, supportive and compassionate souls here and there. it is nice to hear someone offering that they can listen to me if I want to talk it happened here yesterday; many thanks you 🙂 ). I am grateful that the waitress at my favourite cafe yesterday get my coffee ready before I asked. I learnt her name and I have thanked her. That was a high-energy experience. It re-charged me, gave me hope, and energy. Thank you Jessica. I hope when you need it, you will find many people around you to support you and make you smile, like you have done yesterday for me.

12. I am grateful for not being agitated right now; a little bit maybe but not too much. there is quite a relief in accepting things as they are and letting wishes, plans, and any other thing that do not work and bothers me go. That is a great feeling. Some may say it is a failure, I say I am liberated. Point of view.

13. I am grateful for the daylight saving time being started (or ended; I do not know which one) today. I have not enjoyed losing one hour today, but you know what; this one extra hour-long daylight in the evening gave me hope. this one extra hour of light made me feel like, even though it does not show its face yet, spring is about to come. a couple of more months and then things will be brighter. It feels good.

14. I am grateful that while I was depressed yesterday, I did not whine to anyone and reduce their energy by it. All needs their energy to go through their lives. I am happy that I have not negatively affected any one.

15. I am grateful that I realize I take too much to do and along the way get overwhelmed and inefficient (as I have been lately). It is time for me to say no to certain things. It is time for me to stop during the day and do something different. As a matter of fact, that is a great idea! why do I not have a “Change of the day” section here and write down things that I did differently!! That will be awesome! Great idea! even a small thing can make a difference in my life. I am grateful that I have come up with this idea right now. Another great thing about writing my joy journal! :))))

16. I am excited for the “Change of the day” idea and I am grateful for that. Excitement is a great thing.

17. I am grateful for making a list of things that I have done as a change lately: here is my short list:

a) starting a blog ( a few months ago)

b) writing poems and short stories (I hardly did before I opened this blog)

c) buying less groceries

d) eating more carrots

e) drinking tea at home, even for time to time

f) starting yoga and then taking a break from it before it became a routine activity

g) planning to start yoga again

h) starting to work at my favourite cafe

i) not visiting my favourite book store – now I actually wished I had; it is such an exciting thing to go through the books, buying them and bringing home, and then exploring them. Due to winter I could not walk there, but you know I will start sometime soon. So it is great.

j) changing my tooth paste

k) changing my laundry detergent; it smells so good I am very happy about it.

l) not shopping large – I enjoy shopping, buying things that I will need, especially if they are on sale. On top of the things that I need, I also purchase things that will feel like a present to me; a pack of pens, some other little stationary items, something colourful. I have not done that since the holidays because I have everything now. This probably saves me money, but at the same time I should mention I missed that feeling of shopping!

joy journal – Feb 23, 2015

There is something exciting, joyful, and happy about being grateful!

1. I am grateful for feeling good today – I am more confident, happy, and motivated towards my job after getting the critical project accepted yesterday.

2. I am grateful for the good sleep I had yesterday; I reduced the temperature a little bit more yesterday night. It did help with sleeping.

3. I am grateful for taking the bus this morning, rather than the cab. I saved some bucks, which I have used to buy myself a breakfast!

4. I walked a little bit in the morning. Not too much, but I know it is good for my health. Well done!

5. I am grateful for working at the office; I had two meetings but other than that I was free to take care of tasks. It feels good to erase the stuff of my calendar.

6. I am grateful for walking from office to home. The weather is mild today, quite warm actually. There was minimal ice on the road, making it easy for me to walk.

7. I am grateful for eating healthy this evening; during the day I admit I ate too much unhealthy snacks and two apples (which is good). I preferred to eat a bean salad rather than fried food. I am very happy with this decision.

8. I am grateful for having the night to myself. Serenity coming out of silent nights is incredible. Very relaxing indeed.

9. I am grateful for checking an important report at home, rather than leaving it to tomorrow morning. I have no rush to go to the office early tomorrow morning.

10. I am grateful for my warm house in this chilly time of the year. I am also grateful for getting a 10% lower power bill this month.

11. I am grateful for my TV and cable – one of my favourite TV shows will start in an hour – cannot wait!

12. I am grateful for the food, cleaning products, furniture, and clothes I have at home.

13. I am grateful for my computer and my internet connection – they link me to the rest of the world and allow me to write my joy journal right now.

14. I am grateful for having a conversation with one of my good friends today – it is always a great feeling to talk to her.

15. I am grateful for being grateful today.

I am very grateful and thankful

Despite my best efforts with books and the rest, I actually had a little bit boring Sunday.

Until I got an email an hour ago notifying me of acceptance of one of our projects! The project was re-submitted after years of hard work and hard-turns. It was also rejected by somewhere else previously. I was really nervous and not hopeful in the re-submission made a couple of weeks ago.

Yet the good person who I had submitted the project to, accepted it.

I do not know that person, but certainly I am so grateful and I thank him here.

I also thank all the people who directly or indirectly contributed to it, its data, and its writing.

I thank myself; I have to. I worked so relentlessly on it, from design to finding people to work on it, to convincing people in my unit that it can in fact be done. Six years of effort.

Now I am happy and hyperactive. It is getting close to my usual “going to bed” hour, but I do not think I am sleepy enough. In contrast, I am full of energy and excitement.

The increase in energy is not the physical energy, but rather the “inner energy”; the feeling that I have accomplished something of this calibre before all other competitors, and that makes me feel “confident”, “accomplished”, and “plain happy”.

I have a great motivation to do better projects.

It is okay if I cannot sleep tonite because of my hyperactive brain; it does not change the fact that I am very grateful and thankful.

joy journal – Feb 15, 2105

Feeling kind of sick, I wanted to go to sleep feeling good. So here comes my joyful entries for today;

1. I am grateful I am well and sound, even though I have been feeling sick lately. I am still okay.

2. I am grateful for my family – they are the real joy and support in my life.

3. I am grateful for sleeping in till noon – I believe my body needs that long sleeps to recuperate.

4. I am grateful that I did not have to work today; rather spent time at home; warm and cozy.

5. I am grateful I could buy myself breakfast and cooked healthy meals in the evening. I am extra grateful for the tasty and healthy salad. Well done.

6. while I was feeling very lazy, I am quite grateful that I could prepare tea for myself. Green tea with pomegranate and lemon juice. It was good.

7. I am grateful for doing the dishes; keeping home clean and orderly when I am feeling sick is not my priority, but it feels good really. good job.

8. I am grateful for reading books today. I have not been reading for sometime… What an unfortunate practice. One of the books I have read says something like “Choose to choose”. I have chosen today to prioritize the well being and needs of my body rather than the lazy, convenience-loving mind. I chose to put an effort or struggle to make things better for me, my health, and my life. I will see how it goes.

9. I am grateful for no new snow; I have had no motivation to shovel again today. rather it was a bright and shiny day. It was nice to see the sky so. There is something miraculous about the nature.

10. I am grateful that I have not forced myself to get out of house today. sometimes it is best we keep ourselves where we are most comfortable.

11. I am grateful for feeling hungry late night – while I know it is not a healthy habit, it also tells me that my appetite is just fine, so I am not completely sick. That is great.

12. I am grateful for my couch that allowed me to lie on and just chill tonite. Similarly my throw and everything else that kept me warm today.

13. I am grateful for my TV and computer – they kept me engaged, made me learn stuff, and have a couple of laughs 🙂

14. I am grateful that I can take tomorrow as a sick day – I have no commitment for tomorrow at work; this may be a good time to keep caring for my body.

15. I am grateful that I am grateful.

have a nice night everybody.

joy journal – Feb 14, 2015

Today is one of these interesting days – I have dome some out of routine activities so I am excited about them, but then I am also felling sick so it is a meh day – my head is aching and I have had low energy last week; so I am certain I will be sick in the next few days. Maybe it is a good thing; this way I can focus on my well-being and make healthier life-style choices.

1. I have made some healthy eating choices today and managed to stretch at home for some time – it felt good; my back was aching after two days of heavy shovelling. I am grateful that I have taken my time to stretch today.

2. I am also grateful that I have eaten healthy meal this evening. As a person who does not like cooking, that is a good development. As a matter of fact, I should continue to cook meal at home so that I can take care of my body better. Something to keep in my mind.

3. I am grateful that today I do not have to work – I woke up at noon as my body felt tired and I continued to sleep till late. I am okay with that.

4. I am grateful that I talked to my family and friends today and they are all safe and sound.

5. I am grateful that I went to my favourite cafe today but instead of my usual bagels, I tried something else. It was not as good as bagels but it is worth giving it a try. I know now that I can change things, even those that I like. There is some kind of sense of being empowered by this.

6. I am grateful that I have cleaned my home and did the laundry. A clean and organized home makes me feel peaceful and serene. I thank myself for doing these house chores.

7. I am grateful that I did grocery shopping today – I usually do it on thursdays or fridays, but because of snow this week I did not have a chance to do it till today. I always have a good time while shopping.

8. I am grateful for my TV, cable, internet connection, computer, books, pens and papers. With them, life is easy, colorful, and nice.

9. I am grateful that I have noticed I have some extra cleaning products in my laundry room. I have no rush to go shop for them.

10. I am grateful for all the food I have at home. I am also grateful for my furniture, clothes and everything else. I feel like I do not have to shop for quite sometime and I am abundant.

11. I am grateful for my couch – tonite I am sitting/half-lying on it with my blanket on my lap. I feel like I am pampering myself – what else is better for a person who feels like getting sick?

12. I am grateful for not having a house problem in this harsh-going winter. I am really happy for this. so far so good. Thank you home.

13. I am grateful that I have not had bad news nowadays.

14. I am grateful that I have fruit at home – they are healthy and sweet. I wanted to buy chocolate today but then I did not (will-power!!); the sweetness of the fruits will make it.

15. I am grateful that tomorrow I do not have to work.

16. I am grateful that I have good friends.

17. I am grateful that I did not spend too much cash today.

18. I am grateful that I like being grateful and writing to my joy journal.

joy journal – January 31, 2015

I am grateful for  a lot of things today;

1. Goodness, kindness, and peace… how great are these? I love it when I too can see things with these qualities. Appreciation is huge.

2. I am grateful for the breakfast I have had and working at my favourite cafe with my laptop. Coffee was great, bagels were awesome, and working felt good. Plus, having the fresh air while going there and coming back was very refreshing. Life is good.

3. I am grateful for cleaning my home and doing the laundry – there is something great about a tidy and clean house. Peaceful…

4. I am grateful for eating healthy today – I cooked after a long time today and it felt really good, nourishing, and hearty. well done.

5. I am grateful for my TV and cable – I am watching TV tonite and I have the opportunity to focus on things other than work. My mind needed this break.

6. I am grateful for keeping my cool despite the ridiculous things that have happened nowadays. I feel grounded and solid, which is a great feeling.

7. I am grateful for going to a hair saloon and getting my hair done. I should do that more often, but often times I have little time to do so. Today, the time was right. That is great.

8. I am grateful for having the day to myself; I do not have to think about someone else or be with others. I like spending time with myself.

9. I am grateful for being warm in this cold winter night.

10. I am grateful for all the clothes, furniture and the food I have. I keep a simple and affordable life and I am very proud of this.

11. I am grateful that I am not a materialistic person. I have never been interested in material-stuff for what they are; but for being useful and serving their purposes.

12. I am grateful that I am not sad about my alarm clock of +15 years that is broken yesterday. It has been incredibly useful but  it was the time for it to go. I would like to get another one, which I hope will last as long as this one.

13. I am grateful for being grateful today.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend 🙂

joy journal – January 29, 2015

It has been a while that I have not noted the things, events, or people I have been grateful for. I have many things to share; here are the latest ones I remember:

1. I am grateful for walking from office to home – I have been consistently doing that even though it is winter. I am grateful that I have a good pair of boots, gloves, scarf and coat that allow me to do the walking. I also thank myself for enjoying it, no matter what. It is so relaxing and I am happy to do it considering its health benefits to my mind and body. Well done.

2. I am grateful for eating different foods. I usually consume the same veggies/fruits, but lately I have been purchasing different types. For example, grapes: I like them only occasionally (oranges and apples are my favourite winter fruits),or zucchini: again I eat it only occasionally. I believe the variety in food I consume is really a great, healthy choice.

3. I am grateful for not having any problem at my home. Last winter I had roof problems in winter, which was very annoying. I am glad I got the roof fixed right before the winter. There is quite a peace of mind coming with this.

4. I am grateful I started a yoga/stretching class last week. I have been thinking about it for some time, but finally something prompted me to start it last week – in a couple of hours I made my mind and then attended my first class. Now I go there five times a week. The sessions consist of un-forceful but long stretches of back and hips, which I really benefit from. The lights are dimmed, temperature is warm, and the background music is relaxing. It is my evening routine now to attend these sessions. The place is only 100 meters away from my house (that is great really; I have no excuse to not go), there are sessions as late as 7 pm (which is awesome; this way I am not rushing back from the office), and there are sessions at the weekend as well. While the fee is a little bit too much for me right now, joining this club was the best decision I have made in the last few years. I am grateful for this. A lot.

5. I am grateful for my green jacket – I really love it; its colour is peaceful and it keeps me warm no matter what. I really love this jacket – I hope it will last for a couple of more years.

6. I am grateful for getting a new project funded. It really excited me and I am really happy to have got it. Now I have some funds to use in the next few years to do an exciting project. That is so great for my job as well as my career. I should also mention it is great for my confidence – I was feeling quite low due to lack of enough funds to do our projects, but now I have some funds and I can get more in future. Confidence and pride – I love this project 🙂

7. I am grateful for quitting negative stories and for being determined to focus on positive ones. When I think about this decision (which came out of nowhere), I find myself smiling and looking at future with optimism. We may not know what life will bring to us, yet we may as well enjoy this moment when everything is in place and as they are supposed to be. I am very grateful for this feeling.

8. I am grateful for my good friends; they make a huge difference. I am also grateful for my family – without them I would not be here or be what/who I am.

9. I am grateful for my life – today at the stretching class, there were many peaceful moments – I felt like I should credit my life for bringing me to these moments… No matter how hard it has been, there are so many nice, peaceful, happy, excited, or just fine moments in life, it is only fair to notice and acknowledge them. When we can take time to focus on them, when we can empty/relax the mind, they are easier to identify. I am wishing everyone a similar experience.

10. I am grateful for closing the doors for problematic relationships and refreshing my emotional world. Always a delight. Some relationships are not supposed to be in our lives, they are not supposed to take our energy away with their problematic, effortful natures. Yet, we keep them with us for some reasons. When it is time to let them go, we know it deep down, and letting go becomes a natural act. I am happy with my current peaceful and refreshed inner world.

joy journal – January 18, 2015

There is something missable about being grateful and writing to my joy journal. So here is my today’s joy journal entries:

1. I am grateful that I miss writing my joy journal – being thankful to life, what happens or I notice is a great feeling. I genuinely feel its excitement!

2. I am grateful for being safe, sound, and healthy. I would like to have a better, healthier life style. This has been bugging me for sometime… It is time to focus on myself and make the changes I need to make. Walk more, exercise more, eat better… However difficult these could be in winter, nevertheless there are options to implement. Let me figure them out.

3. I am grateful for talking on the phone with people I love today; always a great feeling.

4. I am grateful for changing my daily routine and trying new things in a new sequence; new cafe, new type of breakfast, new time/day to do the grocery shopping.

5. I am grateful for having healthier food today; soup at noon and salad after that felt both tasty and healthy – good job.

6. I am grateful for the weather – it is not too bad, too cold today. They expect some more snow tonite and tomorrow but I think we will be fine.

7. I am grateful for spending my time with fruitful activities rather than just gazing into TV.

8. I am grateful for sitting at my kitchen table as a change; it is in a bright part of the house and being here feels nourishing…

9. I am grateful for getting mats for my house – now that it is winter and there is a lot of shovelling, it is essential to keep the entrance deck dry with the help of the mats. Previously what I had did not soak the liquid so I noticed liquid gathered on the floor – not a good practice. Now it is better!

10. I am grateful for the warm house on this winter day. I wish there is no one out there without a good shelter.

11. I am grateful for today being an off day; I love working but it is also essential to take a break from it so that when I return back to the office, I can have the irresistible urge to finish the tasks.

12. I am grateful for my enthusiasm to change the things in daily life – whether it is my hair, my clothes, the way I go through the day does not matter. I will not dwell on the negative, but rather make things that makes me feel good about myself and my life happen.

13. I am grateful for finding and buying essential food on sale today.

14. I am grateful for walking around 20 minutes on snowy sidewalks. It is difficult and my boots are not skid-resistant but they are doing good job. One nice thing about walking on difficult road conditions is the need to focus on walking/road for safety reasons. That helps my mind to focus on things other than what I usually do (mostly work problems that I need to solve).

15. I am grateful for being grateful 🙂

joy journal – January 14, 2015

I am not particularly feeling well today – so it is the perfect time to identify and write the things that made a positive impact in my life today, however small they may be.

1. I am grateful for sleeping well – I have been sleeping a little bit late since the holidays and as a results I wake a little bit later than my regular morning time. I am fine with that as long as the sleep is well and sound, which has been so far.

2. I am grateful for the work I have done today – a small tasks took half of the day but that is okay. I helped two of my team members with their stuff and also fire-fought a small issue. Sometimes, it is just what it is.

3. In the afternoon I was drained so came home early; that is fine. Did I take a rest? Nope. I have worked on a new program that I have been trying to learn for some. Now I have to learn it to do a critical work. I am stressed a little bit because of the short time-frame, but also am grateful for this opportunity to finally give it a serious try. It will be all right.

4. I am sitting at the couch rather than my usual seating today as a means of change. I do not like the couch as much as my recliner but again change is good; giving a different perspective to things.

5. I am grateful for the food I had today. I have not been cooking as much as I used to for a year or so. I do not think that is a good practice – I would like to eat healthy food, a variety of food. It is time for me to make a serious commitment to change this eating habit and for that thought I am grateful.

6. It is quite chilly today – there is a junk of ice in front of my stairs that I am trying to melt with ice. I have four-five bags of salt, which I had stocked prior to the start of winter – for this I am grateful.

7. I am grateful for my warm house; in these chilly days, what else feels essential?

8. I am grateful for being safe and sound.

9. I am grateful for the laughters we have had in my office today – one of my team members is so cheerful that her positivity is infectious. I like that very much.

10. I am grateful for my TV – I am not watching it as much as I used to but it is always on. Time to time, I can get a glimpse of a new show that otherwise I would not watch. it is a good idea to leave it on to come across such new programs.

11. I am grateful for catching the elevator this morning – for the first time its doors got opened as soon as I arrive – that feels good! usually it would take a couple of minutes.

12. I am grateful for having no maintenance issue at home – there is a peace of mind coming with it – winter is not the best time to have an issue, especially with the roof or the heating. Thank you home 🙂

13. I am grateful for not having chocolate or ice-cream at home right now – I am sure just to feel good, I would eat a large chunk of them, good job with not buying such food regularly 🙂

14. I am grateful for wanting to feel grateful and identifying these for today. I could not reach the regular 20 items this time, but hopefully in future 🙂 Hope is a great feeling – so is determinism; being determined to be hopeful is awesome!

joy journal – Dec 21, 2014

I am grateful for many things and people that made my day a beautiful day.

1. I am grateful for its being a weekend and having the freedom to do whatever I want to do.

2. I am grateful for my breakfast this morning – it was tasty and fresh. Walking in the crisp day was an extra thing to be thankful for.

3. I am grateful for my favourite bookstore – I have found two books that I am sure I will enjoy reading sometime soon.

4. I am grateful for the gift one of my old friends sent to me – such a lovely CD! the songs are catchy; my like was immediate; that does not happen often.

5. I am grateful for my friend taking the time and effort to buy and send my gift – I had not got any gifts in the last few years, not from my immediate family members. I had forgotten what a great feeling it was. The surprise and the joy made me emotional. I remembered my human side. A little bit more deeply than I thought I would. Very interesting.

6. I am grateful for the healthy food I have had today – nothing major but absolutely not unhealthy, either.

7. I am grateful for looking at the sky at the evening; seeing its darkness and the branches of the trees in it… It was quiet, peaceful if you will. Nights are my favourite time of the day.

8. I am grateful for cleaning my home today.

9. I am grateful that I have aerated my home – both floors in fact. It was cold and all, but I really think it is way more important to have fresh air inside than to keep the heat inside.

10. I am grateful for being relax and less stressed. The prospect of time off from work has been exciting. I have no definite plans but I know I will enjoy the next two weeks.

11. I am grateful that all the people important for me are alive, safe, and healthy.

12. I am grateful for the music I am listening right now – there are so many emotions it evokes, all strong and meaningful. I am grateful for the internet and whoever recorded it for making this possible for me.

13. I am thankful for my computer, internet connection, TV, and cable. Yes I am; thanks to them I can see, listen, learn, and think – at least pass time. They also keep me connected to the others. What have we done to do prior to internet I wonder..

14. I am grateful for my couch – I have been sitting on it for a couple of days now rather than my all-time favourite, the old recliner. it is good to have a change from even the favourite.

15. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for having a house to keep warm. I am grateful for my job to keep doing. I am grateful for my furniture, my plants, my books, my CDs, my clothes. I am extra grateful for the gloves, scarfs, coats, and boots I have that make the winter bearable.

16. I am grateful for being happy with even the little things that make a positive difference in my life, in my feelings. I am thankful that I am not a materialistic person. I am grateful that no matter what I keep going. I am grateful that I am content and at peace with myself. I am grateful that people in my life and supportive, caring, and nourishing. I am grateful that I do not keep people who are annoying, bad or otherwise wrong in my life.

17. I am grateful that I can find all these and others to cherish and appreciate the life, my life, as it is.

joy journal – Dec 17, 2014

I am grateful for a bunch of things today

1. I am grateful I had a good sleep tonite; going to the bathroom in the middle of the night has been going on for some years; I was annoyed by this for some time but I guess that is okay. Age changes things. I am embracing this.

2. I am grateful for putting the garbage out for collection; it is funny that I have never forgotten to do that so far? Human mind is interesting; it remembers things when needed, sometime over and over again. I am grateful for this.

3. I am grateful for the light work day – stress was so unexisting that I love this feeling. All is taken easy and things move while I keep relax. How can I do this all the time? I better figure out the reason and make it happen.

4. I am grateful for training my assistant for some ordering, finance checks, and data analysis and storage. She is smart, notices things and learn fast. I am very pleased by her performance.

5. I am grateful for the quiet work place – I think some people have already left for the holidays. It is peaceful and there is certainly less rush in the place. That I think contributes to my less stressful experience.

6. I am grateful for walking back to home this evening – good for my health, heart and bones. Well done.

7. I am grateful for the relatively warm weather and lack of icy snow on the road that permits me to walk.

8. I am grateful for drinking milk today – I so rarely drink milk. It is supposed to be useful for my body – keep drinking time to time.

9. I am grateful for the hot soup and salad I had this evening – the soup warmed me up and the salad literally gave me vitality.

10. I am grateful for not missing someone desperately today. It is dreadful feeling. I am enjoying whatever goes through my heart today – they are all warm feelings.

11. I am grateful for not procrastinating with an important email today; less stress translates into more clear thing, confidence, and internal peace. I really would like to be like this the entire life, not only in december when I start getting excited about the days off from work and naturally become less stressed and more positive (good to notice that by the way).

12. I am grateful for my warm and safe house – I am grateful for my throw that keeps me warm, I am grateful for my socks and wool jacket that keep me warm. Warmth has a unique place in my needs I see – winter does it. Another reason to be grateful for then, re; winter.

13. I am grateful for my food – I have many veggies and fruits still available from last friday. I can cook something nice tomorrow.

14. I am grateful for being sleepy – that means I will have a good night sleep.

15. I am grateful for not replying to an email reply from someone I know – I think I can stop it here; there was no indication of a need to continue to keep emailing back, though I wanted to interact with that person a little bit more. Maybe at another occasion.

16. I am grateful for receiving a free calendar in the mail today – it is cute and I will find a good use for it!

17. I am grateful for feeling upbeat, optimistic, and positive.

18. I am grateful for feeling the excitement of the book I am going to read in the coming days.

19. I am grateful for finding all these to be thankful today.

holiday plans – the change is here

Here are my plans for the 12 days off till after the new year;

1. I will have breakfast every single morning – you got it right; every single morning I will go to my favourite cafe and order my favourite breakfast with coffee. That is my dream!

2. The delightful breakfast will be followed by a visit to my favourite book store close by; I can find beautiful books, buy or browse them as I please. Cannot think about a more lovely time spent.

3. I will walk around, maybe check the shops, see whether there is something interesting I may be interested in. Now that I will have spare time, I will take my time going through the stuff and fully engage my mind with whatever is at my hand. A great mental break – lovely.

4. I will call and visit some of my good friends – I am really looking forward to this! Everybody including me is so relaxed during the holidays that it is a perfect time to enjoy each others’ company and laughter.

5. I will go to the malls and check all the sales I can find – now that is one perfect time to find the best items at an affordable price. Since time is not an issue, I can explore in more detail and find and purchase those that I may like. I really would appreciate getting new shirts and trousers for winter.

6. I will visit the thrifty store, too. There are so many stuff that are interesting in such stores. Especially household items, such as old china or kitchen tools and furniture. I have been always fascinated by the fact that if I want to have a sense of the past of the city I am in, the old items, either at houses belonging to the people, or those who are dumped at the thrifty stores, are an excellent way to do so.

7. I would like to knit a nice toque this holiday season – based on my past experience if I can decide of what kind of toque to knit, I can produce it in a single day. I think it will be red and orange yes the colours that give energy during the winter. Great idea.

8. I will clean my house really well – starting the 2nd floor rooms which are much easier to clean. I will clean the floors well – they are in good condition but a little bit of deeper cleaning would be nice to protect them from permanent dust.

9. I will de-clutter the house – yes I will. I can keep things but not those which are not needed any more. That will help my house breathe better; it will refresh it, it will energize it. Together with the unwanted/unneeded items, I will also dump my old scars and painful memories. As I create space for new items at my house, I will also open space for new beginnings and memories. That is the most exciting of all the activities I plan to do during the holidays. This will lift my heart and my mind.

10. I will start implementing better and healthier life style. I am usually okay in terms of eating good and at least walking every single day, but I can do a lot better. I will start daily light weight exercises, I will stop eating refined carbs, and I will start breathing and relaxing with music more.

11. I will call my friends and family members to catch up with people important for me.

12. I will donate the books I am not reading any more.

13. I will clean my email inbox; ever year this is one of the best practices I follow – just delete the unnecessary/temporary emails, organize and store the others that are important. Open space for new emails, new developments, new important communications! Open space! Awesome – so exciting 🙂

14. I will shuffle the furniture around a little bit – I would like see my home a little bit different – just to have a mental stimulation, a fresh look, a statement of “change is here”. You would not believe how useful this kind of changes are in making more profound changes in our lives. Go ahead, change something and find in yourself the courage and wish to change other aspects, whether it is relationship, habit, life-style, or hobbies.

15. I will review my year and note all things that I have been grateful for. That is a great exercise not only to feel grateful, but also to appreciate the year that is ending and to welcome the new one with hope and positivity.

joy journal – Dec 13, 2014

today has been a mixture of exciting and worrying events and news. Nevertheless, I will keep it up and try to see the positive side of the things.

1. I am grateful for sleeping till late – I woke up at 11 am; too late for me but it was quite resting. I am happy that my mind and my body got to get a break.

2. I am grateful for the warm weather – it was rainy a little bit but not too much.

3. I am grateful for trying the new cafe house close to my house – it is fresh and nice. During winter when the roads are snowy or icy, I may as well just go there rather than my usual cafe that requires a little bit walking.

4. I am grateful for taking the bus and going to shop. I loved it – I bought a number of stuff I liked or needed, which made the entire afternoon well spent.

5. I am grateful for buying glass plates that I had liked so much a couple of weeks ago – I had two and now bought four; I can serve dinner in these plates.

6. I am grateful for the porcelain mid-size long and thin plates I bought today; I can serve stuff in them. As a matter of fact, I served myself some food in one of them. It makes a difference – felt like a good treat. well done.

7. I am grateful for the  gift bags and gifts I have bought today – one for a good friend of mine and the other for my neighbour. I am sure they will like the gifts. The gift bags are particularly nice – I should get more. It is a delight to use them.

8. I am grateful for the salad I have had this evening – greens and with lemon-olive oil dressing. Very healthy.

9. I am grateful for carrying my shopping items with me – they were heavy but I know carrying heavy stuff around (without hurting myself) is a good way to strengthen my bones.

10. I am grateful for catching up with three of my high school friends – we had not talked for a while; everyone is all right and all is good.

11. I am grateful for the Saturday night – it is quiet and peaceful. It is still young. I can spend it reading books or watching TV or talking to my friends. There is freedom in it.

12. I am grateful for the second coffee I had today – shopping and drinking coffee; yes, it feels good.

13. I am grateful for missing to go to the book store; I could not go today so I really want to go visit it tomorrow. Maybe I will find a great book to read.

14. I am grateful for not rushing to clean and tidy up my home after returning back from shopping. I rather decided to enjoy my evening by a fine dinner and chatting with my friends.

15. I am grateful for tomorrow being Sunday – I have one more day just for myself.

16. I am grateful for the backpack I have – it is so useful during shopping. It does take quite a bit of stuff and make it easy to carry especially heavy things.

17. I am grateful for my house being warm during this early winter day.

18. I am grateful for writing what I am grateful for – it does reinforce the positivity and positive memories.

joy journal – Dec 12, 2014

I am extra grateful today 🙂

1. I had great time with my friends tonite – we went to a symphonic orchestra concert. Stage and acoustic as well as some of the performances were very nice. I spent more time investigating the stage and surroundings and consuming candies one of my friends kindly offered. At one point one of my friend and I were laughing silently I do not know for what and I almost choked on the candy. Tears went down my eyes and I had to cough to to get the saliva out of my windpipe. I know it was a childish thing to do and probably we have annoyed people around, but I really loved the fact that we laughed!!!

2. I am grateful for shopping today – I usually shop on Thursdays but could not find time to do so yesterday. I bought fresh produce, bread, my favourite yogurt, eggs, and fish cakes. I will be happy to consume all of them.

3. I am also grateful that I re-started my “but at least 6 different items to eat each week” strategy; I have a tendency to eat the same things over and over all the time. This strategy helps me to recognize there are many other fruits and vegetables that I can eat to have variety in my diet. Good job!

4. I am grateful for eating hard-boiled eggs for a light dinner tonite together with some salad. I love eggs. Especially hard-boiled and cold ones. They are such a tasty meal alternatives. And good protein too, though I need to watch for cholesterol levels.

5. I am grateful I took the bus this morning, too! That is so awesome. I saved some bucks.

6. I am grateful I walked back from office to the grocery store and then to home. Walking and carrying stuff around are good for my health, muscles, and bones.

7. I am grateful for the foggy weather today – it is such a mystical view. Reminds me a city that I once lived in and loved so much. In such weathers is the opportunity to write – for some reason they click with me.

8. I am grateful for having tea with a friend of mine this morning. Always a pleasure to drink tea and have a conversation at the same time.

9. I am grateful for its being Friday – a week is done and gone. Tomorrow and Sunday will be filled with not only house chores but also relaxing activities such as breakfasts and visits to the book-store.

10. I am grateful that tomorrow I will finally have a chance to order my new reading glass prescriptions. I have been holding it for so long, I do not think I have made a favour to my eyes. Finally this will stop sometime soon.

11. I am grateful for working and sending out an important report today – it took quite sometime, I messed up with the calculations quite a bit, but eventually finalized (I hope) and sent right on time.

12. I am grateful for the freedom to go to bed late tonite – I have the entire morning to myself, sleep in or have an early breakfast; whatever I want to.

13. I am grateful for my TV – there is a movie that I have seen many times, but am having fun.

14. I am grateful that I am sleepy – yet another good night sleep to come. That is wonderful news.

15. I am grateful that I know I should write more items here for today, but will not force myself to complete a list of 20; 15 items are good for today; better than not writing.

joy journal – Dec 11, 2014

I am grateful for a lot of things today;

1. I am grateful for missing writing my joy journal yesterday – yes I did not have time to do so, I wish I had. But I am pleased to see that I miss it – that once again verifies that writing things/people/events that make me grateful/joyful/happy makes me feel better (about my life).

2. I am grateful for recent lessons learnt about home repairs; Never pay someone for a job undone; a part of the repairs left to be done even though I wrote the cheque for all repairs. What I think is best may not be the best (i.e. the job I wanted to be done)- alternative solutions exist, even though the job remains undone (i.e. delay for a better outcome, I hope). Each frustration is a chance to learn more; the more I learn about my house and its needs, the more I can do for it over time.

3. Despite these lessons, there are many positive ones, too, and I am grateful for them; for example, watching the men doing the work is a learning opportunity and also enforces them do better job I guess. Now that I have at least a company who did the major repairs, I can hope to work with them in future should there be a problem again. Trusting the company to do the remaining work is not necessarily bad thing – it is a naive move but also tells me how unworried I become about such things.

4. I am grateful for taking the bus in the morning – yesterday and this morning. As long as it is not late morning and the weather is not pouring or too icy, I can keep doing this. It is easy, fast, and very affordable.

5. I am grateful for the newly appreciated ability to spend time at home in the morning – I thought I could not even spend even 10 minutes waiting to go to work – the last two days proved that to be wrong. That is pretty awesome with really great consequences for me (such as taking the bus even if it is scheduled 20 min. later).

6. I am grateful for walking yesterday and today from office back to home. That is good for my health, seriously 🙂 Today it was raining but I did still walk.

7. I am grateful for eating salad yesterday and today; again this is very good for me.

8. I am grateful for the soups I had yesterday and today; they were warm, nourishing, and tasty. cannot think about a better treat for chilly winter than soups.

9. I am grateful for tomorrow being Friday – this has been a week to be celebrated (a lot of positive things happened that deserve to be recognized); I will spend time with my friends tomorrow evening. That is awesome. It is gonna be fun.

10. Two short-term projects that required my attention half of the week since the start of the fall are completed this week; no more hassle. More time for other, bigger projects.

11. I have got extraordinary evaluations today; it was the highest I have got so far and I am really motivated to do better. It is a game-changer; I guess I am getting more confident now. I had tried new things and really put effort for a 2-hours work, which led me get this evaluations. A job well done and I know next time I will be more confident and do better.

12. I am grateful for listening to others and ask/get their opinions. This is one of the most effective ways to improve a new skill/task I undertake. Keep going.

13. I am grateful for only 12 days remaining till the holidays and my 11 days off. I really want this time to myself. My biggest excitements are the breakfasts I plan to have every morning in my favourite cafe, shopping, and attending socials. Cannot wait.

14. I am grateful for sleeping well yesterday – it really makes a difference.

15. I am grateful for my new jacket – its colour gives me joy, it keeps me warm, and its size is just right. A real delight.

16. I am grateful for not missing anyone desperately nowadays – maybe the work-load, maybe the new interests, I did not hurt much recently.

17. I am grateful for participating in a forum and supporting people who are going through now what I have gone through a while ago. There is a value in showing understanding and supporting, even though none of us know each other. It is a truly valuable experience.

18. I am grateful I am sleepy now – I can guarantee a nice sleep tonite, too.

joy journal – Dec 9, 2014

I am grateful for many things today;

1. I am grateful for being well and sound, without sickness or ailment, with no dependency.

2. I am grateful for not working too much today; it was a relaxing day.

3. I am grateful for helping my assistant go home after she fell sick.

4. I am grateful for another assistant of mine giving a ride to the sick one – the collegiality in my work place is really awesome. I am happy to have their well-being at the highest priority and ensuring that they will feel cared and fine. I hope that is also being a good role model for them and maybe in their future work places, they will continue with such acts of care and kindness towards their peers; I hope helping others will be their normal.

5. I am grateful for organizing and reporting my activities to a virtual group of people on a common project, rather than getting upset. It was a good idea to email all parties rather than responding to each one with their sometime overlapping and repeating questions/request (which drew me crazy). I hope that will work out for them so that we all can save some time and nerves.

6. I am grateful for walking today; after work, I walked around half an hour. That is good for my health.

7. I am grateful for eating nourishing, warm and tasty food today. They help me feel good about myself and my life style.

8. I am grateful for weather – it was less chilly today and quite a bright day. I like sun and blue sky. There are so many nice feelings driven by them. Hope, joy, happiness, optimisim..

9. I am grateful for my boots – they are new and are very comfortable. They did not hurt the back of my feet, they fit just fine, and they are water proof. Once I verify that they are skid-resistant as well, I will be relieved, happy, and grateful again.

10. I am grateful for some work completed at my place this morning. I thought I would get more work done, but I think I will leave it here. I can take care of others next year. It is a lot of money that I have to pay, some of the work on the roof may not have been done as they promised, but I have no way to verify. I will not get crazy about this. Rather, I will be grateful for these people coming over and fixing stuff to help protect my house.

11. I am grateful for my positive attitude today.

12. I am grateful for the cab driver in the morning – she and I laughed quite a bit over the weather and the road constructions that have been going on in the neighbourhood for quite some time.

13. I am grateful for the soup one of my friend’s mom prepared. It is tasty and nourishing. I could not think about something else that could make my evening warmer.

14. I am grateful for giving a gift to one my assistants recognizing, acknowledging, and appreciating the volunteer activity he has done over the year. The gift was something little, but I am sure he was surprised and got happy. That also made me recognize that my other assistants would also like to receive something to recognize their efforts. I made a mental note of getting gifts for the rest. Right before the holidays when I take them out at a lunch, I can present theirs. That is a great idea.

15. I am grateful for only two weeks being left till the holidays and the time I will take off until after the new year. I am feeling this excitement seriously at a very deep level. We all need a break.

16. I am grateful for the night still being young. There is so much I can do, relax and enjoy in the rest of the night.

17. I am grateful that I do not have to get up early tomorrow.  There is freedom in this.

18. I am grateful that we had a good laugh with my team this morning – I was showing them the prize I got yesterday for the worst performance at a friendly competition. It is a stick with a little hand at the end. And there is a button that when pressed lights up one of the fingers. It will be fun to use it at presentations.

19. I am grateful for the animation movie on TV – the narrator has a smooth voice, which makes it very easy to listen to.

20. I am grateful for being grateful; writing these things here makes my evenings exciting, joyful, and relaxing.

The joy journal

I read in a book about having a “joy journal” to write what we are grateful for (unfortunately I cannot remember which book or the author)… They claim if we do this everyday, we can feel the joy in otherwise dull, negative, stressful, boring, or indifferent days. They say each day count (now that I am getting older, I buy this wholeheartedly) and there are many little things when put in writing makes us notice them and the joy coming with remembering them.

I believe that book suggested writing at least 20 things to be grateful each day. When I tried it, at first I was not able to find more than a couple of things to be grateful in the day! It perplexed me and made me feel, well annoyed; would that mean that I was joyless?

It turns out that this is not the case; one really needs to make an effort to go thru the day and remember things brightened their day; whether it was a kindness received or given, a visit by a loved one, work going well, finding the elevator that is shut down working again, the zesty sauce you tried at lunch, catching the bus although you thought you were late, the sun beaming on your face, the email from a friend giving you good news, or finding support when you need it. You name it.

I try to list my items before going to bed, or late at night. I consistently see the positivity coming from remembering and writing things that made a positive difference in my day, even for a moment.

Perhaps you would like to try having a joy journal, too?