Let’s face it // Mondays stink. Or at least we typically expect them to stink. That is why, every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.
1. 1-Year-Celebration. For the first time, I found it difficult to come up with seven things of which I am grateful for this week, as our week was slightly uneventful due to getting sick. However, I found that upon reflection, the small things made me just as happy as I was the week before when it may have been a more productive week. It just goes to show that it doesn’t take much to be happy. Wednesday was Georgia and I’s 1-year anniversary of the first day of our correspondence. I still have that very first e-mail. We thought this was a day that called for a celebration; the fact that we took a risk and it worked was to be celebrated, and the fact that we found each other in such a unique, yet entirely fitting way for the both of us was to be celebrated Yet, I was so sick on Wednesday that I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed or eat (which is NEVER a problem). We decided to go out this past weekend instead, although ACL festival is here and downtown, where all of our favorite restaurants are, is a nightmare. We drove a little up north instead and went to a latin restaurant, which took Georgia right back to his hometown of Miami. It ended up the perfect place to be.
2. Paper-Cleanse. Georgia and I decided to take it easy this weekend after being sick, so I tended to some chores that I have been putting off. I have OCD, so my things are always ridiculously organized, but when something overwhelms me, I tend to go in the opposite direction, and I had a stack of papers in our office that was the size of a mountain. Though, once I got started in filing away my important papers, it became almost therapeutic to rip up and shred the old and toss it away.
3. Buddy Walk. After being cooped up in my apartment nearly all week, I was happy to get outside for some fresh air with Georgia and walk Buddy again. He is so cute, the way he prances… Buddy, that is!
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4. Shakespeare in the Park. This week, I took my students outside for “Shakespeare in the Park.” One of the objectives for seventh-graders in Language Arts is to understand how stage directions add to the message of a drama, so we read scenes from Taming of the Shrew. I decided to make things more interesting for my students who are a bit intimidated by the idea of reading Shakespeare, and we set up a little “Globe theatre” outside with cement blocks and stone picnic tables. The students performed parts of the play, while we stopped every once and a while to discuss the themes, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the students who typically struggled with reading were actually acting out the scenes extremely well… so much so that one of them had me rolling! I heard one of the students say, “This actually made me want to learn!” and that made it all worth while.
5. No-ACL . I’ve taken part in SXSW several times, but never have I taken part in ACL, Austin’s other music festival. As much as I would love to see what it is all about, my pocketbook has no interest. And when you are not a part of something in Austin, trust me, you want to stay as far away as possible. The traffic and the tourists drive me nearly insane. The one upside to now living just outside of downtown now is that Georgia and I have the option to stay completely outside of all the traffic. Hallelujah!
6. My Personal Nurse. I feel so lucky that I have someone in my life that takes pride in taking care of me. I have to say, it just feels good. My mother was always the best nurse, and I could see her inner-nurturer light up when she felt needed in that capacity–not that she wanted to see us sick–but her natural ability to care for others was able to shine. I’ve had many boyfriends who were the WORST sick-people ever, and though I have a huge inner-nurturer in me and didn’t mind acting like their nurse, they hardly ever returned the favor when I was sick. Thank goodness Georgia is not like that. I can see the same inner-nurturer in him that I saw in my mother. He gets that look on his face like it is his absolute duty to make sure I am comfortable. He told me he actually likes taking care of me, and for that, I am extremely grateful.
7. Clean Sheets. Georgia and I are almost obsessive about cleaning our bed-sheets, but for some reason, after this week and being sick, the fresh smell and warmth means all the much more.
We hope to inspire you to reflect on all you have to be grateful & that your week brings you even more positivity + balance + bliss! Feel free to share your seven with us as well / or even just a couple!
Have a wonderful week!
xo,
Georgia + Darlin’
