Corner of Gratitude
Hello! I’m JJ Nightling: hardcore introvert, committed optimist, part-time author, and full-time executor of shenanigans. Welcome to my website! I’m happy you’re here.
Things that I'm Grateful for...
great friends
After I’d had a particularly bad day, one of my best friends messaged me to say hi and check in as he was getting geared up for bed. When he asked how I was, I said, “I’m…ok. Sleep well.” His response was, “Nope. Tell me everything.”
kind gestures
We were on a long road trip and spent the night napping in the car at a rest area in Wyoming. When I woke up, it was very very (very) cold. The windows were layered with frost, and my joints groaned in protest with each attempt to move. Unable to muster the patience to defrost the windshield, I scraped off a small peek-hole and somehow managed to navigate to a gas station without getting us killed. After dashing inside (in the least coordinated manner) to empty my bladder, I assuaged my grumpiness by pouring myself an extra-large cup of coffee. As I approached the counter to pay, the woman at the register took one look at my face, produced a warm smile, and said, “It’s on the house.”
the little things
Beautiful sunsets
the little things
Strangers saying hello
great friends
After my accident, I had trouble sleeping and often found myself on the computer at two or three in the morning to distract myself from the endless spiraling thoughts that refused to let me sleep. One of my closest friends began to appear on AOL messenger around the same time, and our chats made the insomnia so much more bearable. I asked him once what spurred his own insomnia. He smiled and said, “You told me you were having trouble sleeping.”
kind gestures
While I was in training, I spent weeks preparing for a presentation I was passionate about, and I was one of three people who presented. After the presentations concluded, we all waited anxiously to hear who had been named the “best presentation.” The judges announced that two of the three presentations had been so phenomenal that the award was a tie, and I felt my heart quicken. The judges proceeded to read one name, then another. Neither was mine. With three presentations and two awards, my presentation had been informally labeled as the worst one. I knew it was just a matter of time until the tears erupted, and I was trapped in a reception with hordes of my friends, colleagues, and faculty members. In that moment, my mentor found me and asked me to join her for dinner. She got me out of there before the first tear fell and sat with me on the floor of her office for the next half hour while I lost it. Then she took me to dinner.
the little things
Hot coffee on night shifts
the little things
Cute cats on stressful days
kind gestures
While traveling, my friend and I missed our train and ended up commiserating with another traveler who was in a similar boat. When our acquaintance announced that she planned to hop onto another train, we helped her load her luggage. Unfortunately, the train began its journey when I was on board with the last suitcase. My friend was outside on the platform. To make matters worse, my cellphone was dead, so it would be several hours before I could contact my travel partner. Overhearing my panicked conversation, the lovely train conductor stopped three quarters of the way out of the station to let me out.
amazing family
Warm shout outs to my mom (my first and best example of a powerhouse kick-ass woman), my dad (who is so funny he could probably make a rock laugh), my brothers (who never fail to amaze me and make me the proudest big sister), my partner in mischief (and in life), and the DJJSTCFC (you know who you are).