Daily 5 Revisited - Day 9

Today's Daily 5:

1. waking up feeling somewhat rested
2. a cup of David's Tea "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
3. the gorgeous hoar frost this morning
4. walking through Fish Creek Park, taking photos of said hoar frost
5. texting with a  couple different dear friends who just get me
6. a surprising moment in the course of prayer and reflection this evening
7. some conversation that made me feel just a bit less alone in the midst of some big stuff I'm facing
8. planning for the new year
9. picking my One Word for the new year
10. a bottle of Grower's Cider (peach)

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 8

Today's Daily 5:

1. getting in and out of costco (with everything on my list) in 20 minutes
2. getting a massage
3. macdonald's for lunch (a once in a blue moon guilty pleasure)
4. hanging out with a friend and her kids for the afternoon
5. little boy goodbye kisses
6. a bath
7. watching some episodes of the show "Suits" on Netflix
8. the movie Philomena - so incredibly good
9. conversation and laughter (and even a few tears) with a good friend
10. sinking into bed and realizing that though I'm tired and a bit peopled out, it was a lovely sort of day

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 7

Today's Daily 5:

1. sleeping in
2. starting a new show on Netflix
3. moments of laughter with my family
4. feeding my Emily her lunch
5. an awesome autocorrect slip-up in a text from a friend
6. chinese takeout for dinner
7. making lists (yes, including this one)

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 6

Today's Daily 5:

1. Steve Bell's carefully crafted lyrics
2. a relatively smooth and fast work shift
3. sunshine, even if it's crazy cold
4. good winter boots paired with merino wool socks
5. hugs from a good friend
6. my friend Alex's homemade lentil soup
7. a simple dinner with mom and dad
8. watching children enjoy a piñata
9. sitting with a new friend at mass
10. sipping a cup of David's Tea "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 5

Today's Daily 5:

1. leftover Christmas day hashbrowns for breakfast
2. sleeping late and starting the morning slowly
3. sneaking out to do a couple errands
4. found a cheap but seemingly sturdy blender to use for a thirty day green smoothie challenge I joined
5. a bubble bath
6. lazy afternoon
7. turkey on toasted french bread with sweet pickles
8. mom's peanut butter squares
9. reading a trashy novel as a sort of brain break
10. heading to bed early(ish) knowing I will have an easier time at work in the morning if I am sufficiently rested

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 4

Today's Daily 5:

1. sleeping late at mom and dad's place - not feeling stressed the instant I woke up like I often do at home at Grandma's
2. the feeling of freshly brushed teeth
3. the first sip of water when you wake up with a dry mouth in the morning
4. recognizing financial limits right now, and being able to say no to some amazing deals online for products and restaurant gift cards that I'd very much like to have
5. playing Stampede Run on my iPhone
6. simple snacks and leftovers from the last few days as meals
7. puttering on my laptop, reading and catching up on some personal work stuff
8. beginning to dream and plan for 2014
9. browsing a number of healthy eating websites and finding some inspiration for ongoing health goals
10. a lazy afternoon
11. magic bags to keep me warm
12. episodes of Castle on DVD
13. laughing at some Steve Bell anecdotes from his "Story and Song" album
14. introducing my dad to a couple of Jimmy Fallon youtube favorites. This video and this one.
15. re-watching Elf with my parents

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 3

Today's daily 5:

1. the beauty and intricacy of the inside of a pomegranate
2. texting with a friend who gets me
3. the dance of sharing a kitchen while working with my dad to make the annual Christmas day brunch
4. the smile on my niece's face as she revelled in being loved on by the whole family all day
5. the fun of Christmas with a baby around
6. a gift of travel points that mean I'm going to have a chance to escape winter sometime soon here
7. baby cuddles
8. a mostly laid-back, not too much stress or triggers for anxiety kind of family day
9. a hot shower to wake me up early this morning
10. a few minutes alone at the end of the day to decompress, before needing to go to sleep

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 2

Today's Daily 5:

1. some funny pinterest finds
2. knowing I'm leaving my house clean as I head to my folks for the next few days
3. instagram loveliness
4. packaging up the baking I worked hard on to give as gifts
5. working to prep our annual Christmas Eve appetizer feast with my mom
6. bubble bath while watching old episodes of Castle on my laptop
7. the chaos of a "children's mass" for Christmas eve
8. walking to mass as the skies glowed with sunset and dusk
9. sharing my favorite meal of the year - the Christmas eve appetizer feast - with family and friends
10. this post on Stuff Christians Like

Daily 5 Revisited - Day 1

Today's Daily 5:

1. a very unexpected scholarship cheque in the mail
2. Glancing up to notice the Christmas cards that I've been received, displayed on a string
3. pictures of friends that arrive in Christmas cards - my wall of smiles is getting an update!
4. that it was actually sunny
5. episodes of M*A*S*H*
6. the slowly growing ability to recognize shifts and changes in mood and address them with grace
7. marking things off a to do list
8. Steve Bell's "Keening for the Dawn" Advent album
9. 4 lit advent candles
10. texting and photos from a faraway dear friend
11. the satisfaction of wrapping carefully purchased or handmade Christmas gifts
12. my tiny Christmas tree with its bright decorations
13. ferrero rocher
14. Pink Lemonade Tea from David's Tea
15. the process of starting to dream and plan for 2014

Resurrecting the Daily 5

For a long time (more than 3 years) each night I sat down in this space and counted the things in the day that made me smile - the blessings, the things I was thankful for, the ridiculous that incited laughter.  It was a practice that began with a need to find joy in some really hard spaces of life, and lasted as those hard spaces receded into better times.

And now, I find myself struggling again with some of the same things that incited the first practice of counting blessings, and so I'm resurrecting the Daily 5 posts.  Each evening I'll show up in this space and count smiles - at least 5 - from that day.

I'll see you tonight for the first post in this starting all over again practice!