To honor the month of November, my Thursday posts will be all about the things I am thankful for. I want to preface that by saying that I’m not going to be listing the obvious things you’d expect, like Dale and the kids and my family and job and health. Instead, I’m going to be sharing the small things, the every day things, the things that might get overlooked if I didn’t really think about them.
- I am thankful for my public speaking ability. While my preference is to prepare remarks ahead of time, I am often asked to say something without any advance notice. This actually happened to me last Friday at our Veteran’s Day parade when I had to unexpectedly give a speech on behalf of the Board of Selectmen. I’m amazed and truly grateful that this just doesn’t bother me and I don’t get nervous at all. Side note, someone told me that my spontaneous remarks were better than any of the pre-written speeches given by others.
- I am thankful for my planning skills. I definitely don’t like to leave things to the last minute and always feel better when I have an action plan whether it’s for a project at work or a holiday dinner at home. Yesterday I sat down and made a list of all the things I need to do for Thanksgiving and then I took that list and fit every item into my calendar. This will help me stay on track and will make for an overall more relaxing approach. Side note, I think I might try Ina Garten’s Make Ahead Turkey this year. I love the idea of having the mess of carving the turkey all cleaned up well before dinner is served.
- I am thankful that I made the time last weekend to swap out my closet, removing my summer clothes (I have a lot of summer dresses!) and putting in my winter things. I had been putting it off (mostly due to plain old procrastinating but also because we’ve had decidedly unseasonal weather) but on Sunday I decided to just do it and I’m glad to have all my cardigans back in my closet. Side note, as part of Style School I’m supposed to do a closet curation this week. Wish me luck!
And that’s all for this week. If you wrote a post for today please add your link below.
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Three very good things! (and I think speaking from the heart always is the best plan! Bravo you!)
I am also blessed to do well at off the cuff speaking. I bet your reasons are at least partially similar to mine. Speaking about things we care passionately about makes it much easier and feels more sincere than any polished speech. Plus, you have a tremendous vocabulary and grasp of English from years and years of reading.
Inspiring!! And (better-than-good) – best of luck!!! I know you’ll be fantabulous ?
Good luck with your closet curation! (I bet you end up having “fun” with it. . . now that you have new “Style School eyes!”) Like you, I don’t mind speaking up in front of groups (it’s the “blurter” in me). I think when we let our instincts do the work, we usually speak with a more authentic voice — and don’t overthink our remarks. It’s nice when that works. . . I always suggest Ina’s make-ahead turkey, but since Tom is the turkey cook . . . it’s his call. And he likes to stick with what he knows . . . (sigh). XO
I am glad you excel at public speaking, but that first one sounds like a nightmare to me! I’m not a fan of public speaking and definitely not extemporaneously. Most things go better with a plan, and I can see that I may need a Thanksgiving plan since I find I’m forgetting things for the menu and at the grocery store. Looking forward to hearing about the Make-Ahead Turkey!
I bet you are wonderful at public speaking…I am not…I freeze up all the time. Not a strength of mine and I guess at this point that will not be happening for moi! I did my closet switch a couple of weeks ago. Truthfully, I’ve gotten rid of so many clothes, there isn’t much to switch other than bring out the woolens and put away the tank tops. I’m interested and curious about a closet curation – I hope you blog about it! I need to look into that make ahead turkey…
I hope you’ll post more about the closet curation process.
No public speaking for me…ever! 🙂 Doug has to do it now and he no longer looks pained! And I would also like to hear about your closet curation. And the turkey part…that’s Doug’s job too but I’m still going to send him that link!!
I imagine your speaking skills might derive from your fantastic writing skills – at the very least they share a common love of language and generosity of spirit! and yay for the closet swap and upcoming curation. I culled much of my wardrobe after we painted (December 2020) because I had to empty the closet anyway – and that also coincided with my hair being fully (and permanently) gray. I’ve made style and color changes these past few years. Hope you’ll share the process – or at least the results – of your curation with us!