Day 285

Grounding. Patience. Truth.

Nothing like a day that starts off with lessons pretty much the moment the eyes open. I’ll skip the specifics, mostly because from my current vantage point as the day slips towards its end, I’m more than a little embarrassed at a few of the moments.

Best way to describe it? Let’s just say I had a few Veruca Salt moments today. To be clear, I am not referring to the American rock band by that name. I’m referring to the fictional character created by Roald Dahl in his book (then movie) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

In any case, awakening with a solid case of whiny entitled spoiled girl, the day required a series of meditative moments — halting to focus, breathe and listen. It also required calling myself out and laughing at myself … a lot. There’s something deeply grounding about this type of exercise for me. So long as I stay away from thumping myself too soundly about the head and neck with ye olde bludgeon of self deprecation (the point where healthy humility tips over into self loathing), I’m good.

The day brought a bit more stress than I’d have liked for a holiday Monday, but in the end the lessons resonated, and on top of it all I was granted a spectacular gift from a dear friend… If you know anything about what this week is, and you know anything about me, you know what that is.

Yep. I got to go to a hockey game. Not just any game but the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals! AND WE WON!

The lessons from the day:

• When I have a moment of frustration it is in that moment of pause when the lesson is learned
• Some things are best kept off social media (yeah news flash there, right?)
• There are times people will hear what they want rather than what is said
• Never forget that the voice of power is a whisper

And while everyone seemed obsessed with the nations NBC broadcasters I was far more interested in watching my pal Jim Snyder crushing it with his co-anchor Marie Mortera.

Today’s Gracious Gratitude. I’m grateful for:

• Frank Gruber and jen consalvo for the kind of friendship that spans a continent, more than a decade and myriad interests and life lessons
• Michelle St.Angelo for being that friend who always seems to know precisely what to say to reconnect my feet to the ground
• Mike Falconer (who’s not on @Medium but should be) for always showing up, having one of the kindest hearts I know and being a superb moving going pal
• My mom who started texting me at noon about the hockey game
• So many more people for whom to be grateful today …
• Sushi burritos (which I used to think were stupid and now think are genius)
• Hot tea with honey
• My bed