30 Days

I’ve been attempting to focus on the abundance in my life, rather than participating my usual Trance of Scarcity. The meditation (see Day 25) definitely helps, but I also thought I’d tweet one of those annoying 30 Days of Thankfulness things, except try to make it not-annoying.

The most difficult part was not coming up with things for which I felt grateful—I got plenty. The most difficult part was staying within 140 characters. You know how I like to babble on. The teacher of a writing workshop I took last year said, “You’ve got 25-30% too much fat.”

I was like, “DON’T I KNOW IT. Wait, you mean my writing?” He was right. I need to trim it down…

Arg! If I wanted to go on a word diet, I would’ve been a poet!

But I did it for thirty days. (NB: The following is not poetry. It’s just skinny prose.)

Day 1: 4 years ago today, my sister called me at 3am to ask if I could come watch her 2 kids bc her 3rd was rarin to come out. #thankful

— Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 2, 2013

That 4-year-old, man. She’s dramatic and sassy, she wants what she wants, and she’s in the 8th percentile for height. In other words, she’s me. Hahaha. No, she’s not. She’s her. She’s her own person. But kind of me. I yub her.

Day 2: 6 years ago, her cage had a sign that said “Cruelty/Confiscation” on it. My 5yo niece said, “You could name her Violet.” #thankful

— Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 2, 2013

Day 3: Sometimes when our schedules align, a couple great friends and I get together and watch TV. #simplepleasures #jocdetrons #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 4, 2013

Day 4: I used to eat my feelings all the time. Sometimes I still do but sometimes I rip a barbell off the floor instead. #crossfit #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 4, 2013

Day 5: I thought this goober was a calm dog so I adopted him. Dewormed, *not calm*. He’s him so who cares. #thankful pic.twitter.com/j0fOQ4Qo7S — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 5, 2013

Day 6: Talking w Dad abt a childhood friend, realized Idk what it’s like to have a parent who said he’d be somewhere & not show up #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 7, 2013

This goes for both my parents. My parents showed the fuck up.

Day 7: A few wonderful people have taught me that if your face wants to cry, who are you to argue? #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 8, 2013

I’m still bad at crying (i.e., I need to do more of it and less eating/checking Facebook/self-flagellation/etc.), but I have good role models (namely, Cat, EJ, and Melissa).

Day 8: Hot tubs. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 9, 2013

Day 9: I’m having a hard time moving on from hot tubs, so, hot tubs. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 10, 2013

Day 10: There’s this pic of my friend’s baby chilling with my dog. Not my baby so I’m not gonna post it here but trust me. #adorbz #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 11, 2013

Day 10 update: OMG, my friend told me to post it. YOU GUYS ARE SO LUCKY. pic.twitter.com/04aXbTvFSp — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 11, 2013

Day 11: Vets, natch. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 11, 2013

Day 12: It’s cold outside. My little house in the shitty part of town is little and in the shitty part of town. But it’s warm. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 13, 2013

Day 12: My sister can make me feel very good about myself with very few words. She also invites me over for taco night. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 14, 2013

(Typo: That was supposed to be Day 13.)

Day 14: That lump I’d been alternately pretending didn’t exist and catastrophizing? Doc: “Where?” Me: “Here.” Doc: “Uh…where?” #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 14, 2013

When the doc actually felt it, she goes—I shit you not, “Yeah, you got a lot of lumps and bumps, and this one doesn’t feel any different from the other ones.” :/

Day 15: My friend Cat and I *cannot* get our phone calls under 75 minutes. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 16, 2013

Day 16: Learning (1) I *can* say, “When you say/do X, it makes me feel Y,” and (2) people don’t automatically hate me as a result. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 16, 2013

Also, if they do hate me as a result, that’s their own goddamn problem.

Day 17: I’m #thankful for my job. I’m thankful for my job. I’m thankful for my job. I’m thankful for my job. #fakeittilyoumakeit — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 18, 2013

It’s a good job. I just wish I got paid more and didn’t have to deal with so much bullshit. I guess that’s everybody, right? Except I really should get paid more.

Day 18: Got a couple pretty spectacular Kates in my life. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 19, 2013

Day 19: I’m so very #thankful that I’m no longer online dating. — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 20, 2013

Every so often I consider it, dry-heave, and un-consider it.

Day 20: @TheMonti1–one of the few things that’ll get me out of my stretchy pants & off the couch on a cold dark weekday night. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 21, 2013

I’m hosting the StorySLAM on December 11, folks! Come on out!

Day 21: There’s a dude at the gym–dances & smiles & fistbumps nonstop. Impossible to be around him & not feel better about life. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 22, 2013

Day 22: Drove by a dialysis clinic with a jaunty sign tonight. So #thankful I have no use for the place. Also, what a liar of a sign. — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 23, 2013

Day 23: @MonutsDonuts had a “carnitas bagel” special today. That, plus the maple bacon bourbon donut? Ffffffffff. #gluten #worthit #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 23, 2013

Day 24: Ben. Also <snaps fingers> what’s his name…? Jerry. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 25, 2013

Day 25: Since August, I’ve been doing 20 minutes of meditation most days. Amazing what becomes clear when I STFU for a sec. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 26, 2013

So, in today’s ironic news, when I need to unplug, I use an iPhone app. It’s called Get Some Headspace, and I highly recommend it. The dude who leads the meditation is a former Buddhist monk, and he sounds a tiny bit like the Geico Gecko so everybody wins.

Day 26: Twice-baked potato night at my sister’s! #thankful (Also, I didn’t take enough Lactaid… #thankful for once that I live alone. #PU) — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 27, 2013

Day 27: I love writing & want to do it as a career. Today a *tiny* door opened. Trying not to get too excited but #thankful for a tiny door. — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 27, 2013

Terrified of jinxing it, but there’s an amazing woman who has created a passion project, and we met, and it was awesome, and she’s invited me to be part of her team, and I hope I can keep up.

Day 28: Both my siblings married people I adore and created tiny humans I could never have dreamed up. #thankful — Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 28, 2013

Day 29: I can watch 3 episodes of Breaking Bad in the middle of the day, bc I have the day off, I’m an adult, and I feel like it. #thankful

— Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 30, 2013

I watched 5 episodes of Game of Thrones in the middle of the day yesterday, true story.

Day 30: I’m #thankful for kith, kin, hearth, & home, but mostly I’m thankful Movember’s over. #downwithmustaches #fullbeardsornobeards

— Avid Bruxist (@avidbruxist) November 30, 2013

As you can see, I’m thankful for a lot of things, including those of you who’re reading. Happy rest-of-your-holidays!

Signed,

Lumpytits