Soberlife

What a week it’s been. I am grateful that the work week is coming to an end and that my last meeting was with like-minded folks discussing topics of community, vulnerability, and gratitude. My workplace has five values: Disruption, Execution, Collaboration, Integrity, and Inclusion. These are lofty values, but the miracle is that I see them being lived by people at every level in the company on a daily basis. I’m grateful for these values and the people who live by them in my workplace. ...

We lost my Uncle Danny yesterday and while it’s sad that he’s gone, I’m grateful that one of my earliest memories from childhood was him playing with me at the playground. He showed me how to do a “skin-the-cat” on the rings. I was perhaps 3 or 4 at the most. ...

Lately, for a variety of reasons, coming up with three things I’m grateful for has been a bit of a challenge. I was reading one of my books of reflections and I was reminded that life is what we make of it. Often, we must look for the light. That’s what this practice is all about. I’m grateful for the reminder. ...

I had a telemedicine appointment today to talk about the fact that I’ve been gritting my teeth so hard at night that I’m waking myself up. I am grateful for the technology that made it possible for me to get the care I needed safely from my own home. ...

In the past 24 hours, the news that several federal agencies had been compromised through a suspected supply chain breach of a network management vendor. I haven’t been as grateful as I am today to no longer be in operations in quite some time. At the same time I have a great deal of empathy and compassion for all those in operational roles and employees the firm and agencies that got breached because I know how hard they have been and will be working for the foreseeable future and just how stressful it is to respond to a breach. ...

Yesterday, I talked with my dear friend who had open heart surgery last week. It was wonderful to hear his voice and even better to hear that he would likely be discharged to day. I’m grateful for the success and healing and grateful to have him in my life. ...

I’ve been reading the news this morning and even after only a short 39 minutes I am feeling overwhelmed. I’m grateful for this daily gratitude practice which has really made a difference in my outlook in this difficult time by rewiring the neural pathways in my brain. ...

I am grateful for the human body’s ability to heal, which is nothing short of miraculous. The fact that our bodies can repair damage and rebuild themselves never ceases to amaze me. I am grateful to have taken a walk with my son today. He told me all about the computer that he wants to build for his gaming setup. We discussed the fact that the graphics card he wants is hard to find and that buying it from someone who is charging more than retail is not a good way to go, and he agreed with me even if he doesn’t like it. ...

I am grateful for the thirty minutes I got to spend in the phone with my friend yesterday before his surgery. It was good to hear his voice, registering the calm acceptance of the situation in his voice, and to be able to offer him support. ...

I am grateful for the kindness and compassion of others. A dear friend is having open heart surgery today and the outpouring of love from others for him and his wife has been grounding. I am grateful for skilled hands of surgeons and operating room staff. I know that my friend will be well cared for by a team of people who I will never meet. ...

I am grateful for authentic and candid conversations. So much of our day to day interaction boils down to inauthentic idle chit-chat. When we can have a truly vulnerable conversation with another human being we develop compassion and empathy and are living more fully. ...

I am grateful for bicycles. I have loved my bikes as long as I can remember — the baby blue banana seat Raleigh, the red Huffy BMX, the red Huffy Ten Speed, the white Haro Freestyler tricked out with pink mag wheels and white tires, the green Bridgestone MB6 hard tail mountain bike, the orange Specialized MTB with a suspension fork, my blue Cannondale road bike, and my finally my Turquoise Yeti full suspension MTB. I have loved them all. ...

Within the sport of cycling, a contingent of people seem to glorify suffering. This glorification of suffering stems from a toxic masculinity that pervades the sport. It is true that much has been done to welcome women to the sport, and it is also true that there are many seriously bad ass women in the sport, but by and large it is dominated by men. And they like to tell each other how much they suffer in the saddle. ...

I am grateful for the 20 minutes and 53 seconds that I got to spend introducing my son to Pinky and the Brain this morning. We watched it on Hulu on my iPhone and he laid his head in my lap. Time like this is rare with him as he’s almost thirteen. ...

I am grateful for friends. I have a lot of friends who I know in real life but I am also blessed to have some really great relationships with people I have never met thanks to the internet. It may be hard to believe but I’ve had some of the best conversations with folks on Twitter. ...