December 2019
by Tom Swift
31 December
- Spending exactly two cents under the full gift card amount.
- Spending exactly 38 cents over the threshold for free shipping.
- New shoes.
- Adding color to your wardrobe.
- Skipping the fast-food you had your eye on.
- A tired little buddy.
- Heavy squats.
- Snow that is lighter today than it was yesterday.
- Ribeye dinner.
- 2019. For the events of this year made you more competent, more confident and more secure — and never more ready to resume the work you are here to do.
30 Monday
- Sitting in your shit.
- Taking a day off from your phone.
- Compost days for the mind.
- Writing that makes you cry.
- Snow that pretties everything up.
- Cabbage.
29 Sunday
- Leftover pizza shared with a friend.
- When you are moved to go somewhere at an illogical time … and then you go … and you find out why … and it makes you happy the rest of the day.
28 Saturday
- Making it on a day when the roads are like ice rinks.
- Great conversions.
- Prunes.
- Witnessing another’s vulnerability.
- Personal break-throughs.
- Ginger chicken and broccoli.
- The faint whiff of a summer barbecue while driving during the middle of winter. No idea!
27 Friday
- Yearly planners.
- Eggs for dinner.
- Bookstores.
- Lessening the pile of mail and other miscellany.
- The smell of ginger cooking in the oven.
- Time to breath and think and do and be.
- Winter afternoon sun.
- Being keenly aware of what is important to you.
26 Thursday
- When everything falls into place precisely when you thought you were going to be pressed for time.
- Going to the bank when it’s nighttime.
- Paying down debt.
- Cereal for dinner.
25 Wednesday
- The fact that once a year, whether you are naughty or nice, John McClane comes to town and saves the day.
- The animals who provide us with our meals.
- The anticipation of time off.
- When you can talk politics over the holidays.
- Generous gifts.
- Homemade whipped cream over cocoa cake.
- Surprising someone with sweetness.
24 Tuesday
- Moments of peace.
- Working on holidays.
- Salmon.
- Calm.
- Mornings.
- Power hours.
- The anticipation of time off.
- A gift that is a little bit goofy and a little bit sweet.
- Your thoughtfulness.
23 Monday
- The way a sporting event can suck you in.
- Candlelight.
- Letting things play out.
- Being OK if they don’t work out.
- Squats.
- Half days.
- Holidays.
- Helping out.
- Positive feedback.
- Making someone feel comfortable through laughter.
22 Sunday
- Deadlifts.
- Working out with a new friend.
- Glorious sun.
- When the days get longer.
- Starting the day in the very best way, with writing that moves you.
- When a team member walks you to the right aisle rather than just pointing in that general direction.
- Prunes.
- When you find exactly the right Christmas card.
21 Saturday
- Home.
- Vagabon’s “Waters Me Down.
- The healing power of a single meal.
- Any moment of regret or sadness that makes you reaffirm what is most important to you.
- The shortest day of the year.
- Push-ups.
20 Friday
- Love.
- Meatloaf.
- Mashed potatoes.
- Green beans.
- The idea of heart-red shades.
- Southwestern colors.
- Honesty.
- Avocado flatbread.
- Finding the glass-speckled bowl you didn’t know you were looking for.
19 Thursday
- When the gas bill goes down in December.
- When your dog likes your massage so much you can see the relief in his face.
- Adam Schiff.
- Alpha waves.
- Nancy Pelosi.
- Apples.
- Not forcing it.
- The chance to be creative at work.
- Lactose-free milk.
- This day and the opportunities it holds.
18 Wednesday
- Morning clarity.
- When you are driving down the street and the answer of what to get someone for Christmas just comes to you.
- Pull-ups.
- Broccoli slaw.
- Your dog’s eyes.
- When the day ahead looks like it will include a lot of good!
17 Tuesday
- A clean home.
- Fiber.
- Irritability.
- PepperJack Cheese.
- Solid sleep.
- Extra time in the morning.
- Journalists committed to truth.
- Dry chicken.
16 Monday
- Sundays.
- Writing partners.
- Reconnecting to the most important story.
- Complimentary coffee from Caribou.
- Running into someone you want to run into at the grocery store.
- Saying hello.
- Early bedtime. A good book. A warm blanket.
15 Sunday
- Dreams that take some figuring out.
- The power of the unconscious.
- Sleep.
- Your hair stylist.
- Having just enough food to get through the day, including a three-month-old box of Mac-n-Cheese.
- Better late than never.
14 Saturday
- A home-cooked meal prepared especially for you.
- Great wine. Just enough.
- Energy that comes from being with another.
- Cheese and crackers.
- The best laughter: shared laughter — the jokes only two people know.
13 Friday
- When there is nothing especially scary about your day.
- Taking time for adult you.
- Perfume.
- Bowls.
- Moist sugar cookies that are somehow, amazingly, just sweet enough.
12 Thursday
- Vaccines.
- Water.
- Smiles.
- Laughter.
- Clocks.
- Art.
- Anticipation.
- Yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt.
11 Wednesday
- Chocolate.
- The chance to teach.
- The chance to write something that could help someone.
- Honesty.
- Risk.
- Adam Schiff.
10 Tuesday
- Whoever cleared my sidewalk on a cold night.
- Heat. My god, the heat!
- Being your own coach.
- Taking it one day at a time.
- Mobility practice.
- Sun lamp light.
- Memories of a funny night.
- Brioche.
9 Monday
- Car rides with my dog.
- Pet store coupons.
- Finding out you were wrong about someone.
- Eye drops.
- Brussel sprouts.
- Insecurities. They ain’t all bad.
- Feeling more secure in what you do and who you do it with at work.
- Pillows.
- Vulnerabilities. Where all the good stuff is.
- Turkey without the stuffing.
- Connection. Even if across states and time and ages.
8 Sunday
- Days off.
- Long mornings.
- Extra rest.
- More time with the little buddy.
- When sleep gets in your eyes.
- Water.
- The washing machine.
- Honesty.
- The capacity to be honest when being honest might cost you something.
- Nancy Pelosi.
7 Saturday
- Free pizza.
- Extra dough. Cash, that is.
- A workout that energizes you.
- Steak for breakfast.
6 Friday
- Loss.
- Facing fears.
- Not holding on.
- Not chasing.
- Letting go.
- Relief.
- Learning from your actions. Not even learning from your mistakes, really, because sometimes the learning opportunities aren’t wrong actions per se — just instances in which you identify that it might be helpful to take a different tact at a future time.
- The value of having and building equity in multiple areas. When you get disappointed by something in one area you can lift yourself up on the foundation of another area.
- Coffee.
- Momentum.
- Being in a highly energized environment. It’s draining and intoxicating at the same time.
- Sadness.
- A cheeseburger after a stressful day.
5 Thursday
- Dreaming of your little buddy finally catching the squirrel.
- Late-night texts.
- Morning naps.
- Reading a mediocre memoir.
- Writing during the work day.
- Memories of past jobs.
- Always having access to a piece of chicken.
- Going weeks without spending money in the cafeteria at work.
- Seeing progress as a saver.
- Seeing progress in the form of a faster metabolism.
- Seeing progress toward paying down a debt.
- Darkness. Especially in the morning.
- Motion sensor lights.
4 Wednesday
- Three words: free chocolate milk.
- Extra time to teach.
- The chance to teach with writing.
- Realizing you can handle another’s disappointment so well now. (Used to be a particular challenge for you.)
- Steak and spinach salad.
- Squirrels that still run around like it’s not winter.
- Warm evenings for winter walks.
- Your dog’s breath. Still on a great pace.
- The chance to make a little extra cash before the holidays.
3 Tuesday
- Busy days.
- New opportunities.
- Security.
- Smiles.
- Your breath.
- Being enough.
- Feeling pumped.
- Baked beans.
2 Monday
- Compost Days: days when you rest extra, yet remain gently active, writing and reading and letting life energy replenish.
- Waking up alive.
- Not giving in to fear.
- Not reacting from the original wound.
- Chicken drumsticks.
- Clarity of purpose.
- Spinach.
- Choosing greater self-trust.
- Looking out the window in the morning the day after it snowed almost all day and seeing the path you shoveled is still clear.
1 Sunday
- Real conversation.
- Sweet lips.
- Calm canines.
- Colby Jack cheddar.
- Living the dream.
- Dreaming the life.
- Extra groceries.
- Getting the groceries a day early so you don’t have to go anywhere on the usual day to get groceries, Sunday.
- A day to rest. After the shoveling is done, of course.
- Finishing a notebook.
- Starting a new month.
- Not being in a hurry.
- Asking the right question at the right time.