This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me. To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayers' Celebrate This Week.
This week was quiet compared to my last few weeks, but here is what I am celebrating.
1. Meeting long-distance swimmer, Diana Nyad - Yes, the Diana Nyad who successfully swam from Cuba to Florida last year. There is always a chance that you might run into someone famous when flying from Los Angeles to New York. Most of the time I choose to respect the person's privacy and keep to myself. However, when someone introduces herself to me, I am not going to be rude. Ms. Nyad was very outgoing and friendly and our conversation while we waited for our planes to board was a lot of fun.
2. My flight not being cancelled and actually making it from Los Angeles to New York.- Since they were predicting thunderstorms and rain on the east coast there was a concern that the flight might be cancelled. After a 3 hour delay, I made it onto the plane. The Virgin America staff were great and offered everyone free movies as a result of the inconvenience. And though, all the delays resulted in me not getting to my parents' home until 4 a.m., I was still glad that I had made it.
3. Hanging with my parents in Connecticut. - As my parents get older, I try to visit them twice a year. My mother has multiple sclerosis and each time I am thankful to just see her. My dad is the other reader in our family. And I am always sharing something with him when I visit. This trip I shared several graphic novels with him. I don't think he has read any comic books since he was a kid, but I loved seeing him completely absorbed in reading.
4. Breakfast, today, with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (One for the Murphys, Fish in a Tree). - Last year at NCTE, I had a chance to meet Lynda for the first time. I love her book - One for the Murphys, and excited to see that she has a new one coming out in February 2015. Lynda found a great place for breakfast that was half-way between her home and my parents. And it even had a bookish theme - Huxley's Bookmark Café. We had a delightful conversation around books, teaching, children and more. I hope she makes it to Los Angeles for a visit at some point.
5. Completing a proposal that I have been working on. - More news to follow in the near future.