Situational Analysis | November 24, 2021

It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and that means it's Tie One On Day. No, not a drinking binge - an apron. We started yesterday...

Utah Policy will be on a short hiatus Thursday and Friday, but back in your inboxes Monday morning. In the meantime, enjoy this special gratitude-filled edition. I am approaching my one-year anniversary as the editor of Utah Policy (December 1!) and I am grateful for you, the readers, of this daily missive. I'm grateful for the news makers, the movers and the shakers and the many, many people who work mostly in the background to keep things running in this state. Have a joyful holiday.

Gratitude for others

Three years ago, I was in the middle of cancer treatment and I was terrified. My boss at the time, Gov. Herbert’s Chief of Staff Justin Harding, said to me, “You are going to get through this, and you’re going to do it in a way that inspires the rest of us.” I cried when he said that, feeling so overwhelmed and uncertain. Throughout that year as I went through chemo, radiation, and surgeries I thought often, “Justin thinks I can do this.” And somehow, I did. I am grateful for those who see in me things I do not always see in myself, who grant me grace when I am not my best, and who have high expectations of me that I may not deserve, but that motivate me to grow to meet them.

- Karen Peterson

I am grateful for the massive donation of time and expertise by the volunteer commissioners I work with every day for the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC). Usually, I write them individual thank you notes at this time of year. This public expression of gratitude seems fitting in a time with such low levels of trust in government and when the pandemic has made volunteer service even more challenging.
JPEC commissioners are smart, careful, and independent-minded citizens who volunteer to help ensure that Utah benefits from the best state judiciary in the nation. Some commissioners are well known, like former chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court Christine M. Durham. Some have a career's worth of experience as an expert witness in court, like forensic accountant Gil A. Miller, JPEC's current chair. And others are not famous, are not lawyers, and don't know any judges personally or professionally, but are commmitted to the concerns of Utahns, like Shannon Sebahar, our longest serving commissioner who joined in 2013.
Appointed by the three branches of government, commissioners donate hundreds of hours to oversee the independent and comprehensive evaluation of nearly 200 judges. They identify areas where judges may need to improve, personally interview judges with performance issues, and are thoughtful in their assessment about whether judges pass performance standards and should be retained by voters. Their work has a significant impact on the judiciary, well before their main work product reaches voters. Finally, they get out of the way and let Utah voters make their own decisions. Yet throughout this process, commissioners are largely unseen.
I am struck by how dedicated commissioners are to a high-quality, non-partisan, independent judiciary. Though most don't know it, taxpayers are getting a tremendous deal. One consequence of commissioner volunteerism is Utah has a model merit selection and retention system for judges. For their service, I am thankful.

~Jennifer Yim

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

Gratitude does something to your brain. I found out by keeping a daily record of those things that brought me joy. I started about six months after our daughter passed beyond life’s veil, six months from a dark, numbing day when I wondered if joy would ever again be possible and even the hint of laughter induced guilt.

In a 3×4″ notebook, each night I recorded the date and one to five specific things that brought me joy that day. Entries varied. It could be a person’s name, a natural wonder, a simple hue, a moving poem or moment of levity. Some days, the light would cut through thick, dark clouds and divine abundance was undeniable. At other times, smothering, steel-cold grief confiscated every nook, and finding one joyous thing strained my senses. But for 365 days, I persisted.

Over time, the pattern was evident. Taking time to intentionally wire my brain to celebrate joy wove a glistening thread of gratitude and wonder through every breath of every day. Over time, gratitude helped me move beyond impenetrable shock and loss to authentically recognize growth and gains. My senses awakened. My awe deepened. That little notebook was my jewel box.

Grief is intensely personal. It becomes one’s new normal. But with gratitude–with intentional patterns of gratitude, even within grief–every day can be a true celebration. Each day becomes a gem.

~Ally Isom

Vision and forethought

The founders of our nation and pioneers of our state had great forethought and mindfulness toward public education. In 1896, there was a vision that lands could provide an important support and source of education funding. I am grateful that today that vision continues, that this year the permanent trust lands funds reached over $3.1 billion, $92.8 million was sent to Utah k-12 schools, helping over 600,000 students and continues to grow each year providing an often overlooked but very important source for education in our great state of Utah. Our latest report details some of the important ways we have been able to impact students in our state because of that foresight.

- Jessie Stuart

Upcoming

On This Day In History

From History.com

Wise Words

“There is no joy without gratitude...We are a nation hungry for more joy because we are starving from a lack of gratitude.”

-Brené Brown

Lighter Side

Q: If you call a big turkey a gobbler, what do you call a small one?

A: A goblet.

Q: What's the best song to play while cooking a turkey?

A: All about that baste.

My family told me to stop telling Thanksgiving jokes, but I said I couldn't quit cold turkey....

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