- To not only run my fiancée across the finish line of her first ultra marathon, but also cheer as she claimed second place female finisher for the 50K distance – all as she pumped her right fist clinching a dill pickle wrapped in a slice of deli turkey victoriously into the air.
- A friend and former co-worker thoughtful enough to give me a boatload of Legos for my nephew and I to play right before my friend moves far away for a job in a new city. (James, you’re the best!)
- That three-and-a-half-hour car ride filled with deep conversations on topics ranging from online gaming to politics and religion without any animosity.
- For checking out two new craft brewery locations during the same trip (The Fathead’s Brewery brewpub in Canton, Ohio and The Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. TapHouse in nearby Akron).
- For finding Chasing Sunsets, my official local craft beer for the summer of 2019 before summer has even officially begun.
- Having an incredible run of listening to and sharing the stories of some pretty amazing people at work. The latest was a much-beloved master chef in Cincinnati reflecting on life a year after his sarcoma diagnosis and treatment.
- For another moment while working: Within two minutes of getting out of a work van, a woman from a church destroyed by a tornado in Dayton, Ohio offering me a bottle of water followed by another woman making the same offer seconds later. Humbled. People can be truly inspiring and kind.
- To celebrate my niece turning three!
- For finding some great new music to listen to this summer.
- I’ve stated it before and will do so again and again and again – remembering most things in life are more about process, progression and effort than “end results.” Glad I’m once again attempting to write daily gratitude lists after a significant gap between this one and the last.
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- Using my ADHD superpower of hyperfocus for good – namely obsessing over a creative problem until I came up with a creative solution for a work project 💪🏻
- Texting stay-in dinner prepping and plans with my fiancée 🍽
- Remembering that I’m at my best when focused more on process instead of end product (be that a personal goal, work project or target marathon)
- Informal group runs begin Tuesday evening 🏃🏼
- A running friend group-texting pictures of his newborn grandson and his other months-old grandson 👼🏼
- Receiving multiple updates from my mother and sister about my almost-three-year-old niece using the potty. I loved the pride they exuded about as much as my niece’s developmental milestone 😍
- The number of old friends who I have not spoken with in a long time whom have contacted me lately
- Daydreaming about summer activities
- The return of spring temps, if only for a couple of days
- Coming home late after a long day of work and still finding the desire to write this list
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- Letting a friend pick the post-work run location and then accosting them for picking such a hilly route
- Creating To Do lists
- Constructive feedback from coworkers and friends
- Catching-up conversations over post-run beers while sitting outside
- Cheap sushi
- Conversations of substance that are both terrifying and fulfilling at the same time
- Watching my niece owning the stage, dancing and singing her heart out as no one watched. Her “stage” just happened to be framed by the open doors of the shed at my parents’ permanent campsite
- All of the sunshine
- Options and happenstance
- Feeling like I’m planning and moving forward with purpose
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I’ve watched this clip of Bill Nye the Science Guy on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver at least 20 times.
Nye displays peak foul-mouthed ranting and I’m all for it.
I hope the language doesn’t offend anyone who follows my blog.
My concern is not rooted in who might take offense to the language Nye uses in the clip.
It’s that someone who might read my blog would be offended by the use of foul language in the first place.
“Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”
Mark Twain, a Biography -
Rooted Yoga studio My head is inhabited by a swarm of unruly, aimless, chaotic and often angry bees.
Individual members of the hive buzz this way and that, often leading me to lock my jaw and grind my teeth on any given day.
The intensity of the swarm only amplifies if I try to catch or kill an individual bee or cluster. Plus, they are always too crafty and fleeting for me to cage.
I once paid a doctor to study the swarm that is my mind. He concluded I have an acute ADHD brain.
Or more accurately, he stated
How have you functioned for this long as an adult?
(I paid nearly $1,000 for this diagnosis)After warring with the swarm my entire life, I found comfort in learning I wasn’t crazy. Well, at least not completely mad.
It was maddening, losing so many battles, and watching loved ones lose their patience with me, because of the swarm.
I’ll never be free of the swarm, but I’ve since learned different ways to better live with the constant buzzing in my head.
One of my favorites is yoga
BTW, that’s me in an actual yoga class. And yes, I appear very awkward while practicing. Burning legs in Downward Dog. Finding balance in Crow. Standing strong and tall in Tree. Having a gentle, guiding voice reminding me to focus on my breathe, stay in the moment and to stop judging myself.
Yoga is the antithesis of ADHD. While the practice never fully silences the swarm, it does cause it to calm for a moment.
Or, more likely, my imperfect practice reduces the anxiety that I create by trying to control my unruly mind. Yoga provides just enough space for me to see the beauty and patterns in the chaotic dance that is the ceaseless swarm of my thoughts.
Do you have an angry swarm of bees in your head? What do you do to find that calm center in your life?
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Me cooking breakfast on Mother’s Day - Spending time with my mom on Mother’s Day (I wouldn’t be here without her)
- Beers at MadTree brewing and deep conversation with my fianceé
- Unexpected invites to run from friends I have not heard from in quite some time
- The weekly “How to ADHD” video podcast (Assertive Communication, say what?!)
- Organizing help tools (I hate organizing)
- Lots. Of. Sleep.
- The view from my kitchen window as I sit and type this
- Cool, early spring temps that I’ll miss in a couple of weeks
- The people who inspired me to write these daily gratitude lists
- Not necessarily not caring about certain things, but gaining perspective and in turn, identifying what’s really important while moving forward
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Rooted Yoga - A new space to find my peaceful place (h/t Rooted Yoga)
- Learning how to fly
- Honestly, thank God it’s Friday
- Wendy’s Son of Baconator, large order of fries and a Coke Zero
- Anti-anxiety medication (brutal truth here)
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Long talks during short rides
- Buying a ticket for an upcoming screening of “Say Anything,” followed by Q&A session with actor John Cusack (I shouldn’t have but I did anyway)
- Looking forward to a quiet evening in and an early Saturday morning run along a scenic recreational trail
- Getting back on track and following through with these daily gratitude lists
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John A. Roebling Bridge, May 8, 2019 - Standing in the middle of the John A. Roebling Bridge and taking pictures
- Running a segment of the Riverfront Commons Trail for the first time
- Finding a budgeting/financial planning tool that works for me
- Ridiculous group-text chains
- This quote: “We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty”
- Binge watching episodes of the new “Twilight Zone” hosted by Jordan Peele
- Signing up for a Yin Yoga session at Rooted Yoga in Covington, Kentucky
- Occasional rain showers followed by partly cloudy skies
- Being just a little more comfortable in my own skin
- Singing “You Can Call Me Al” along with Paul Simon in the drive to work
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- A quiet evening in
- Deep conversations over porch beers
- Shakeout runs that feel so good they turn into progression runs
- Sunshine on skin
- The music of John Prine
- The smell of fresh cut grass
- Making plans for the future – both far off and near
- Driving to work with the car windows down
- Being tired but content
- Looking forward to another evening run and nothing to do afterward
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- A ridiculous amount of birthday well-wishes
- Longtime friendships made while running
- The ability to run four races for a total of 23.5 miles in three days leading up to and including the day I turned 43
- Having an inspiring individual and heart transplant recipient cheer me on during one of those races when I needed it most
- Enjoying sunshine and patio beers with friends
- Hearing my nearly three-year-old niece’s laughter
- A new pair of running shoes
- Witnessing the awesomeness of Cincinnati’s running community on full display
- Cheering on may of those runners chasing their goals and hopefully providing solace for those who came up short pursuing them
- Getting back into a regular routine