Appreciations+: Year 5

DianaK

Appreciations Jan 3-10: Note-taking, snuggles, craft-urday night, and vampires.

I’ve been a bit lax about actually writing down the many, many things I appreciate about my life each day, but rest assured… I spend most of my time feeling grateful for what I’ve got and thinking that I’m not sure how I did it, but I seem to have the best life! ❤️

Here are a few highlights from the past week. 😄

Reading and doing research with my assistant, Ida. She helped me make sure I marked ALL the important pages. I mean all the important page. Page 15 is very, very important! 😊

Knowing how to prioritize. The first thing one should do when the dishwasher goes kerflooey is not to try to ascertain the problem, nor is it to call the repair folks. The first thing one should do is make a sign to put on the dishwasher. #allaboutpriorities

Bedtime snuggles with Ida. Okay, well, any time snuggles with Ida. Oh my goodness how sweet it is to live with the Duncan girls!! 💚

The wonderful people who keep showing up for our Friday night racism/racial justice discussions. I so appreciate their commitment to growing and learning, and their openness and willing to be vulnerable. I am learning so much from these amazing people!

Craft-urday night at the Korpi/Duncan house. Fairy house, painting, and soup, oh my!

My beautiful & supportive family. My folks had planned to come with me to today’s  right-heart catheterization procedure – even though I didn’t need a driver – just to keep me company because I was nervous. But then since the weather was yucky, Katie stepped in and came with me so I got to spend time with her AND my parents didn’t have to drive through this morning’s rush-hour-snowy mess (although they were totally willing to do so!). I am unbelievably lucky to have such generous, loving people in my life!

My clever, always-looking-for-fun brain! I was pretty nervous before today’s procedure, so before and during it I kept asking myself, “How could this be fun?” Thanks, brain, for helping me notice how funny and sweet everyone I worked with was, the fact that they played Ingrid Michaelson for me during the procedure (and that they asked what I wanted to listen to!), the silliness of the doctor peeking under the sterile drape (which was covering my face) to check in with me and let me know what was next and what they found. Peek-a-boo!

vampire-bite-2017.pngPlus, because of the placement of the needle and a rogue freckle, I can now claim to have been bitten by a vampire. Mwah hahaha!  #forreals #iwasbitten

I also appreciate that my numbers were good and my docs are happy – and I didn’t have to get admitted to hospital! Woohoo!

 

 

 

 

DianaK

Back to regularly scheduled appreciations…😉

My sweet roommate Sarah, who scraped the frost off windshield for me! She is so thoughtful and lovely. And funny. And smart. And fun to be with! And adorable! 😃

Delightful Delaney time complete with hugs, hijinks, and hilarity. Plus delicious quiche and birthday cupcakes! How I adore these beautiful people! Spending time with them makes me feel happier, more optimistic, more whole. Plus oh my goodness how we laugh! I paid Sarah’s most awesome gift idea forward with poppers for the Delaneys and we had so much fun! And yes, plans are underway for a Popper Play Olympics event this summer. It is going to be epic.magnet-kit

Friends who understand that you can NEVER go wrong with gifts of craft items or toys!

Learning all about hug bombs. We laughed so hard! I love our silliness!!

DianaK

Appreciations for the New Year. Guess what? You are awesome! ❤️

YOU
Yes, you! If you are reading this, you are one of the people that make my life sparkle and shine. As I continue to adjust to changes and challenges presented in the past couple years, the one thing I am grateful for every day is the people in my life. You are one of those bright lights — whether we interact in person or online, whether you’ve been a shoulder to cry on, a friend to goof around with, or someone who every once in awhile likes my posts on Facebook or follows my blog, you have made my days easier, brighter, and more fun. I am so grateful for the brilliance, humor, gentleness, love, and patience you have shown me. Thank you for being exactly who you are — and for being part of my life. 💜

ME
Past Diana, especially, for having the experiences and thoughts that have led me to where I am today. I also appreciate her for recording the wonderful things that happened in 2016. So lovely to remember all the goodness of the past year as I record the goodness of this year. 😊

OTHERS
The folks in the world who I don’t know, but who make this world brighter, better, and more beautiful in their own ways. All those people who work on things I don’t want to – or don’t know how to – but without which life would be a little less easy, a little less fun. All those people painting the world in big, broad stokes of color and love and patience and gentleness. There are so many folks like that whose presence and whose work makes this world brighter. I appreciate them! ✨✨✨

US
The challenges we humans face during the coming year will undoubtedly feel big and scary at times. But I think when we focus on thinking of us as us, we are better able take on big challenges and projects, to listen to and learn from each other, and to love each other. I appreciate all the instances, big and small, of us-ness that I see around me. I appreciate and believe in US. ❤️

DianaK

Year-end appreciations for 2016

So many wonderful experiences and people during these past few weeks. How incredibly lucky I am to have such a lovely life. ❤️

So much fun with crafts and making a few super duper special cards…I admit I may have gotten a little carried away with the process…

Libby’s hilarious birthday card. Any card that is pink and furry and SINGS is a truly excellent card! 😄

Super delicious and fun birthday breakfast with kids — I got a birthday candle in my butter! Hahaha!

A productive and fun birthday doing errands and hanging out with the kids and the Duncans. Pure bliss. ✨

Easy and fun Christmas Eve that included a yummy dinner with my fabulous family, nap time, and then going to see Rogue One with the kids.

Our little Christmas miracle…Toby and Luna both lying on me – and in contact with each other – at the same time! People, this has never happened before. It truly was a wondrous sight.

Amazing gifts  from the people I love…including mini stampers, washi tape, a purple mason jar filled with PURPLE legos, and food decorating markers! Yes, I now have free license to draw on my FOOD!

The joyful play time that resulted from  my food art…Playing scary monster with Ida — using a tape dispenser whale and kiwi fruit. Haha!

One of the best gifts ever from Sarah – and living in a household where this kind of gift is immediately put to use – popper toys! So. Much. Fun!

Drawing on the windows with Ida and Sarah.

Meeting my new advanced heart failure team at the U of M. They took so much time to talk through and explain things. And it was wonderful to have Jeff there with me to help take notes and keep track of the information. LOTS of information.

Surprisingly tasty hospital cafeteria fruit – the honeydew was especially flavorful!

happy-stickiesStarting to use the little love note stickies I’ve been carrying around with me. It felt particularly good to leave them all over the heart care clinic and hospital. ❤️

Crazy appliances that mysteriously heal themselves when faced with a repair person showing up. This has now happened twice with 2 different appliances….

DianaK

So many reasons for happy

I was reminded by a post made by my darling friend and appreciation buddy, Pam, that our public appreciation posts might be misleading. It may appear that we are sailing easily through life without any challenges…which is not entirely true. 😉

For the past few years I’ve faced pretty significant health and financial challenges, I’ve taken more trips to the hospital than one might wish for, and most days have less energy for doing than I prefer, but. But. BUT. (I stole that but part from Pam. I really. Really. REALLY. like it!) I know that while there are lots of things I can’t change, I CAN change how I experience every day, and. And. AND. My life is full of delightful people and experiences, opportunities to enjoy, appreciate, learn, grow, give, and love. And I get to choose what I focus on each day.

I write appreciations to remind myself about that choice. To remind myself and to rewire my brain to be on the lookout for anything that is fun or beautiful or awe-inspiring or sweet. Oh… and to always be on the lookout for reasons to laugh! 😄 I write these happy things down to remind myself that the world is full of good people with loving hearts, open minds, and brilliant wit.

Don’t get me wrong. I have days during which I dabble in darkness, flirt with frustration, meddle with malaise, and cavort with crabbiness (and associate with alliteration).

But when I take the time to notice, record, and share my appreciations, my experience of my life changes. Most days, most of the time, I feel happy. What a gift that is! It is my hope that sharing these good things with you will brighten your day, give you a reason to giggle, or help you feel connected and loved in your own life. ❤️

So… here’s the last couple weeks’ worth of happy stuff!

Surprise invitation to the Pretenders / Stevie Nicks concert! What a fun night with Dawn! Holy moly, Chrissie Hynde was amazing!!

Life with the delightful Duncan girls: Sarah, who is so smart and funny and whose laughter lights up the room, and who does amazing things like washing the dishes even when it’s my turn just because I’m tired. And Ida, who lights up my life and teaches me about eau de banana cologne (comprised of actual banana applied directly behind my ear) while snuggling me.

Wonderful lunch with Heidi during which we discussed a whole range of topics, including our polydactyl cats named Luna (yes, we each have one!), the fun of spreadsheets, and the excitement of taking big leaps of faith.

Seeing a very cool dance performance with Cina. The fun of watching Katie run the sound board. Yes, I am just that much of a geek.

Super fun Santa visit with the Duncans. Didn’t expect the gas station Santa experience to be as full and fun as it was!


Card making party with Terri and Ruby, Katie, Cina, Sarah, and Ida. Plus Luna. Good friends, good crafts, good fun!

Going to Katie’s winter graduation celebration. Yay!!!

Receiving my Secret Santa card in the mail – par avion, you guys! Par avion!


Delightful surprise gift from a client/soul sister. How lovely that we get to work together and find so much delight in each other. Light up necklace! Wheeeee!

Hot coffee. Hot cocoa. Snow in time for Christmas.

Solstice and the returning of the light! Whoopee!

Waking up crazy early and turning on all the Christmas lights just because.

 

DianaK

December Delights

The joy of living with a two year-old who loves window clings – and a cat who views window clings as food. All the decorations on ONE window! I love it!

Delightful ornament-making party with the Delaneys and their friends. So. Much. Fun!

Google eyes, glitter, paint, markers, sequins….all the crafty supplies, oh yes. 👀

Waking up to a nice little coating of snow this morning. Pretty!❄️❄️❄️

Quiet breakfast with the Duncan girls. What a wonderful start to the day!

Doing anything with holiday movies playing in the background. Today’s choice has All. The. Songs: White Christmas. 🌲

DianaK

Happy Project – Day 2: Snappy starts

Did you know that just a few minutes of bad news in the morning can set you up for a negative day… even 6-8 hours later?

Here’s a happiness experiment from Michelle Gielan and Shawn Achor that I’ve been working on incorporating into my days:Start out any conversation you have today by sharing something positive and meaningful.

So far I’m really enjoying the results of answering “How are you?” with something positive — as opposed to my usual “I’m okay – tired – overwhelmed – frustrated (or whatever version of that I might come up with).” These conversations have been WAY more fun. 😀

Have you tried this? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

DianaK

Happy Project!

I’ve been working on a way to share ideas and research about positive psychology in a way that feels helpful, accessible, and doable. For now, I’m going to post exercises here and on Facebook. I’m calling it The Happy Project!

Here’s today’s idea for increasing your happiness right now. If you decide to try it out and are willing to share your experience with me, I’d love to hear about it!

Eventually the exercises I post will be part of my book and I am interested in feedback about the wording of the exercise (does it make sense? is it accessible? does it trigger anything negative?) and the effect of both reading the exercise and of doing it.

Happy Project Day 1
What is one of your favorite colors? Think about or write down some things that color that fill you with happiness.

One of my favorite colors is blue. Some blue things that fill me with happiness are my kids’ eyes, Lake Superior, my car, morning glories, a favorite old flannel shirt, a relatively new bath towel, shadows, my drinking glasses, the sky at night, and blueberries.

Bonus happy: Create a physical reminder of that color and/or happiness. Screen saver, collage of photos, drawing, sticky note, poem, frame a handwritten or printed list of the happy-inducing color things.

happy-blue

I made a new Facebook cover photo for myself!

DianaK

Terrific Tuesday Dream

It’s actually not so bad to wake up several hours earlier than usual when you wake up from an entertaining dream like I did this morning! 😄

My Terrific Tuesday Dream

The kids and I crash land our airplane/spaceship ✈️🚀into the side of a deserted, snow-covered ❄️❄️❄️mountain. We are certain we are doomed, but begin to climb to the summit anyway.

When we get to the top, we realize that we’ve landed on an enormous sledding hill. People all around us are sledding down the mountain using a variety of sled-type items.

We each choose a “sled” and start down the mountain 🏔. About halfway down, the mountain turns into a giant indoor Olympic bobsled course that allows us to bank up on the walls and do tricks (like looping back up the mountain to pick up our kitten who has become frightened).

On the way back up the mountain, we take time to do a little kitten shopping and each choose our own kitten 🐱 (we shared one on the way down somehow). I choose an all-black kitten who is adventurous – but not reckless.

On our second time down the mountain, the course turns into a place to test drive Hondas 🚗. It is a frantic, fun, and fast trip down the mountain in my new car…