Thankful

Thankful for that moment when I'm about to give up at the gym, and then that song comes on. For the strength I've found. For how I'm almost always ready for adventure (unless I need to rest). For a new pair of running shoes that I plan on getting asap. For frozen yogurt with toppings piled on. For little hopes that come true even as the big ones remain on hold.

Thankful

Thankful for summertime rain showers. For friends who know me well. For exciting future plans. For a chance to cook new meals this week and see what fits. For calming music courtesy of Spotify. For gelato. For quiet nights in Brooklyn. For the world of fitness. For eBooks, and my new-found appreciation of them. For physical books that I'm adding to my "to-read" list.  For New York dogs and smiles from strangers. For how I'm constantly learning something new here.

For how it's almost the weekend, and for weekends themselves.  

Thankful

Thankful for summer in New York. For great music. For chick flicks, because you just need them sometimes. For instant and delicious inspiration. For bookstores. For coffee shops that match my feelings. For the freedom to do nothing sometimes. For spontaneous adventures in the morning. For a commute that lets me read.  For how "sleeping on it" really does work. For chats with friends. For warmer days ahead. For hope.

Thankful Today

Thankful for a slower day. For fresh vegetables and new recipes to try. For my closest high school friend coming to town this weekend. (I think we're going to paint the town.) For realizing that I could play Bach, and resolving to do so. For the opportunity to see so many things in the City, and to have called this place home for nearly five years. For the realization that I could run faster. For how so many people are going to run the Brooklyn Half this weekend, and how inspiring that is. For new comfortable shoes. For fresh flowers. For great music, and the role it plays in my life. For giving in to chocolate cravings (fudge mint and espresso). For a free latte. For books that inspire and lives that do the same. For stumbling upon tea that takes me back to Jerusalem (and is on sale to boot). For the Manhattan skyline. For how I seem to still discover places of the city I hadn't seen before. For the weekend.

Thanks

Even though these past few weeks have been difficult, I'm grateful for: music that helps turn my mood around, even if only for a few minutes at a time; books that I can get lost in and laugh at; the warmer days ahead; the trip home I'm making this weekend; unconditional love; all of my so-called hobbies; my fun chamber music group and the great music we've been able to play for so long; all of the time I've spent making New York home while knowing I'll always have another home to go to if I want or need to; everything I've seen in the City and everything I'm planning to see; how I don't plan on losing hope; friends who are there for me when I need them; how the world seems to be getting better, little by little; new recipes I've decided to try; and treadmills I've tried and running paths I plan to use in a few weeks. | sounds for these thoughts: superpower.  

Tuesday, Thankful.

Photo from April 2014

Thankful for hearing live music just when I needed it this past weekend. Reading just the right words at just the right time. Realizing just the right things at just the right time.

The weather this past Sunday. Feeling inspired in the kitchen again. Getting discounts for little gifts. Knowing that Spring is just around the corner. Vacation days. Libraries full of books on everything I want to read about.

Good coffee and strong tea. Inspiration from across time and across seas. For moments of grace when I needed them.

Thankful

Thankful for music that I've carried with me through the years. For the upcoming weekend. For an upcoming day off that I plan to use to the fullest. For plans to redecorate my room and my life. For simple things, like how refreshing a haircut can feel. For inspiration from my past. For a good book to read on the train. For quiet moments.

Thankful

On this Thanksgiving Thursday, I am grateful for: a day off. For books and music that keep me company on my way to work and when I get home. For having decided to study violin seriously this year, and played some beautiful music as a result. For my first recital in years. For the resolve to have run a 5K, and for having planned to repeat it. For having gotten into running. For how much more I've gotten into photography, and for plans to make taking pictures better just around the corner. For fully celebrating so much, from the holidays to the seasons. For having taken a real vacation this year.

For having made a couple of trips back home that made me feel supported. For starting off the year with an extended birthday celebration, and for planning to end it with another celebration. For friends who try to stay in touch with me. For video chats, coffee dates, brunches, dinners, and reunions. For time spent alone. For Central Park and Prospect Park. For plans to take more advantage of this great City I live in, despite the expense. For having an open mind, and seeing where that takes me. For planning on making the most of the remainder of this year. (I have quite a few changes planned!)

 From a briefly snowy New York, Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful

Thankful for clothes that keep me warm. For the resolve to go the gym even when it's cold outside. For the scheduled Thanksgiving luncheon at work. For work discussions that remind me of school. For all of the books I checked out of the library last night. For how doing so still feels like winning a prize. For  traditions revised. For calm music. For exciting new recipes to try. For it almost being the weekend. For it almost being Thanksgiving. 

Thankful This Week

For Sunday's brunch. For the train that waited for me yesterday morning, and for the conductor who told me not to rush. For the unseasonably warm weather. For a much-needed mellow evening. For the sense of accomplishment and harmony that came out of tonight's chamber music rehearsal, and for the nicest pianist and cellist. For text messaging. For an edible souvenir from France. For routines at home. For new music. There was so much to be thankful for this week, and remembering that is just how I'd like to start this weekend.

Thankful

Thankful for iced coffee at home, all week long. A well-stocked pantry. A pared-down inbox. Beethoven's music. A City autumn. A tidy apartment. Dim lights and Norah Jones on the speakers in The Chocolate Room.

Today, Thankful

Today, I'm thankful for: a day off. Rules of Civility. Remembering to be thankful for what I have presently, and not only what I might have in the future. A few hours well spent at The Library for the Performing Arts (and its large Sesame Street toys, which sit with the staff.) One of Franz Beyer's cadenzas. New headphones. Kale and spinach pasta salad with artichoke hearts and mocha iced coffee with almond milk. Grocery lists that come together almost instantly. Weekend plans, half-made.

Thankful

Thankful for adding another item to the NYC bucket list. For an upcoming party and rehearsal. For a neat room. For the Central Library, and its upcoming extended hours. For finding the books I've been wanting to read. For new makeup to try. For autumn in New York. 

Thankful

Thankful for time to reflect on the past year. For the year itself. For Kookies that do good. For books that I race through. For coming across old books like old friends. For old friends. For revisiting Leonard Cohen. For Manhattan in the afternoon.

Grateful

for periods of absolute calm during the search for a better place to live.
for wandering along Seventh Avenue and stumbling upon the most serene restaurant I have ever been in. 
for that restaurant's having a garden that I could peek in to, 
and a fresh green papaya salad. 
for spending time with Sal Paradise on the train.
for marveling at the biggest moon of the year. 
for desiring to create a calm, balanced new home
while dreaming of vacation on the horizon. 
for summer fireworks on Coney Island that have yet to be seen, 
for fresh summer peaches and watermelon that have yet to be eaten. 
for a future I am looking forward to.