via James Wasilewski, MBA, CFRE over on LinkedIn... #gratefulneschallenge
1. Smell? Cumin powder and other assorted Mexican spices because they remind me of growing up in a Mexican restaurant (aka #myfirstjob!).
2. Technology? #LinkedIn, natch! And Google. I love my Pixel and Google search is pretty great.
3. Color? Deep merlot, my favorite power color for work or play!
4. Food? All nourishing food but specifically, homemade enchiladas! Nom!
5. Sound? The click of keyboard keys, I have to say it is one of my favorite sounds. Also, audiobooks, thanks, #Audible!
6. Nature? Colorful deciduous leaves crunching underfoot.
7. Memory? Every one. Even the hurtful ones shape me..... you either win or you learn. I am happy to say I have done my share of both and I am of the firm belief that what does not kill you makes you stronger. My favorite? Intentionally setting a forest fire with a dripcan and getting paid to do it. (That's definitely my Jeopardy anecdote!)
8. Book? Salinger's Nine Stories, as the starting point for my Master's thesis and a reminder of how much I love short stories. Thank you, Bryant Mangum for the introduction!
9. Place? New York City, it is where I feel most at home and at peace. 100%
10. Taste? The bitterness of black #coffee and the sweetness of coffee with cream and sugar. Best way to start the day!
11. Holiday? Going a little off the beaten path here... Juneteenth, and no, not because it is my birthday. It feels *right* to celebrate extending freedom to all men, now if we could just get Suffrage Day to be a holiday as well... My younger self would have likely said Halloween, because dress up!
12. Texture? The smooth glide of my favorite Mont Blanc gliding across my bullet journal...
13. Ability? My near preternatural ability to overthink everything from every imaginable angle... what do you mean I'm not supposed to be grateful for that?
14. Sight? Sight and I have a complicated relationship... The sight of a student when learning "clicks". It's a #powerful thing!
15. Season? Autumn for sure. Closely followed by winter. Bring on the #snowfall
16. Body? My feet. They have taken this non-driving woman many places I would have never been as well from volcanoes to the Vatican with Donna Bausch
17. Knowledge? "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
18. Art? Yes! All of it! From my favorite Caillebotte ("Les raboteurs de parquet") to Eliot's "The Wasteland" to the statues in St. Peter's square, (when in Rome and when possible, I touched almost anything that had a sense of age and importance; it is like touching the very hand of Michelangelo or Bernini.) <3 I endeavor to be one of those people who retires and goes back to get an art history degree.
19. Touch? The snuggle of the best pups in the world. The warmth of a coffee in hand.
20. Who? Too many to name. Mostly, anyone who has seen my epically manic side and not run away screaming.
21. Song? "I Take My Chances" and "Halley Came to Jackson" both by Mary Chapin Carpenter... these two songs best sum up the two sides of my personality. I long for the stability of a true North but also need to be free to explore.
22. Story? When I was in high school, I was inducted into the International Thespian Society. I was practicing my induction soliloquy for weeks and was very excited. The day I came home with my medal, my grandmother said, "Oh THESPIAN! I thought you joined a lesbian society?!" It was then and there I knew that my grandmother was a) pretty awesome and b) would love me no matter her opinion of my choices.
23. Tradition? Crossing my heart for the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem.
24. Challenge? Hiking through the ruins in Tulum with Tameka Webb, HCCP in one hundred degree heat. Or climbing through the caves in Sterkfontein. Getting my Master's and writing my thesis. Reinventing myself continually.
25. Moment? This one right now.
26. Expression? The power of storytelling. Words are power and being able to tell good stories leads to better learning and better understanding. Plus, I am a natural raconteur! C'est vrai!
27. Small thing? My toothbrush, do you know how many people do not have a toothbrush? It's seriously distressing.
28. Small happening? The assist of a good co-worker.
29. Friend/family? Every one. Not even joking. If you are in my network, I am truly grateful for you!
30. Talent/skill? The aforementioned storytelling... my ability to stay calm in a crisis, little things throw me for a loop now and then but the big things I handle remarkably well.
