More FIGs from last week for the Finding Joy in Gratitude Collective. Thanks again to Elisabeth for encouraging us to find little moments of joy in every day.
February 8
The Green Day performance at the Super Bowl was fantastic. It gave me goosebumps. The introduced retired NFL players with a string orchestra playing “Good Riddance” and then Green Day took over the song, and then followed by a medley of “Holiday”, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, and “American Idiot”. Classy! I’ve been a Green Day Fan since 1994, so I feel particularly attached, but of course, Bad Bunny was amazing, too. I loved everything about it; storytelling at its best.
February 9
I ran a little bit late this morning (and I don’t have much extra time to spare in the morning to begin with), but I took the time sit down and savor my first cup of morning coffee before heading to work.
February 10
I gave a mini-presentation to my research group in the morning and it went really well. I love connecting with my group. We often all work alongside each other but on different parts of the projects, so it’s great to share our progress and have a productive meeting.
February 11
I found a lovely Valentine’s Card from Michelle in my mailbox, and it made my day. Thank you, friend.
February 12
I had a teeth cleaning at the dentist today (but that’s not the FIG). While I don’t mind going to the dentist, it’s definitely not a moment of joy, but it was a moment of gratitude that the hygienist was happy with me and that the dentist checked my x-rays and told me everything looked good and that he had no concerns. It’s always good to hear that.
February 13
I am grateful I didn’t catch whatever Jon had all last week. Was it a common cold or was it COVID? We’ll never know because he didn’t test. He didn’t have a sore throat or fever, but did lose his sense of taste and smell for a couple of days. Either way, I am glad we both got our boosters back in October, and my immune system – if I caught it – dealt with it just fine. (Jon’s almost back to normal, too.)
February 14
Jon and I finally watched some more of the Olympics, and I am just in awe of all the athletes. Some random thoughts that popped into my head: dual moguls competitions are crazy, snowboarders do some amazing jumps, figure skating looks so graceful and easy (which I am sure it is not), I’d never ski as fast as the downhill slalom skiers (although I’ve been on World Cup slopes before), and you couldn’t pay me enough to voluntarily go down one of those bobsled tunnels.
Share one of your FIGs with me!
Michelle G.
February 16, 2026 at 4:03 pmI’m happy you got the card! I love seeing the cancellation stamp – I didn’t realize it would be so cute with the birds! I love all of your FIGs! My FIG for today is that I got 8 hours of sleep last night! What??? I haven’t gotten that much sleep in forever. I felt so good all day!
NGS
February 16, 2026 at 4:14 pmYay for snail mail, good dental health, and Olympics!
FIG for the day: It is unseasonably warm here (record setting) and I took Hannah out for two long walks IN THE DAYLIGHT. The days are getting longer and with warmer temps, my entire mood starts to turn around.
Elisabeth
February 16, 2026 at 5:29 pmI love reading about everyone’s FIGs.
FIG for the day: it was a holiday, but my son ended up going to an all-day tennis camp with friends, and I spent most of the day finalizing things for Europe. It felt SO good to put final touches on some of the plans I’ve been making.
I’m predicting my FIG for tomorrow will be dental related. After 2+ years with braces, my daughter gets them off in the morning. She is SO excited and so am I.