5-18-17 My Bluetooth Headphones

This might seem a little superficial of something to be grateful for but there's no reason to not be grateful.  I used to use a Sony all in one mp3 player headphone set.  It worked really great, easy to use, sound was good and it was pretty waterproof.  Eventually, it stopped working and I could never seem to find the right thing..   Until some friends recommended the pair I have now.  I've been actually able to figure out how to use them and I've really started to like them and have one less thing to worry about when I run and can escape into my music.
I'm grateful for all of that.

5-15-2017 New Challenges

Sometimes, the next big challenge looks daunting.  Part of you wants to back down.  But something else makes you go forward.  With some luck and perseverance you take on the challenge and eventually succeed.  It's like a journey or a side quest, you learn something, gain something or maybe help someone else along the way.  I will accept the new challenge, and I will be grateful for them!

5-6-2017 When It turns out much better than you thought

I went running this morning and thought it was not going to be a good run, or at least might not be a good run.  My legs were feeling tired but I wanted to get in at least 9 miles.  The first mile felt hard, I thought I might have to do a little bit of walking.  I stopped a few times and the second mile was still hard but not quite as bad.  I decided I'd run through the 3rd and 4th miles without stopping.  As I ran past 4.5 miles I went one more mile, going a little bit faster until I turned around, and then kept on going faster and faster until the 11th mile was a 6:42 pace - much faster than the first mile which was a 10:00 pace.  I had no expectations that it would be good, but I just decided to try to finish the miles and see what happened.

And it turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

For this time, and every other time something like this happened I am extremely grateful!

5-2-2017 (Silly) Posed pictures

Today after the run, David got a picture of the guys that were still there, he told us to put on our tough guy and/or angry look.  No real reason, just for fun.  I'll look back at the picture some day and remember it and grateful for the moment it capture.
I'm grateful for posed pictures.

5-1-2017 The Same Moon

Twice now (and maybe more times in the past) you can look up at the moon and call someone who is far away (but not the other side of the world) and that person can look at the moon and you're both looking at the same thing at the same time even though hundreds of miles apart or perhaps less than that but for whatever reason you can't be at the same place ,but you can at least look at the same moon.
I'm grateful for being able to look at the same moon!

4-27-17 Morning Sunshine

Every day, a new day starts, and each morning the night time sky gets light before the sun rises.  Seeing the dark turn to light makes me appreciate this gift, especially while running which gets easier - easy to see what might trip you up, easier for cars to see you, easier to see other runners or bikers on the trail.
   It's also that new sunshine, where it hasn't gotten oppressively hot yet, so nothing feels bad about it.
 And, it's one of the most certain things, almost guaranteed 100% for the next few billion years (rough non scientific guess, not that how many billions should matter).
Today, I'm grateful for the morning sunshine.

4-21-2017 Wawa

I was about to try and think for a long time the best thing to be grateful for today, but instead I decided to go with the first thing which is Wawa.  It's clean and probably has the best gas station/convenience store food ever and certainly the best coffee.  I've met up with Jessica there plenty of times on the way to work as it was on the way to her job also.  I remember an early morning stop at Wawa in the Poconos on the way back to the airport after the Marathon.  I sometimes pick up coffee for a guy I work with who grew up in the Philly area and appreciates it when I drop one of at his desk.

There were certainly many more things to be grateful for today, but for whatever reason, I'm picking Wawa today as something to be grateful for!

4-17-2017 A Favorite Spot

It's nice when you have an old-standby, a place you know to go to, just the right beach or exact spot at the beach.  The first time you go there, it's just like any other place, but after a few times going there and some good memories you always think about that place and go back whenever you can.
I went to a favorite spot this past Saturday and a bit of magic happened - I went for a walk with my girlfriend and came back with my fiancee!  It was close to sunset, there was a nice breeze with the salty ocean air and some friendly people around.

I'm grateful for this favorite spot!

4-7-2017 24 Hours

Each day has 24 hours to use or to waste.  I was thinking about what to write and mentally walked through what has happened in the last 24 hours which was quite a bit, some good, some great, some ok, and maybe some of it was time I could have spent better.  But I thought about it and was glad that I did.  It was like a mini-judgment day, and also almost like a second chance at the same time.  Reliving and reflecting the past 24 hours was a good reminder to use them wisely, but don't stress, be present, be patient.

There's 24 hours, every day, use them wisely, or at the very least look back on them, there's still time to value them, and tomorrow you get to start all over again.

So, very grateful for 24 hours!

4-6-2017 A Hand

Lend me a hand, please.  Could someone please give me a hand here? Here, let me give you a hand with that!
Sometimes, at just the right place or time, someone reaches out a hand to help.  For that person it's such a little gesture.  But for the receiver, it can make all the difference in the world.

It's more powerful than words.

I'm grateful for every time any one has reached out a hand to help me !

4-4-2017 Knowing Where to Get Help

About a year ago, I was thinking about trying to figure out how to get through issues involving my kids and moving forward with a relationship that would hopefully lead to getting married again.  It felt like at the time it wasn't what I was ready for (although I probably was).  Nearly a year goes by and a lot happens and I have a series of little and a few big epiphanies about life, what is important and it all leads back to what I had turned down a year ago.

But part of the puzzle this time, as I contemplated moving forward is I knew there was someone that could help when I was  ready.  A lot of pieces came together in my mind over the course of a week, but this one was a pretty big one and made the decision a lot easier.

So tonight, I'm very grateful for knowing where to get help.  Hope, not ever giving up, and remembering to be grateful is what I will do, and maybe someday these words will help someone!

4-3-2017 Cooking a Home Cooked Meal

When put together the right way, with some fresh ingredients, some chopping, frying, mixing, sauteing, slicing, shredding, etc. some plain ingredients turn into something magic.  Something to sit down together for and put aside whatever was going on and eat.

Chopping especially, makes me feel like I'm doing something good, not sure why.

I don't always put together a real home cooked meal, but for the times I do, I'm grateful for that.

3-29-2017 Favors

I like doing favors for people, both the kind that you know can not be repaid (e.g. anonymous ones) and the kind that might get paid back someday, maybe when you least expect it.

If someone says "can you do me a favor?" and they really need your help and it's something you can help out with, it feels really good. Sometimes little favors can make a big difference.

And when I'm the person asking for a favor, it can be such a huge relief.

So today, I am grateful for favors!

3-26-17 Stitches

Stitches (aka sutures) - No one ever really WANTS to get stitches - unless you need them.  And if you really need the stitches then there is probably something much more traumatic going on than the stitches themselves.  And eventually, the wound heals, and the stitches come out and it's all in the past.  But, while they are in, they are literally holding us together.  They've been around for a long time in some form or another, but someone a long time ago first thought of them and now they are almost taken for granted.

But today, I'm grateful for stitches.

3-25-2017 Talking About It

It sounds like a cliche sometimes when someone says "you'll feel a lot better if you talk about it."  But cliche's got that way for mostly being true.  Talking is taking a type of action, like writing is as well.  They are both different from other types of actions because in a way you're still not really doing anything.  But still, there is power in talking, it's the seed, the thing to get things rolling.

I've had to do a lot of talking recently, to various people, and about things I might not have talked about if I didn't have a goal.

And, it really has helped in many ways.  I do feel a lot better (maybe not at the very first moment, maybe it takes a day or two or a week, but eventually and especially compared to not talking in the end you really do feel a lot better).

So, today I'm grateful for talking about it.

3-24-2017 Close Shaves

When something bad happens, but it could have been much, much worse, and instead of a major tragedy we say things like "a few cuts and bruises" or "pretty shaken up, but ok".

Tonight, my dog Stella got into a dog fight.  She looked ok at first and acted like she wanted to play except for a big gaping hole in her neck at least two inches long.  Dogs don't seem to bleed the exact same way that people do so it almost looked impossible or fake that there's such a big hole.  She seemed ok and I started thinking about how much this might cost to get fixed and took her to the vet.  She eventually started to bleed a little bit because she was pulling at the leash when she walked into the vet's office.

After some time the vet came to talk to me.  She told me that the bite was incredibly close to her jugular and I immediately had an image in my head of seeing her bleed out and die on my kitchen floor at home.

But, that did not happen.
It's just some stitches and a few hundred dollars in vet bills.

There have been other close shaves I've seen in my life.  The bad thing didn't happen, it almost did, but not this time.

It's better if these things didn't happen at all, but for all the close shaves, I'm grateful for each one.

3-14-17 Cheese sticks

Cheese sticks are good to have around whether as a snack by themselves, as part of lunch, at home or take with you.  They are fun to pull apart into strings or just eat.  And if you know someone that likes them, they are good to keep some on hand to share.  I've learned some good things because of cheese sticks and I never thought I'd be grateful about a prepackaged cheese product but it goes to show there are things to be grateful for all around.  So, tonight I am grateful for cheese sticks!!

3-13-17 Unexpected Good Phone Call

I had been meaning to call my brother with big news, it was on a list of things to do. But, he called me instead and had a good talk with him.  When I got home I looked at my growing list of things to do and had forgotten I had put that on the list.  Grateful that he called and all the times that has happened!

3-12-17 Jessica

I usually talk about things I am grateful for, but have mentioned people, like my son Andy.  I'm grateful for Jessica coming into my life and showing me things about myself and seeing the good in me and not giving up, I am truly grateful for her.

3-10-17 People Who Help Me Grow

No matter how old you are, there always seems to be more growing to do.  People come into our lives that show us the way, teach us lessons, make us rise to the occasion, or whatever it takes.  I am grateful for all the people that help me grow!

3-4-2017 Sitting at the Beach

The beach, a few of them actually, are not far.  It was a nice day out, the kind you don't want to waste.  I actually wasn't in the mood to sit by the water but I told someone I would enjoy the day.  I parked on the causeway and set up my chair, sat back and listened to the waves and wind (and some snippets of conversation of the people next to me but completely by accident!).  It doesn't fix everything but you really can't go wrong and it certainly helped, so today I'm not only grateful for sitting at the beach but actually wrote it down this time!