Joyful June
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@texasgardnr great post! It’s been raining here like crazy and although years past the beginning of rainy season turns into the SAD for me this time I will embrace it. Today marks the third day I sit on my back porch just to look and listen to the rain.
I don’t have the app but I started following them on FB. A breath of fresh air.
For June 4th, showing appreciation for those who help others, I will send a Thank you Note to the nurses at the hospital where I stayed in Jan. I was hospitalized before the pandemic so I can only imagine how hard it must have been for them during that time. Also will send some love and appreciation on FB to my friends who are teachers.3 -
June 4 - I sent a thank you email to the woman who collect data for the tutoring center at the college where I work. She has really stepped up when all classes transferee to online. I appreciated the prompt that reminded me to thank her.
And something I’m grateful for: Back in February I learned that my dentist was facing open heart surgery in March, and we have been concerned for him especially in the light of Covid. Well, he had his surgery the first week of March and is doing well although his rehab was slowed due to the lockdown.4 -
June 5= for some time now I make a big effort to smile at everyone I encounter. In my home country in Puerto Rico we do this all the time and when I moved to the US it saddened me to see how people just didn’t do it. It starts with me. So I did and to my surprise a lot of folks reciprocated. Out of 10 people 9 do smile back and that is amazing. Feels great. I sometimes dare to add a compliment “ nice shirt, great color shoes, etc” but not all tje time.4
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June 5, like @prgirl39mfp , I like to smile and greet people, and I also try to remember to express a compliment whenever I think about it. This morning as I was out walking, I stopped to compliment a lady who was having a stone wall put up in her yard. I told her how much I admired her porch, and how the yard would look even better once the wall was complete. The cool thing was that she then turned to the workmen and told them what a good job they were doing. So the compliment got passed on.3
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@77tes kindness always makes people feel better. I guess we usually don’t know how many people we touch by complimenting just one person❤️
@prgirl39mfp I think friendliness is a local thing scattered across different places. When I lived in Roswell, NM, (about 50,000 people) for a year to work after I retired I was always surprised at how so many people smiled and greeted me in the stores, on the street, and one person at a fast food drive through even me told me he liked my car. I was shopping one day and a total stranger carried on like he’d been one of my best friends telling me which donuts were the best and which ones were his mother’s favorites. People did this all the time. Even the children were polite and smiled and held doors open for me. When I returned back to my home area to the city I shopped in (30,000) I was shocked again. I went in Walmart with a smile for everyone like I had done in a Roswell and I was basically ignored. It seemed people went out of their way to avert their eyes instead of connecting. Rarely did anyone smile, no one chatted. I was literally in tears in the Walmart aisle because I missed the friendliness I had become accustomed to. It was a harsh adjustment. I like the Walmart drive up for many reasons, one of them being the friendliness of the employees who bring out my order. I’ll have to tell them they’re doing a great job and I appreciate it as well as saying thank you next time. Spread the love, as they say❤️
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Discovering the simplicity of drive up grocery pick up and online shopping have definitely been an upside for me during this time of lockdown.4
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For June 4th In the past I'd sometimes try to get to the curb and pull my trash bag out of the can to make it easier on the guys when I happened to hear them coming up our street. But now, since the lock down, I do it more purposely, and I also wait out there now, out of the way, and give them the thumbs up 👍 and call out my thanks to them. They always give big smiles and wave.
June 5th 'smile and be friendly'. In the past I've liked to give an occasional greeting to random people in the stores. Especially if they looked tired or sad. I also enjoyed surprising someone with a random sincere compliment. I try to do it purposely more often since the shelter in place and social distancing has been going on.
Speaking of... there is this cashier at the grocery store that always works in the self checkout area and she has started telling a cute joke to the customers. I enjoy hearing the people laugh in response and I always try to remember it to share with my husband when I get home. She has learned a way to spread smiles to the customers.
@nebslp, I agree with you...I've also definitely noticed very different levels of friendliness in various places that I have visited or lived during my lifetime.
June 6, piggybacking onto nebslp's grocery store example, my upside is that I go grocery shopping far less often now days. And that is ok with me. I'm out of the habit of going out for one or two items (which often turns into a lot more at checkout 🤦♀️).
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June 6th: upside has been having my husband home this long. For 3 yrs he worked overseas and out relationship was borderline breaking point. We’ve reconnected in so many levels. Grateful for that.
Also all the money I am saving on gas, tolls, cannot say the same about groceries since prices have seem to have gone up.4 -
June 6 - I feel like the lockdown has been a great practice run for my retirement. I have been a bit nervous about being home all day with my husband - that it would create a strain on our relationship, but it has actually been great.
Thanks to this trial retirement, I think I will not return to campus when my school returns to in-person classes. I'll probably transition with online classes when I can get them. 4 -
So thankful for any advice you can give on my current situation. My parents divorced when I was 3 and never spoke ill of one another in front of me.
I'm behind on my days so I'll do it all now lol
June 3- 3 things I'm grateful for
1. my beautiful girls
2. my continued health
3. the support I am receiving from my doctors, several therapists and friends during my very difficult situation
June 4- I signed a petition regarding the change in the law regarding sexual assault and the excuse that alcohol was involved- they're trying to reverse the law saying it's okay if alcohol was involved.
June 5- I waved and smiled at my neighbour. I always try to be pleasant.
June 6-Upsides during the lockdown- one big upside is we're saving money because we can't shop or eat out like before lol.
It certainly makes me appreciate my family and friends more and realize their importance in my life.4 -
I am enjoying reading your joyful posts!
Another vote for the regional differences in smiling and chatting with people. Try living in New England! It took me five years to meet my next-door neighbors. People are so reserved and respectful of boundaries here that it can be construed as not caring. Which is not at all the case. But it is a HUGE difference from when I lived in Virginia and in Mississippi.
But I did make an effort to thank people and smile at them. Although I didn’t see too many people.
Upside of the lockdown? Mostly related to working at home. I’m saving an hour on my commute and walk from the parking lot so I splurge a bit and don’t set an alarm. I like that I can throw in a load of laundry whenever I want or take the dogs for a quick walk. Some task can be done on my iPad as I sit in our outdoor screen house listening to birds. Lovely! And I’m still getting my work done. But I do miss my coworkers!
Unrelated to work, the biggest upside is my extended family is having weekly Zoom visits a
For today’s challenge, I took my dogs for a slightly longer walk than usual today. Mosquito population has fallen quite a bit the last couple of days and it’s much nicer being outdoors.3 -
@jlperiard I'm sorry that I have no advice for your family situation, but I thought I'd just say that back in the 70's I thought divorce was a sign of weakness and failure. I now am of the opinion that it is a sign of strength and growth. We don't always know what's right for us until we figure it out. I would just suggest letting your girls talk about whatever they're feeling even if is hard to hear. Really listen to them and try to understand them from a little girl's perspective. I am happy for you even though I know things are diffictult right now and wish you all the best.4
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@themedalist I'm glad you are having unexpected upsides to the lockdown. I think many people have appreciated not having to commute to work, a real savings of time and money. I wonder how things will look in a year or two now that so many people have been working from home and companies have made the necessary changes to make that happen. One of the first best things I enjoyed when I retired was not having to set the alarm 3
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June 7 - joyful physical activity- I kind of fell down on this one today. I did take a walk this morning and it was an absolutely beautiful day, but I was pretty stressed. I did do a qigong this evening and that really helped with the stress. So perhaps that was the joyful activity I needed.2
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June 7 was very hot and windy - 96 degrees and 25-30 mph wind. And my knee hurt...no more digging for a few days. But I went out and watered 3 small shady areas and enjoyed hearing the birds. I also love the sound of wind in the cedar grove so I still had joyful physical activity.2
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So much to make me smile on this thread! I'm in!
I agree with regional friendliness also. I say hello and smile at everyone I see. Some respond in kind, and others do not. But I want to spread joy and kindness and can only control what I do. So I continue... Our area is very friendly and I remember when my stepson moved here from south Florida years ago. He went with me to the grocery store, and I greeted and smiled at people thinking nothing of it....finally he looked at me with wide eyes and said "Do you know all these people?" I said "no. why?" He was astounded that I said hi to strangers and that they returned the greeting because "this sure wouldn't happen where I lived..." I remembered feeling sad that he grew up like that!
I also agree with @77tes about this being a good trial run for retirement! Being home with my husband full time and living on less income has given me a good peek at the future....I have to admit, I don't even want to return to work anymore at all. I want to retire now! It's heavenly. But I just turned 60 in March so....
@themedalist After some health struggles I've had, I can honestly say trying to find my "new normal" has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's been over 8 years and I still do not accept it and still strive to return to the "old me". I think maybe the fact that I have not accepted it keeps me fighting for a better life than I'd have if I gave in... But I don't have the anger I used to, and that has helped a lot. I hope your dad has or can get past the anger of the change he never asked for. (((HUGS)))
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6/1: Even on difficult days, I have been looking for the good. Most days it is that I have the day off work, since I'm furloughed currently.
6/2: I worry about whether I will be called back to work or not, and I now reframe the worry to "I'm not going to worry about it. If they call me to come back, I will return. If they do not, I will find a way to retire at 62. God will see me through."
6/3: I am grateful for warm weather after a long cold winter. I am grateful for me, my husband and our family's good health. I am grateful for time off in the summer, which I do not normally get, having worked 43 years now.
6/4: I made my husband his favorite dinner for helping my mom by working on the house she just bought near us.
6/5: I smile at everyone I see, and I'm surprised they can tell when I'm wearing a mask in the store. I think my eyes must squint or twinkle.
6/6: The upside has been that I have been able to be home since March 16, first working from home and then furloughed. I always wanted to see what it would be like to be able to be home every day and I love it.
6/7: I spent the day outside in the yard reading some of my inspirational books and listening to podcasts. Then I took my dog, Maddie, for a walk around the neighborhood and by a park. Was a beautful day.
6/8: Today, I will send a card to my former director/friend who retired a few years back. She was such an inspiration and mentor in my life and I will never be able to thank her enough. I will also send one to my ex-mother-in-law who was always more like a mother to me than anyone else. I want her to know what she has always meant to me.
Peace and joy, y'all! :flowerforyou:
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@nebslp Thank you very much for your advice. It was very helpful and thank you for your encouragement. I definitely felt the same way about divorce when I was a child. I have gone through a lot of therapy and had bariatric surgery, so I have changed myself and my mind so much and my needs are different. I have finally realized that I need and deserve to be happy.2
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June 7- Find a way of joyfully getting more active inside and out. I am enjoying blaring my music and dancing while I'm going through old clothes. I haven't done it yet, because I need more earphones, but I'm going to walk while listening to music as well.
June 8- Well it was a thank you text to my neighbour who has continually messaged me to check how I'm doing once she found out that I was going through a lot right now. These neighbours also sent out letters to help anyone in need during this pandemic and they gave plants to the neighbours as well.1
