I’ve been pretending that today was something worth paying attention to because it is halfway through. Really, it’s just another day though. Well, it’s Melanie’s birthday, so I can’t exactly say that.

Meditation

Did this after putting Theo to bed again. I won’t repeat that this isn’t the best time or report that I dozed off in the process. Instead, I’ll just acknowledge that this needs some work. Still.

Exercise

Did a couple extra flights of stairs and a decent walk at lunch. I probably should have done them more spaced apart, but it was a nice bit of activity. Rory still eyes me funny, though. I’m sure she is missing the morning walks and would like to get back to them for her sake.

Kindness

I was nice to a new security guard at work today. It was basically me taking the time to introduce myself. Again, this feels more like common courtesy, but I probably wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for the challenge. It’s just kind of an awkward situation for me because I don’t know if the guy is there just temporarily or if he’ll be a regular feature in the afternoon. Typically, I would wait to find out, wait until it would really be awkward to introduce myself. Instead, I just found out his name and told him mine. In case that doesn’t count, I also told my sister I would keep a very minor secret for her. (Mostly, I mention that because I know she’s reading. Yes, it’s basically a shout out.)

Gratitude

1. I’m grateful for the last vestiges of spring, which made it even more pleasant than usual to walk at lunch today. It was cool and cloudy and almost made me forget that winter is coming. I mean, summer. This is the Gulf Coast, not Game of Thrones.
2. I’m grateful for having coworkers who enjoy themselves enough to joke around and have a bit of fun at work. They are mostly having fun by complaining about work, but you can’t even pull that off if you’re totally miserable.
3. I’m grateful for smart friends on Facebook who make me think and make me more empathetic than I might be without them. They don’t have to be on Facebook, but that is where I interact with most of mine for now.

Something Positive

As I mentioned, it is Melanie’s birthday. I wasn’t able to make a big deal about because of work and money and lack of forethought and on account of her not wanting anyone to make a big deal about it. But Theo sang an off-key but very cute version of Happy Birthday for the first time. And we celebrated in small ways, and I brought it up in small ways here and in other places. I long for the days when we would have spent basically the entire day together, maybe catching an early movie and just relaxing all day. Those don’t come as often anymore, though, and it is difficult to pin them down to a mostly arbitrary day. So, we appreciate the small wins.

Happy Melanie’s Birthday. I hope yours was a good one.