The first post of my gratitude journal

The subject of gratitude journals arose during Michael Kindness’s review of Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day As If It Were Your Last on the most recent episode of Books on the Nightstand. The thought behind a gratitude journal is to write down at least one thing at the end of every day for which you are grateful. In theory, this is a way to consciously call attention to the things for which a person is thankful each day and provide some perspective in terms of the value that each day can bring.

I’m not usually a touchy-feely kind of guy, but I like this idea, so I’ve decided to give it a try. At the end of each day, I will post a least one thing for which I am grateful from the course of the day.

Granted these will not be the most compelling of posts, so feel free to skip right over them. I will understand.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to work with a colleague and close friend for all thirteen years of my teaching career. In a profession marked by transition and change, thirteen years of side-by-side teaching is unusual.  Donna took me under her wing when I was young and dumb, and through hard work, a lot of listening and a great deal of perseverance, we eventually became equals in the profession. Over the years, Donna and I have developed a closeness and an understanding that I have shared with few other people in my lifetime. She has been one of the unexpected blessings of my teaching career, and she makes every day interesting, entertaining and enlightening.