Category: Gratitude

I am a Writer

I have learned that I am a writer.  First, I learned it from all of you, who said that this counted.  Who knew?

Then I learned from the two gifted other members of my writing group, Kat and Ariel.

And all along I learned from my sister, Lava, who seemed to call me a writer before I had written anything.  (Ahh, unconditional support!  Nothing beats it!)

And now I have actually submitted TWO items for publication!  I learned about the Chicken Soup for the Soul submission process from Lava, who has had many stories published there, and I did it!  Just now!

Baked Oatmeal

I learned that you can bake oatmeal and it is delicious!

Lorna made this for us:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • teaspoon vanilla
  • raisins

Mix it up and pour into an oiled (or not) baking dish.  Or maybe even mix it in that dish!

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

While it’s baking, toast some slivered or chopped almonds to use later.

After baking, top the oatmeal with sliced bananas and brown sugar and broil for a few minutes.

Serve with the almonds and other fruit.

YUM!

 

 

Be Grateful and Thrive

OK, I confess I just stole this title from looking at someone else’s magazine on this plane, but I’m sure the article is also about what I learned in February.

For each day of the month, I posted something for which I was grateful, as my Facebook status.  It was a very rewarding experience and made me very aware of how fortunate I am and how many things there are to be grateful for*, both large and small, in my life.

From the obvious and big, including my wonderful friends and family, to the obvious and small, Egg McMuffins, and on to the not so obvious, a taxi or superglue when nothing else would do the job.

I am learning that my awareness of my gratitude has extended beyond February.

* I am grateful that I having my own blog means that I can end sentences and phrases with prepositions.

 

I Can Scan With a Little Help From My Friends

I have learned SO much, today, about how to use Digital Credit Union’s deposit-from-your-computer function.  Over the course of the day, I’ve gone from total frustration and a gazillion failed attempts, to a string to of two successes in a row, using the hints that came from my friends on Facebook!

Here’s the deal: When you hit the “scan” button, the DCU function controls the scanning settings, and is really stupid, with few options.  Over and over, it could not detect the proper size of the back AND the image was too light.

So this is what works: scan the checks to a file (one front, one back) first.  My superprinter does that quickly and well, with default settings.  Then run PC Deposit, choosing the file option.  It worked!

I got this idea from Rita, who said change the scan settings.  PC Deposit won’t let you change settings but my scanner figured it out automatically!  Judy said put a dot in every corner and that may have helped, I’ll try it without next time and see.  Both of these ideas came from Facebook, within hours, and I would never have figured this out on my own.

Thanks, friends!

Trail of Heavenly Snow

I learned that some wonderful person/organization actually grooms the New Boston Rail Trail for cross-country skiing!

Caren and I went as a lunch break, happy that at least one other skier had laid down tracks ahead of us, but when we met up with him near the official trailhead, he told us that someone from New Boston (Parks & Rec?) was grooming the trail ahead.  Sure enough, there was a snowmobile (usually none are allowed) doing multiple passes, dragging a thing that grooming laid down an surface from skiing heaven!

Home Sweet Office

I have learned, again and again and again, that I love working at home.

I do love going into the office, seeing my friends and colleagues, and having that in-person connection during meetings.  I also like the Big City and much of the commute.  It’s still a kick to work in Boston.

But it’s hard to beat the added value of the extra five to six hours I get in my day when I work from home.  Between the extra I can put in at work and the extra I can keep, it feels like winning an extra day in my day!

Check the Schedule! (Or Bide Your Time)

On this day, I rushed for a bus that did not exist.  What a bummer.  What’s worse is that this is not the first, or the second, time this has happened.  Oh please I hope it’s the last.

The bus schedule is easy to check.  It’s online.  I’m online.  I just need to take a minute to put those things together in the name of common sense, before I rush for the bus.

On the other hand, I have learned how to use the gift of unexpected open time.  This time it was a latte and a phone chat with a good friend, sitting in the train part of South Station, under the tote board that makes ticka-ticka-ticka sounds as the trains schedules post, even though though the board is 100% electronic and those sounds are only artificial nostalgia.  It works for me!

Festive Turns Scary

From Barbara:

“Christmas shopping in downtown Boston on a Sunday late afternoon / early evening is not as much fun as one might think.  By 6pm, it gets dark and cold and Downtown Crossing gets empty.  And kinda scary.  Thanks goodness for understanding husbands who come out in the December chill to pick you up when you opt to take an earlier train home.”

Another Glass Overflowing

Barbara and I figured this out: instead of imagining all the people who might criticize you gathered in one place (it seemed like a model of efficiency at the time), it is much more fun to imagine your own personal fan club: a collection of the people who think you’re great, no matter what you do.  Those people rock!  Just picturing them made us happy.  BTW they weren’t all people.  At least one was a cat.

Who are the people in your personal fan club?