One of the reasons I'm journalling my ARFF is to focus on the positive. Since I'm a counselor, I'm called on throughout the day to help people solve their problems. In order to be helpful, my mind needs to be open and available to help them think through their options. If my mind is focused on the negative, I'm less able to come up with options. When my mind is positive, even playful, it can come up with some amazingly creative solutions.

So this blog is not a journal of my day. There are lots of yucky things that happen each day, but they don't get put on this blog. They get prayed about.

I like this blog because it's holding me accountable for filling my ARFF. Yesterday wasn't particularly fun at work, so when I recorded my ARFF I decided to go home and do a FUN new work out. Turbo Jam was a blast! Wild music, fast kicks and punches, and me barely keeping up with it all, looking pretty dorky.

Achievement: Finding a solution for a group of girls.

When a group of girls are having issues it's usually called "drama" because of all the crying, blaming, and accusing that goes on and on and on. There are no solutions and afterwards, everyone is just worn out, including the counselor. So today, with my ARFFED up brain, when a group of girls asked for help, I handed them each a piece of paper and a pencil and asked them to write down what they wanted from each other WITHOUT TALKING! When they finished writing, they chose to have me read their statements out loud. Each girl was given a chance to respectfully respond. They worked through some hard stuff, clarifying feelings and misconceptions, then we ended by each girl giving a positive affirmation to each of the other girls. To seal the deal, the girls are going to work together to help an elementary classroom tomorrow. YEAH!

Respect: After the girls gave each other positive affirmations one of them said, "It's Mrs. Ahnert's turn." And they each told me something they appreciated about me. WOW! Icing on the cake...

Fun: I'm having a "Denny" meeting after school today. (a Denny meeting is for anyone who has taken his class. We tell about our "Big Kahuna's" and we practice "growing in gratitude".

Freedom: It feels really free to be able to take time to journal.