Thankful Thursday | and one un-thankful
This week, I am thankful:
that our power went out overnight, not during the day
We had a big storm roll through, and the power went out just as I was going to bed. That's much more convenient than losing power during the day.
And fortunately, the storm brought some cooler air, which meant the house did not get miserably hot overnight. Whew.
I also am grateful nothing fell on our house; many branches and trees in the area came down during this storm!
for the flowers that other people grow
I can appreciate them, and they are zero work for me. 😉
for beautiful skies
I looked up and noticed this one on my way out of the gym!
that this class is over halfway done
Every week is one week closer to graduating! So I celebrate.
This is week ⅝, and I'm mostly done with this week's assignments. Sooooo, there are really only three weeks of work left, and then this class can be tied up with a bow and deposited neatly in my little Classes I Have Completed box.
(This is an imaginary box.)
that next summer, I won't have classes
If all goes according to plan, I will be entirely done with my BSN degree by next summer, which means I will have the summer off, plus the fall and the next spring, and so on. 😉
It's hard to even imagine a life with no schoolwork! It will feel too good to be true.
for air conditioning
I am especially grateful for A/C at night! I hate sleeping in the heat, so I actually turn mine down two degrees at night. 🙂
for budgetary wiggle room
I am very thankful to not be just scraping by anymore. If I want to turn my A/C down a little at night, I can!
for my healthy body
Every day at work, I take care of people whose bodies are struggling in one way or another, and I am reminded to appreciate my health.
I'm glad my body is healthy enough for me to take care of others.
My unthankful: group projects
I am currently in a group project, which is frustrating on several levels.
For one, the instructions are supremely unclear, and the rubrics are unhelpful as well (for instance, the rubric for an outline assignment will say that to get an A grade, you need to "include cutting edge technology", and that makes absolutely no sense for an outline! What even does that mean?? Outlines do not have cutting-edge technology.)
I also am unappreciative of this: I have never been in a group where someone other than me takes the initiative. I would be thrilled to pieces to let someone else lead and move things forward. I would love for a group member to completely outshine me. I would love to merely be a supporting player. JUST ONCE. Sigh.
Thank you for listening to my complaining.
First, Kristen, I dislike group projects for the same reasons you do. Even now, everyone on my street thinks that reviving the street's block party would be a good idea, but (except for the Bestest Neighbors) no one's offering to help--and I no longer have the get-up-and-go or the stalwart DH I used to have. Argh. I'm going to have to get out there and twist some arms.
But here's what I'm thankful for: NDN1's CF and I had a most productive meeting Wednesday morning with a realtor friend of CF's, who took a good look around the house and grounds, and gave us his honest opinion of how much he thinks we should list it for "as is" (which is what CF, I, and NDN1's nephew all want to do). He also texted CF the contact info for his preferred estate sale folks, junk removal service, etc., which she will forward to me.
And it turned out that the realtor had various dealings with my DH over the years in DH's various avatars as remodeling contractor, home inspector, home energy consultant, and university-area landlord, and spoke of him warmly and respectfully. So he really made my day.
I hear you on the group projects - same boat over here. Each class in my grad program has a significant group project, and so far I have been providing much oomph and communication to make the projects successful. I've tried sitting back and hoping others will step up, but the metaphorical game of academic chicken is stressful when deadlines loom.
Could the cutting edge technology be something AI related for the outline? Like maybe ask AI to take your existing outline and generate an additional relevant topic of interest or find a current event to include, or something similar? Just brainstorming...
Or maybe the outline is meant to discuss/include relevant cutting edge medical technology? I also commiserate with vague instructions for assignments, lol.
I really hate group work. I understand why it's used but I generally find it frustrating and, at least when I was in high school, one person would take over (in a bossy way, not simply in taking the initiative) and at least one person wouldn't do anything. I probably was that second person a couple of times but at university I was often the person who took the initiative and wound up doing everything (perhaps that was karma lol). So yeah, I hate group work.
Regarding your imaginary box, maybe you could make a real box and fill it with treats to enjoy once the class is over!
Thankfuls:
1. I went to the dentist last week and had no cavities!
2. I'm thankful that I mostly had a relaxing week after getting back from my trip.
3. I finally got round to cleaning out my fridge and I'm really thankful it's done. I took out all the shelves, washed them and scrubbed out the inside. I'm also thankful that I was able to store the food which hadn't gone bad in a coolbag. I did a deep clean of the bathroom after that.
4. I'm looking forward to going to the cinema with a friend later (we're going to see Project Hail Mary).
4. I enjoyed going for a run the other evening; the sky was very dramatic as it was warming up for a thunderstorm and I could see areas where it was starting to rain but the sunset was still coming through the clouds. I had a refreshing swim afterwards.
Unthankful: Hayfever! I hate that whenever I go out I start sneezing. I woke up at 4 AM with a sneezing fit this morning. I didn't even have hayfever as a kid! I am very thankful for antihistamines but hayfever really, really sucks.
Not sure why 4 was put twice! The last one should be number 5 haha.
This week I am thankful:
* for summer. We are having a very low-key week this week and I'm so thankful to have the extra time at home! But I also loved camping last week and hosting out-of-state family the week before, so I'm really just loving all of June.
* for all the ways my husband made our camping trip great. While I took care of all of the food and packing the younger kids and all of those details, there were a TON of things that he just quietly took care of while we were there in addition to packing up the car and fitting everything in. Plus, he had a great attitude the entire time and that helped set a great tone.
* that it really is turning out that I don't have to take care of our chickens. When we talked about chickens in the spring, I didn't feel like I had the bandwidth to add chicken to my list of responsibilities, but everyone else in the family wanted chickens. I was afraid it would turn into one more thing that I would have to keep fed and alive. But my husband and kids are doing a great job taking care of the chickens and I love the ownership that I'm seeing.
* for time to read. Since I drop my part-time work in the summer to stay home with the kids and most of my volunteer roles (or at least the heaviest one that takes up half of my week) are off for the summer, I get to enjoy some more time to read in the evening. It's delightful.
Maybe slap some hyperlinks into that outline? I dunno…I hear you on the hatred of group projects. They are the worst!
I am sorry about the group project stuff. And the unclear directions. The son who's taking an online summer course right now emailed the professor on Monday about the cumulative project which is explained nowhere. He still hasn't heard back from her.
This week I am thankful:
*for the rain that's falling as I type. I hate dry summers. They make me anxious for water. I like water.
*for the volunteer sunflowers by our front walk. They decided to be taller than I am. My youngest son is also deciding to be taller. He has about 1/8" to go to be taller than his older sister. I guess there's a good chance he'll be like the sunflower (taller than me) by the end of the summer since he's almost 13.
*for my son's girlfriend. I like her. I really want my children to settle down with people I like.
*that the kids' piano recital went well. It was first time around for my youngest, and she did just fine.
*for a good walk with friends last evening.
*that the powers that be finally decided the big bridge in town is nearing the end of its life. Everybody around here knew that already, even without the chunks of concrete falling. Of course, (and here's my not thankful) the initial study to figure out what to do about it is supposed to last until 2029 when they'll decide what to do and when to start fixing the problem. That bridge is on a major traffic route and connects two close communities; if it is not passable, folks have to go very far out of their way to get to work, family, etc. This really should have been thought about earlier.
*I must end on a thankful. I had a little chance to breathe yesterday after all the busyness. That felt good.
Whenever my company wants to be up to date, they throw in something ChatGpt related.
My thankfuls are very much for the abundance of green around our house. And for the family gatherings planned and hosted by our kids. And also for good health and good cheer.
Finally, for the raspberry icecreams that taste just like I remember them from when I was a little kid. So many memories are triggered by smell and taste. The memories triggered by these icecream popsicles are all happy ones.
Unthankfuls will have to wait for some other time!
Thankfuls:
1) We enjoyed a few days away in the mountains for my birthday. The weather was much cooler than we’ve been having, our AirBnB was perfect, and we met some lovely people along the way.
2) While we were gone on said trip, we had some much needed major electrical work done at our house.
3) I love cardinals and we have two “couples” who live in the trees around our yard. As I write this, I am looking out at one pair flitting about in our crepe myrtle.
4) A/C! I am so thankful for a/c in the hot weather we’ve been having. We also lower the temp a couple degrees at night as neither of us can sleep well when it’s warm in the house.
5) Our county’s Active Living Centers. We recently became “members” (just signed up and went through orientation) so that we can use the free gym facilities, along with attending various health/wellness related classes.
I love summer rain/storms. I’m glad it didn’t interfere too much with your life.
Thankfuls
-living near so many trails. I’ve been soaking up all the outdoor time I can get It’s life giving.
-strength-I rearranged my living room by myself yesterday and I was happy to be able to do it by myself. That hasn't always been the case.
-the water. I live near a lake and it really is the prettiest thing in summer. And all the seasons. I find myself making my way to the water’s edge pretty often to dip my toes in or stare at the beauty. It’s one of my happy places.
-feeling refreshed enough I don’t need coffee to get through the day. Summer is the only time of year my life is very sustainable and it’s nice to have that break.
-my kids. It is really fun to watch them grow and start seeing the world through new lens while still playing hard and being energetic. They’re incredible people.
On group projects:
In order to find the other leaders in your group, you have to be willing to fail the project.
This was the lesson I’ve learned in nursing school! We had a group project that just wasn’t worth that many points, so I was willing to do the absolute minimum. I didn’t step up when the groups were assigned. I waited to see what my other classmates would do. One of them really knocked it out of the park! But she’s quite shy, so she doesn’t put herself forward initially. Because I backed completely off, and she wanted the points, she (very hesitantly at first!) started the initial meeting off with some gentle suggestions that eventually morphed into assigning us roles, following up on whether we were getting work done in the shared document, scheduling time to practice our presentation, etc.
I’ve started trying to really pay attention to the less outgoing folks around me - there are some gems out there, if I just hold back a bit at the beginning!