Katie Krueger’s Snippets of Gratitude

I am a lucky woman.  Today I came home to find a handmade lei-a necklace of fresh carnations strung together.  Last week, I came home to find three rose corsages with babies’ breath.  In front of me, as I type, is a vase of white daisies, red carnations, green chrysthanthemums, and white cannas.  All of these floral delights hand-crafted by Diene.  I am thankful for one his classes this semester — Floral Design 2 — and all the take-home projects.

Recently, I’ve fallen in love with dressing up.  No one is more surprised than me.  I thought I’d been assigned to the function-before-fashion folk in this lifetime, plucked from the fashionista litter at an early age, never to know the joy of putting together the perfect outfit.  Colors, texture, and style were afterthoughts to practicality (if they were thoughts at all).  Now, I often pour myself a glance of wine, play Beyonce on itunes, and star in my solo fashion shows for fun.   I stunned my mom into disbelief when I asked her to go to the mall the last time I was home.  Afterall, every hobby needs the right gear.  I finally understand the joy of finding the earrings that perfectly match the shoes that bring out the accent colors in the jacket.

I blame it all on the MBA and the smart dressers in class with me — the stylish women and buttoned-up men:  it’s contagious.  I also blame it on getting older — it took  30 years to feel worthy of dressing up and confident enough to do so.  Now, my only problem is figuring out where to keep all the new shoes.   I am grateful for my new, over-the-door shoe-hanger.  Now I can actually walk in my closet to decide what to wear.

I’m running along Spaight street, on the return half of my route.  I just turned down the volume on my ipod because while the deafening songs are loud enough to mute the pain of my first run of 2010, I worry about permanent hearing damage.  (Perhaps this is what it means to be in your 30s.)  I can finally hear myself breathing again, and I am acutely aware of the heaviness of my body.

Don’t stop.  Keep going.  Don’t stop.  Keep going.  I don’t have the energy for other thoughts.

Until, suddenly, I STOP IMMEDIATELY.  I look down at what lies in the snow at my feet with disbelief.  Then, guilt.  I look around to see who it could belong to and see no one.  Just empty gray streets covered in white ice at dusk.  I pick up the two $20 bills, pump my arms in the air, and then start running again.

I am grateful for my most lucrative run ever.   What a way to kick off 2010.

Thanks to a new friend, I’ve become aware of my book’s presence in the Southcentral Wisconsin Library System….and the queue of people who’ve requested it.  I’ve been feeling so off my game in the MBA program lately, that I need the little spirit boost that comes from seeing my name in the LINKcat catalogue.  I am grateful for the 7 people who’ve put my book on hold.  And my youngest reader, pictured below.

I arrived at my 9:00 meeting this morning, only to discover that I had made a mistake - it started at 9:30, leaving me with enough time to go get coffee and a bagel down the street.  Super sweet. As I waited for my coffee, I read my horoscope, which advised patience through the red lights, as the green lights were on their way.   A reassuring start to what turned out to be a pretty perfect day. Other key elements:

• Learning about publishing, from experts
• Working in teams with friends who are smart
• Indian Buffet lunch
• Talking business with fellow consultants
• Subcontracting
• Rishi White Tea Rose Melange
• Connecting with kindred spirits & social entrepreneurs
• Book recommendations - How to Change the World
• Going to A Room of One’s Own to buy two books and learning that the number of my books that they’ve sold is in the double digits.
• Picking up a commission check
• Cruising through the arboretum in the luxury sedan
• Snapping pictures out the window, the kind driver pulling over for me
• Having a loved one offer to sell my book at a fair trade fair
• Shampoo shopping, finding a new scent that I love
• Red Wine
• Drink invitation with friends
• A ridiculously warm November day in Wisconsin
• green lights

A friend recently clued me in to the fact that when I have iTunes open and am connected to the network at school, I have access to all the iTunes libraries of classmates that choose to share them.  This is a really awesome way to try out new music, learn more about my classmates’ music taste, and marvel at technology.  Today, I’ve enjoyed listening to Badly Draw Boy and feel so grateful to have been introduced.