30 Days of Gratitude: Day 10

Today, I am grateful for a good day.

It was potentially one of the best days I’ve had this year.

It all started when I was waiting at the bus stop this morning. I saw a fellow speechie friend drive past. We waved to each other, and I thought he’d just keep driving. But being the nice guy he is, he turned around and came back to pick me up. Thanks to him, I got to uni earlier than I expected. Also, I was in such a good mood that I was actually ridiculously productive. I managed to work on an assignment for a good 2 hours, and then I worked on session plans for Thursday’s clinic, as well as preparing for tutoring in the afternoon.

I also managed to have lunch with two lovely ladies, and I really enjoyed their company.

Tutoring also went very well. My 9 y.o. student revealed to me that he is, in fact, Batman. I feel like I’m building really good rapport with him because we have so much in common. We both love spaghetti bolognese, superheroes and broccoli. He’s such a sweet kid. 

My Year 7 student cancelled today’s session, which meant I finished work an hour earlier and managed to get home before it was dark. I’m a bit bummed that she cancelled because I worked hard to plan the session today – but it’s all good. It means I’ve already planned next week’s session with her 🙂

I got home to find out that, after a long, tedious search, my brother finally found someone to take him for placement this semester. 

All in all, it was a good day. I’m so grateful, because it was exactly what I needed this week.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 9

Today, I am grateful for hot showers.

If there’s one thing I love more than sleeping, it’s taking a shower. My shower is my sanctuary. It’s where I perform to a stadium of thousands. It’s where I have some of my most sincere worship sessions. It’s where I win many imaginary arguments. It’s where I think of amazingly witty comebacks I could’ve used 3 hours ago.

There’s nothing better than coming home from a long day and taking a nice, hot shower. I can feel the stress and worries washing away. And I always come out feeling relaxed and prepared to tackle whatever’s outside that bathroom door.

Today, I am grateful for hot showers.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 8

Today, I am grateful for quality time.

Life has been fairly hectic recently.

I try to keep Sundays as free as possible, but because I have an assignment due tomorrow, I was pretty certain that I’d have to rush home after church today to finish it. Despite the stress weighing on my mind, I still managed to catch up with a friend over lunch, go shopping with Mum, and hang out with Dad for a bit before sitting down to do the assignment. I really enjoyed the time spent with these 3 people. Oh, and I finished my assignment too. It was a good day.

Today, I am grateful for quality time.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 7

Today, I am grateful for my dad.

He drove me into the city this morning because I was running horrendously late for a movie with a friend. Thanks Daddy!

Of course, I’m grateful for other things he has done for me over the years, but Father’s Day is coming up so I’m saving those for that post, hehe. Nonetheless, I love you Dad 🙂

Today, I am grateful for my dad.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 6

Second post of the day because I missed one yesterday, hehe.

Today, I am grateful for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

**CAUTION: Potential spoilers**

I’ve always been a fan of Marvel. I love all the X-Men movies, Avengers, Iron Man etc. When I first heard of AoS, I wasn’t really very keen. I saw maybe 2 episodes when it was on TV? I didn’t have time to follow it avidly, and I prefer watching a series online instead of having to sit through ads every 15 minutes. Anyway, I started watching season 1 a few months ago under the strong influence of a friend (the bus rides friend I mentioned in Day 2). I was hooked by the end of the first episode.

I finally finished the season today and OH MY GOODNESS. WHAT. My soul is broken. My heart, my head, my lungs, my liver, my kidneys. Every part of my body hurts because of one character. *sigh* And I have to wait til September to find out his plight. Please Marvel, be good to me.

Is it weird that I consider the characters family? I mean, Coulson and May would make great parents, and there’s no denying there’s some sort of chemistry there – chemistry that doesn’t make me want to puke, i.e. Ward/May…ugh. Simmons and Triplett would be my awesome cousins. Skye would be a great sister. Maria Hill would be my cool aunt. Fury would be my all-knowing grandfather. Ward would be the creepy uncle. And Fitz? Well, he’d be my husband.

Anyway, I’m grateful for AoS because it’s been my de-stressing tool for the past few months. Yes, I do get worked up and stressed about the show, but that’s a fun kind of stress. It’s not a omg-I-want-to-defer-and-never-come-back-to-uni type of stress. It’s also given me something to fangirl about.

Oh, and can I just say, the whole Ward fiasco? Totally called it from the beginning. I’m that good.

Today, I am grateful for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 5

Hahaha, not even a week in and I’ve already missed a day. Shhh.

This is yesterday’s post:

Today, I am grateful for a good day in clinic.

For the first 9 weeks of this semester, I’ve been involved in a preschool language and phonology clinic every Thursday. Some days are good, and some days are bad. I thought yesterday was going to be bad.

I woke up in the morning with a very angry uterus. I was late for the bus, so as soon as I got dressed, I grabbed everything I needed and ran out of the house. Well, at least I thought I had everything I needed. I forgot my medication, which meant that I had to go get Panadol from the convenience store at uni. And Panadol doesn’t help much.

I got to clinic and just felt like crap. All I felt like doing was lying down in foetal position. I didn’t want to have to deal with my 4 y.o. client. 

Anyway, my session started and, to my surprise, my client was cooperative, compliant, and engaged. He wasn’t as nuts as usual. We got through the session with no major dramas, and were able to do everything we set out to do. 

I’m so grateful that it turned out that way. I’m not sure how I would’ve coped if he wasn’t so well-behaved.

Today, I am grateful for a good day in clinic.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 4

Quick post before I immerse myself in my assignment.

Today, I am grateful for sunshine.

I love winter sunshine because it reminds me that although it’s cold now, it’s about to get warmer. Walking home with the sun in my face, the wind in my hair, and music in my ears put me in such a good mood. Also, the sunshine makes my hair look so purple, I LOVE IT.

I can’t wait for spring. Less than a month to go!

Today, I am grateful for sunshine.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

Today, I am grateful for challenging lessons.

This year, I started attending Bible Study Fellowship – an in-depth Bible study program designed to help people gain a deeper understanding of God. It’s an international organisation with which my Mum has been involved for many years. And after years of persuasion, she finally convinced me to join. I starting going along on Monday nights, and began to really enjoy the fellowship with my small group. 

Last night’s lesson was on forgiveness, from Matthew 18. It was intense, not because the speaker was amazing or theatrical or had a heart-wrenching testimony, but because the message – the word of God, was so powerful.

I found comfort in The Parable of the Lost Sheep:

If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 8:12-14, NIV)

Despite trusting my own judgement and wandering astray, God will run to find me. It is comforting to know that I have a God who comes looking for me when I am lost or turn away from Him. I have a God who cares for the individual, who loves me even though I am seemingly insignificant in the great scheme of things. My Father, the Good Shepherd, values each individual highly, and so should I.

Another thing that challenged me was the lesson Jesus taught about forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35. There is no limit to the number of times I should forgive someone. Forgiveness is not something we give based on someone’s merit. It is an act of grace. If God can forgive me time and time again without hesitation, why can’t I do the same for others? Also, forgiveness should be from the heart and not superficial. That’s a given.

It made me reflect on the times when I had the opportunity to forgive someone, but instead chose to hold a grudge. It’s much easier to stay angry than to forgive, isn’t it? But wouldn’t my relationships with those around me be better if I was more ready to forgive?

I’m grateful for this BSF lesson as it has caused me to evaluate how I deal with conflict and my response when someone has hurt me. It’s a very appropriate lesson considering what I’ve been through in the past couple of months.

Today, I am grateful for challenging lessons.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

Today, I am grateful for bus rides with a friend.

Mondays are tough. It’s the beginning of the week, and it’s generally a long day for me, what with early classes, Guides, and then Bible study. Because I can’t drive yet (I’m getting there, ok?), I have to rely on public transport. And the only reason I don’t mind making the long trip from uni to Guides is because I get to spend that hour or so with a friend.

She’s my co-leader at Guides (even though she’s technically not qualified yet). She’s younger than me but often more mature than I am. She understands my obsession with Marvel. She laughs at my sarcasm. She’s the one that got me into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She doesn’t judge me for the weird things I say. She sells herself short sometimes.

Our conversations range from gushing over AoS, in depth discussions about Marvel, complaining about uni admin, and our future travel plans.

She’s a wonderful Guide leader, and an even better friend. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to understand the full extent of her awesomeness. And now that I do, I hope I can help her see the full extent of her awesomeness too.

Today, I am grateful for bus rides with a friend.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

In the pursuit of happiness, I have decided to start being grateful for at least one thing each day for the next 30 days. 

Today, I am grateful for a boss who cares.

At the beginning of the year, I got a job with a tutoring centre. Basically, students would sign up, and the centre would match the student with a tutor. The hours were flexible, and because I was technically hired as a contractor, I could pick which subjects and which level I felt comfortable with. It was all perfect. My boss quickly found me a student, and I began tutoring her not long after. I loved this job, but unfortunately, it came to an end merely a month after it had started. The student wanted tutoring on a different afternoon, which did not suit my schedule. My uni timetable and existing position as a Guide leader only left me with 2 free days to tutor, one of them being a Friday. And let’s face it, no one really wants tutoring on a Friday afternoon.

My boss said she would find me more students, however, given my availability, I thought for sure this was the end of my job at the centre. I didn’t think they’d call me again because my timetable was so rigid.

I was wrong. Over the next couple of months, I received calls and emails from the centre offering me students or even just checking in to see if my availabilities had changed. Each time my boss called, she would promise to find me another student and get me back on board with the centre. She seemed so keen to get me work, and it made me feel useful.

Last Monday, 5 months after I last tutored at the centre, I received a text message from my boss informing me that she had not one, but two students lined up for me at a time that actually suited my schedule. Naturally, I rang her back immediately and said HECK YES. (Not in those words). I start with my two new students this Tuesday and I’m super excited.

I’m very grateful for the time my boss has put into finding me new students. I’m grateful for the fact that she kept in touch.

So there it is, Day 1. I am grateful for a boss who cares.