The Observation Unit

"Between 5,000 and 7,000 grey seals live off the coast of Nantucket."

You know, I probably spend too much money on Nantucket Nectar. I should really buy some at a warehouse club or something. You know. If I belonged to a warehouse club or something.

Today the rain is pummeling the roof of our building. I love it because the sound reminds me of being in a tent during a rain storm. There's something calming about that sound.

I've been writing a lot lately (offline). One of the things I started doing after the new year is writing in a "Gratitude Journal" every day. I write at least five things for which I am grateful. It's surprising how thoughtful it's made me about such things, despite the fact that I haven't progressed much past making a simple list.

For example, today's entry:

Five Things for Which I am Grateful:

1. The sound of rain on the rooftop at work because it reminds me of the sound of rain on a tent which reminds me that not all of my childhood memories are bad.
2. That I make enough money to live comfortably, if not extravagantly.
   
3. My camera, which lets me capture the occasional interesting photo when my inner (creative) eye aligns with my outer eye.
   
4. The Internet, for letting me meet people that I'd otherwise never meet.
   
5. The medications that let me live a "normal" life, even though normal is really just the average of deviance.

I started doing it because Frank suggested it. He said that he'd read a study about how it helped improve the general outlook of the person doing it, or some such thing, even for months after they stopped doing it. We'll see.