Day 1 Gratitude: Thankful for the Three 'R's - Reading, [W]riting, and Running

I have seen multiple social media advertisements about taking a ‘gratitude journey’ in December.  In this, you journal / write something that you have much appreciation and thanks for in your life. 

I am accepting this journey.  For me, I feel very blessed for the family and friends that I have.  I will focus on the later – the friends, acquaintances, colleagues; past and present; that are in my life*.  Each day, I will select someone different and write about them.  I will use a pseudonym for the person to protect individual identity.  If you read something and it sounds like you, it may very well be you.

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The first person is actually two people.  I honored them both during a ceremony 30 years ago as a high school senior.  It was two teachers who taught me fundamental lessons and shaped my life in ways that seemed unimaginable when I was in 6^th grade.**

The first teacher was a gym coach who always pushed me to work hard.  I started the year as the worst overall athlete in the class and likely ended the year in the same ranking spot.  However, my athletic performance improved from not being able to run a mile to finishing in the middle of the pack.  He constantly pushed me to work hard and that I was not always competing against others.  One can work hard, make big improvements, and not find external validation of those improvements.  How he taught a 6^th grade boy that remains a mystery to me today.  I still remember those lessons and coupled with my parents’ work ethic; I am often the hardest working person in my group.

The second person was my English teacher who brilliantly was the nicest and most caring person I had met up until that time.  What was remarkable, she was incredibly effective at her job.  Teaching 11-year-old boys and girls English/Literature is not easy.  But each and every student finished 6^th grade with high reading and writing abilities.  She did not do this by hounding and hashing out lessons on us, but by being compassionate and nice.  Great results can happen through gentleness and niceties.   My biggest take-away is that you don’t have to be mean or have to compromise being nice to get great results.  Similar to the gym teacher, I will never be able to understand how my English teacher taught that to a bunch of 6^th graders.

Thank you to the Coach and to the English Teacher.  30-years later, I begin my gratitude journey by thanking you.

* I love my family very much and anyone who knows me, know how much I value them.  My life is a humble tribute to them.  Will use upcoming holidays to elaborate more.

** For what its worth, I could fill the entire month writing about the great teachers I had in elementary, middle, and high school.  But will only highlight a few throughout the month.