Graduation

My wife graduates today! After all her countless hours of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, she finally gets to walk. I'm grateful that she made it to the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm grateful that we have friends and family here to celebrate with her. I'm grateful for all this snow that makes the landscape simply beautiful. I'm grateful for this cup of coffee I'm about to have to start the day right.

This day is awesome.

Opportunity

I am grateful for this upcoming opportunity. I am grateful for the challenge. I am grateful for the chance to push myself. I am grateful for chance to do good. If nothing else, I'm grateful for a new, exciting experience in my life.

Here we go.

Reunite!

I am grateful that I'm going to be seeing my wife again soon. We haven't been apart all that long (only a few days), but this house feels empty without her and I can't wait to see her again (thank goodness Roy has been keeping me company!). Plus, we're gonna be playing in the snow and celebrating a late-honeymoon.

Can't beat that.

Music

You are my daily savior. Whether it be taking a break from work to play a little guitar or listening to something funky to get my energy up, music keeps me sane and productive. I don't know what it is about you, but my mind loves you.

Thank you, music, for always being there and for making me, in part, who I am today.

Thinking

There is nothing more wonderful than thinking. Going head-to-head with a problem and coming out the other side with its solution is extremely gratifying. Your mind is mentally untangling knots. All this information is twisted and it simply doesn't make any sense, but then you start pulling it apart piece by piece until it's finally laid out, straight and logical.

Thank you, thinking, for working through these mental challenges and using your incredible resources to find a solution and make sense of it all.

Rain

This morning, I am grateful for the slightly warmer temperatures and rain. One could very well see this as miserable weather, but really, it makes for a cozy day. Listening to the rain outside and seeing the overcast skies makes this house seem like the best place in the world to be. I feel protected from the elements and I don't feel like I'm missing anything by working inside (i.e. sunshine).

So thank you, rain, for making this a cozy day and for feeding the earth. We're all dependent on you and even if we don't like driving in you, we're happy you're here.

Home Office

I am grateful for my little home office. It's not much, but it's a space to call my own that I can retreat to when I need to concentrate. It's got a solid desk for me to work at, a decently-solid chair for me to sit on, a lamp that gives off a warm glow, a bookshelf to hold my English and Russian reading material, a rather excellent portable speaker to listen to music, and internet connect-ability so I can get my work done. Not bad at all.

It also has a dog bed so Roy can curl up nearby while I work. A blessing and a curse, but I'll take it. Thank you, home office.

Comfortable, Warm House

Last night, I found myself grateful for the comfortable, warm house I'm living in. It was fairly cold outside and there I was, tucked in bed under the blankets, when I heard the heater kick on. How lucky I am. I could absolutely survive without a heater, as many people do out of necessity. As I sit in this house, many people are in the street, struggling to find shelter, food, and warmth. They don't have the option to decide whether or not they turn the heater on (let alone decide what their 'perfect' temperature is). They don't have the luxury of crawling inside a warm bed or a warm house that protects them from the elements and other dangers. Instead, they're left out in the cold, fending for themselves and hoping for the best.

I have it pretty damn easy and I've done nothing in particular to deserve it. Thank you, house, for keeping me safe and giving me a space I can call my own. Thank you, heater, for keeping warm and comfortable with little effort from me. Thank you, everything little thing that I have in my life that makes it just a little better, even if I'm not even consciously aware of how I benefit from it.

May I always strive for self-awareness and awareness of my surroundings, and may I always find something to be grateful for.

Each New Day

Each new day is an opportunity to do something right, to start fresh, and to get my life in order. Not that my life is in any particular sort of disarray, but I can always push myself further to be the best I can be. This is the beauty of morning. Everyday, I get to start over and strive to get it right. It's sort of like Groundhog Day, but less morbid.

Let's start the day right. Let's start strong and earn that better life we deserve.

MENSA Desk Calendar

This calendar is pretty sweet. Everyday, there's a new puzzle for me to solve—and some of them are pretty darn tricky! But, alas, they're fun and they wake my brain up. I'm going to start incorporating it into my morning routine so that this plus the gratitude journal (and maybe plus a nice morning walk) will have me ready to start the day strong.

So thank you, MENSA desk calendar, for providing me fun and—more importantly—an opportunity to use my brain and make it more agile. Our minds and bodies are the greatest gift we've been given and it's our duty (nay, honor!) to take care of them. Here's to a happy, healthy life.

My Wife's Upcoming Master's

I am grateful for my wife's upcoming graduation. She has been working her butt off for this program and it is finally culminating in her walking across the stage and picking up her diploma in a couple weeks. After all her hard work, she deserves this and all the job opportunities that will follow. I admire her for putting in the time and effort to make her life better and I can only hope that I follow in her footsteps. I am grateful that she is finally going to have a chance to relax and read a good book, not worrying about her upcoming papers or final projects.

Congratulations, my love. You're the best.

New Year's Resolution

I am grateful for my New Year's resolution. Actually, I'm super excited about it, and because of that I'm grateful for it. My resolution is to learn Python (a computer programming language). Realistically, I don't expect to become an expert in a year, but rather to be able to use Python to solve practical problems. As in, I don't want this to be an abstract endeavor, but one that has a real application in my daily life. I've been going through the Codecademy lessons and I just got a snazzy, new book.

Like I said, I'm super excited for this. So thank you, New Year's resolution, for adding some excitement to 2016.

This Couch

I am grateful for this couch. We picked it up at the local Goodwill for something like $30. Not bad at all. It is far more comfortable than sitting on the floor with my back against the wall and cramping up. It's actually just pretty comfortable in and of itself. It also has a little pull-out bed, which has already served us well when we have had guests over for the night. It's a great size, has an interesting pattern (Indian elephants), and gives us a place to relax. Thank you.

Challenges

Challenges make me stronger. They push me to excel. They force me out of my ruts and routines and help me forge a better pattern of living. Bring it on, challenges. I will rise to meet you.

Cooler Weather

This morning, I am grateful for the cooler weather we have now. It means that we are properly orbiting around the sun and experiencing the healthy changes in our orientation to it. It also means that it's not July and mind-meltingly hot and humid.

So thank you, cool weather. Stick around for a while.

The Ability to Appreciate Nature

This morning, I am grateful for the ability to enjoy the simple things in life. In particular, I'm grateful for the ability to take a step back and appreciate what's all around us—nature. Yesterday, as my wife and I drove home from our day trip, we were presented with an incredible sunset in front of us (thankfully, we were driving west). Wispy clouds in gold, pink, and orange set against a striking, pure blue sky. It was really beautiful.

 It's nice to know that should we lose all of our computers, TVs, smartphones, iPods, and other distractions—if we lost everything—we would still be able to turn our heads to the sky and appreciate this amazing universe we live in.

Daytrip

I am grateful for this little day trip my wife and I are about to take! Yes, it's primarily work-related, but it will be nice to do something different and we're definitely going to grab a delicious lunch somewhere.

Days Off

I am grateful for days off. The ability to take a break from work and engage in things I just don't have the time for during the week is a wonderful gift. Today, I'm going to continue to explore the world of computer programming. Onward and upward, New Year's resolutions. Onward and upward.

All the Little Luxuries

I am grateful for all the little luxuries I am afforded in my life. I get to come home to a nice, cozy house instead of sleeping on the streets and wondering how I'm going to stay warm.

 I get to stroll into a grocery store every week (or a couple times a week) to buy the food I want instead of wondering if I'll eat at all.

I get to hop online and buy a new computer when my old one starts going downhill instead of letting it die, not having a computer to use, and not being able to translate (or write these entries).

I have a car I can drive to work that keeps me sheltered from the elements and quickly gets me to where I need to go instead of having to bike in the sun and rain over long distances of dangerous roads.

I have the luxury of sitting here and reflecting on the things I am grateful for instead of being preoccupied with the struggle to survive and simply fighting to exist.

For these things and a million more that escape my notice, I am grateful. I should never have anything to complain about.

This Vest

When I decided to go back to school for a Master's, I didn't know I would end up back in Wisconsin. But I did. If you don't know, it gets cold there. Like -40F (with windchill). Needless to say, my Florida wardrobe needed an update and eventually I ended up getting a nice, cozy down vest (along with some down slippers). Let me tell you, this thing is warm. It has actually, as of late, taken the place of my fleece, which I used to always wear without hesitation (you don't ever try to separate a Vermonter from his fleece). But alas, the vest is windproof and ends up keeping me warmer, even if I'm just inside working on the computer.

So thank you, down vest. Thank you, internet website from which you came. Thank you, delivery and packaging people. Thank you, manufacturers, for putting all the stitches in the right places. Thank you, geese, for this incredible biotechnology you've lent us. We've much to learn from you.

My Goofy Dog

I am grateful for our goofy dog, Roy. Roy is a boxer. Roy is thirteen years old. His once-jet-black muzzle is now grey, along with his eyebrows and bits of his ears. He can be incredibly frustrating sometimes, like when he blatantly ignores my calls and keeps walking away toward the road; or when he eats so fast that he throws it all back up.

Nonetheless, Roy is a great dog. He is so sweet and loves absolutely everyone. It doesn't matter if you're a stranger, old friend, baby, or another dog, he'll walk right up to you and demand to be petted (and he'll probably lean his whole body against you just to make sure you understand). He's a great companion and is surprisingly good at reading your mood. If you're sad, he'll sidle up beside you, staring at you, as if asking what's wrong (he'll even start whining and refuse to leave you alone if it's apparent enough that something's not right).

Roy's a good dog. And he's wearing a sweater. Thanks for being so darn cute, Roy, and for making our days a little brighter.

Longer Days

I am grateful for the days getting longer. By this, I don't mean longer work days, but that the sun now comes up earlier and sets later (the former is especially important). When I first started making myself get up early to translate, it would still be dark out—not very encouraging. But now that there's some light and traces of sunrise, getting up is much easier and, dare I say, enjoyable. Sun, you are beautiful and literally all life on earth depends on you. Thanks for getting up with me.

My Wife

I am grateful for my loving and caring wife. It's wonderful to know that there is always someone on my team, looking out for me; someone to be silly with; to be sad with; be happy with; share this life we have before us.

To many more years of adventure.

Black Coffee (Black Tea 2.0)

Thank you, black coffee, for stimulating my brain when it doesn't seem to be too interested in doing much. Sometimes a chemical kick is all you need. Plus, you taste great with homefries.

Learning

I love learning! My brain craves discovery and understanding. I honestly don't know if anything else gives me the same rush as understanding, especially after toiling with something more complex. It's wonderful. It's beautiful.

I have delved into many things over the years: music theory, violin, algebra, trig, physics, biology, medicine, Russian, French, Farsi, psychology, cryptology, computer programming, chess...the list goes on and it's so cool and exhilarating to pick up a new subject and be immersed in a new world.

Praise be the learning machine, my brain. Thank you to all those online communities, tutorials, and other resources dedicated to expanding our knowledge. Thank you, universe, for having so many fascinating things to discover and experiment with. Here's to a lifetime of learning and building those ever-flourishing neural connections.

Shelter

I am grateful for this shelter we have above our heads. It may be the new year, but it's cold and rainy out. This house may be old, but it keeps us warm and dry. Instead of shivering out in the elements, I can sit back and read, relax, or even take a nap. Thank you for your sanctuary.

Happy New Year.