Gratitude Practice 2020 Day 320: Time off, pistachios and Christmas wrapping paper

Grateful for days off. Just so grateful for Winter Break...every educator I know...those both traditional and non-traditional have been staring down the calendar with anticipation that can only rival Christmas morning. WOW. How we have needed a break! A good long stretch of time to catch up on sleep and shopping and laundry cleaning. Time to breath. Time to just sit and stare off blankly into the void. Time to let our mushy educator brains recover and stop spinning before we jump back into the pandemic learning machine. Grateful for this scheduled expected always planned for known pre-covid break.

Grateful for a lazy restful day with exactly ZERO requirements, ZERO meetings, ZERO expectations, ZERO appointments and ZERO responsibilities. Grateful for the ways and means that provide a few much appreciated days off. Grateful for those who work hard to keep our community running who don't get a break...for those first responders for the medical and emergency crews who work around the clock to ensure safety and security for all. Grateful for the long hours clocked by those working in grocery stores, retail and restaurants...my feet, legs and back ache just thinking about that physical labor and those long shifts.

Grateful for T I M E to unwind and be lazy. Grateful for time and tasks on my terms and at a pace and tempo that I decide. Grateful for time to finish up the last remaining things for our holiday. Grateful for time to clean my kitchen, time to listen to a book on tape, time to wrap some Christmas presents and time to watch some mindless television. Grateful to feel my brain and heart and mind actually begin to recalibrate and re-align and reconstitute.

Grateful for pistachios... because nothing tastes better.

Grateful for Christmas wrapping paper, scotch tape and ribbon. Grateful for the totally not needed but completely fun indulgence of a well wrapped gift. Grateful for straight folded edges, for crisp tight corners, for decorative ribbons and for pops of colorful and informative gift tags.