Day 10: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

My excuse for missing yesterday: I was enjoying my birthday!

I am grateful for the spectacular wildflowers that bloom in Texas around my birthday.

We didn't see many bluebonnets yesterday, the state flower. I'm posting a picture I found online.

The place we went was supposed to have fields of tulips. Apparently most of them were picked the day before. But we still had a fun day, enjoying the beautiful weather. 

I had a great day, and plan to celebrate the rest of the month.

librarianintx 

Day 9: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Today I am grateful for HEB, our local grocery store. 

I am grateful for their location, about a mile from my apartment. 

I can get there using Metro Access, or on Pickup.

I am grateful that they still offer grocery delivery. 

I am also glad they have a prescription section on their app, which makes refilling prescriptions easy and I know when they are ready. 

HEB does so much good in the community, helping to feed the hungry and get kids the school supplies they need among other charitable services.

"My store is HEB" :)

librarianintx

Day 8: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Oops I forgot yesterday.

Giving myself grace and moving on.

I am grateful for phone games.

I have enjoyed games all my life. I've been playing poker since I was ten years old. Never played in Vegas, but I did play Texas Hold'em in casinos in Mississippi. I was terrible, lol. I prefer playing with family and friends.

Anyway, back to phone games. A few of them of them I can play offline, so they keep me occupied when I'm in transit. They hold my attention more than reading sometimes, and it feels good when I do well. I play Wordle and Blossom every day, and sometimes Connections. For apps I play Hangman, Boggle, Minesweeper, Triple Tile, Cross Math, Dominoes, and Woodku among others. I also have a puzzle app.

I enjoy games a lot. They also can be helpful when I'm feeling anxious.i focus on the game and the anxiety fades away. 

Playing games is good for your brain, especially when you play a variety, and try new ones.

librarianintx

Day 7: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the color pink.

Nearly everyone has a favorite color. 

Some people have more than one favorite. 

The color pink makes me very happy. 

I am drawn to pink things, especially pink clothing.

And pink pens

notepads

laptops

Yes, even pink straws.

Okay, I am into anything pink.

Although my room and bathroom are not decorated in pink.

But I literally have about 20 pink t-shirts.  

I feel my best when I am wearing something pink.

"My colors are blush and bashful. I have chosen two shades of pink...one is much deeper than the other." Shelby, "Steel Magnolias"

librarianintx

Day 6: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Today I am grateful for Duolingo.

I am using the app to learn Spanish.

I'm not being paid to write this. :)

Duolingo is the only language learning app I've tried.

I'm using the free version.

I am on Day 267.

I only have to do one lesson per day to keep my streak going. 

And they give you a few "freezes" in case you forget.

The lessons only take a few minutes. 

And you can be offline.

Today I did my lesson on the way to work.

Trabajo en la biblioteca hoy.

I worked in the library today.

Will I become fluent in Spanish?

No sé.

I don't know.

But I am enjoying the process.

Learning something new is fun.

It's also good for my brain.

A mi me gusta aprender español todos los días.

I like learning Spanish every day.

Buenos noches.

Good night.

librarianintx

Day Five: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

From transportation to...straws

Yup. I'm grateful for straws.

 Dysphagia is the medical term for trouble swallowing. 

I have difficulty swallowing liquids more than food. 

It was bad enough for awhile that I had used a thickening agent in my drinks and soups. 

Now I mainly struggle when I'm sick, or when I'm tired.

I swallow better when I use a straw.

Caveat: A swallow expert will likely tell you it's better not to use a straw. 

This is what works for me.

I don't like using plastic straws, so I have silicone ones. 

They are dishwasher safe and come with silicone cases so I can use them at home and on the go. 

I coined a new term today - fluid hygiene.

Like sleep hygiene. 

I have terrible fluid hygiene. 

I am chronically dehydrated.

Too often I wait until the end of the day to drink, when I'm tired and swallowing is more difficult. 

Then I have to pee really bad in the morning. 

So I need to put these straws that I am so grateful for in use more often.

Fluid hygiene - does that sound like an innuendo? 

Not my intention. :)

librarianintx

Realistic Health Goals

I watched a good webinar today about setting realistic health goals. 

Emphasis on "realistic"

Especially at the beginning of the year, many people have resolutions, or goals they want to accomplish. 

A big reason for falling short is that the goals are too ambitious. 

Or you have too many goals. 

Or both. 

I'm realizing that my goals are often unrealistic. 

I am trying to cram too much into each day. 

And then when I don't accomplish my to-do list, I am disappointed. 

I am learning to celebrate what I am able to do and not fixate on what I didn't do. 

So here are three goals I have, and how I am going to make them more realistic:

Goal number one: Drink 40 ounces of liquid every day

How to make that goal realistic: Try for at least 32 ounces at least twice per week for now. 

Goal number two: Be in bed by 10:30

How to make that goal realistic: Be in bed by 10:30 on two nights per week for now.

Goal number three: Eat lots of healthy food

How to make that goal realistic: Strive for at least three healthy foods / beverages per day. 

Celebrate the accomplishments.

And give yourself grace if you don't quite get there. 

librarianintx

Day Four: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Since we were on the subject of transportation yesterday -

I am also grateful for Megabus.

Megabus gets me to and from Houston.

The bus station in Austin is two blocks from my work, and one of the stops in Houston is at Katy Mills Mall.

Before the pandemic, I was taking Megabus once or twice a month.

Now I only take it a few times a year. But I'm still grateful for it. 

It's not as affordable as it used to be. But what I really appreciate is the helpful staff. Even though the last time I traveled it was all new staff and no one knew me, they still came out to the Metro Access vehicle and took my bags into the station. They had me board first, carried my luggage to the bus, and made sure I ascended the steps safely.

I'm very glad that Megabus survived the pandemic, and that I have a way to get to Houston. There are other bus services, but the only other one I've used in Greyhound. 

I much prefer Megabus. 

Enough said.

librarianintx

Day Three: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Many of you will be surprised that Capital Metro makes my gratitude list. 

I have certainly complained about the service. Metro Access is also the subject of my "Be On Time Chronicles" blog series. 

Still, I am grateful that I qualify for the service, and that I still reside in the service area. Riding fixed route would be too difficult for me. Metro Access gets me where I need to go. It is affordable and accessible. 

Over the years the service has improved. Late last year, Capital Metro debuted a new app and computer system. I don't have to be ready as early as I used to, and thanks to an alert system I don't have to wait at the curb in all manner of weather. Both of those improvements benefit me greatly. There are still kinks in the system that need to be worked out, but they are steps in the right direction. Also, if the driver is lost, they can call me from the vehicle without having to go through dispatch, which is helpful. 

I am also grateful for Pickup, which is Capital Metro's ride share service. They have set up zones throughout the city, so you can only travel within your zone on Pickup. Hey, it's a start. With Pickup, I can get same day transportation every day except Sunday, and go to HEB, Walgreens, JC Penny, CVS, and a few other places in the area. It's a shared ride service, but that's okay. The buses are lift-equipped, it works through an app so you can see where your vehicle is, and I can pay with my unlimited rides Metro Access monthly pass. Having same-day transportation that is cheaper than a traditional ride share is a big deal for me. One day I went to Walgreens, then JC Penny, and back home. Going two places on Metro Access, even in the neighborhood, would have taken hours. 

I appreciate you Capital Metro!

Thank you for contributing to my independence. 

librarianintx

Day Two: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

I hope my Friendship Circle peeps didn't feel left out when they weren't mentioned in my friends post yesterday. 

Friendship Circle deserves a post of it's own.

In the Fall of 2020 a friend of mine and I started Friendship Circle - an online group for people with disabilities to combat the loneliness and social isolation of COVID. Over three years in, Friendship Circle is still going strong. We have a messenger group, a video meeting every Saturday, and a game night, usually every other Friday. We have people from across the US, and even a few international people: from England, Germany, France, and Mexico. 

There is a core group of about 12 - 15 of us, and we are very close. We have emergency video meetings when someone is in crisis. We send each other cards in the mail and do a gift exchange twice a year. We are there for each other in good times and in bad.  

Friendship Circle is an important part of my life. I am also part of another online group for people with disabilities and I have participated in book clubs and other online activities. The pandemic as an official classification is over, but social isolation, loneliness, and the need to distance continue for many people with disabilities, health conditions, and older adults. Virtual and hybrid options open up the world and provide social opportunities for so many that cannot attend events in person. 

Shout out to FC! Love y'all!

librarianintx

Day One: A Month of Birthday Gratitude

Let's see if I can actually blog EVERY DAY for an ENTIRE MONTH!

Each day will be about a different reason why I'm grateful. 

I'm writing about whatever I want on whatever day I want.

Placement is not indicative of importance. 

I'm grateful for everything and everyone that I write about. 

March 1st: I am grateful for my friends. 

I am grateful to HAVE friends. 

Past, present, and future friends. 

I have had SO many wonderful opportunities and made such amazing memories with friends. 

My social life was restricted by illness in high school, so most of my time with friends was in college, grad school, and as an adult. Although I do remember afternoons at the mall in junior high. :)

Examples (by no means an exhaustive list): 

Dorm life 

Late night food runs

Disability advocacy / sit ins 

Abilities Expo

Jewelry shows

shopping, Starbucks, Seasons 52 and Escalante, Ooh La La

Ms. Wheelchair Texas galas

Renaissance Festivals

Chinese food dinners and patio lunches

Movies, tv and sci fi shows

Drag Race - on TV and in person

Valley Girls

Celebrating holidays

Concerts - Def Leppard, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Cher, Culture Club, Erasure, James Taylor, Indigo Girls, American Idol, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne...

Musicals and plays

Men's Chorus and Chorus Austin

Sunday night tacos and tater tots 

San Antonio zoo

The Elephant Preserve

Fossil Rim

Wildseed Farms

Fredericksburg

LBJ Ranch

House parties and house concerts

Clubbing and Magnolia or Kerbey Lane at 4 am

two weekends in Galveston

cats, dogs, and "The Rat Mansion"

Goat and puppy yoga

Museums - San Antonio, Houston, Austin

Wildflower sightseeing 

ATX Festival

Thank you to all my friends. 

I look forward to lots more memories. 

librarianintx

Travis Kelce

I'm late to the conversation as usual. 

Travis Kelce: 

Perfect gentleman?

Abuser?

We don't know.

And is it our business?

IMO: it's not our business 

That's Taylor's business

And her family and friends

What happened on the sidelines with Coach Reid was ugly. 

Upsetting

Uncalled for.

But should one outburst, one unfortunately public display of anger in "the heat of battle," as the game of football is, define you? Your character? Label you for the rest of your life?

Look at what happened to Will Smith. One moment, unfortunately witnessed by millions, and a successful career and good guy status erased in the eyes of many.

This is what we do to our celebrities. 

We hold them to impossible standards.

Follow them

Try to capture their every word, thought, move

Make them prisoners of our adoration

And then we're appalled when they don't live up to our unrealistic expectations. 

Is fame worth it?

Librarianintx