11/8/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 8
there is the usual ebb and flow of the gratitude juice, modulated by snags in the fabric of my experience that focus my gaze inwards, and then disasters both natural and unnatural that draw my gaze back outward again. each time the latter occurs, the gratitude surges forth, for all that i have, the health and safety of my loved ones, the ease of my ordinary life. today i feel gratitude for opportunities to be the rainbow in someone else’s cloud, or the buoy on someone’s horizon, in keeping with my theme. and i feel so grateful, in turn, for the buoys who shine their light to me, out on my own horizon, the friends who shine by reaching out and loaning me their ruby dog, the friends who shine at me across cyberspace and cheer me on, the friends who shine from down the road to make a plan to get together. i wish to use my own light to reach someone else’s gaze from out on their horizon in those same ways.
i’m also grateful for clear nights filled with starlight, and for the miracle of star names that are still lodged in my memory.
11/9/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 9
today i am grateful for date night on the bay front, for wood stove fires built by the husband i’m dating, for his sweet gestures like starting my car to defrost on a chilly morning, for the way he makes me laugh over his “gratitude” that he did not having to read yet another really long post on day 7 (the night off). i am grateful for him always taking the time to read what i write, and for knowing it means pretty much everything to me (and that he checks this and every other box on a wish list i made 8 years ago). i am grateful for how good he smells and how diligently he sweeps and vacuums me off my feet. i am grateful for his amazing popcorn and the lessons he teaches my son and the way he snuggles the kitties so well that they run to the door to greet him. i am just so darned grateful for every second i get to spend with him!
11/10/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 10
grateful for rainbow food for the eyes, soul, and body.
11/11/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 11
i am grateful for the way my fairy dog pulled me outside and down the trail this morning while the sun was streaming through the trees and the frost was just starting to melt. i’m thankful for the reminder to sniff out paths i might not have gone down in a while, to remember to wander and stop and appreciate. while standing and pondering and letting her sniff, i decided to picture a fairy dog in my mind, tiny enough to wander down the paths of my neural circuitry, but powerful enough to pull me out of well-worn grooves that may not serve me, and into lusher, if more challenging, terrain. i’m thankful that there are always new ways to look, and for getting to see rainbows in the frost.
11/12/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 12
i am grateful that today i got to see some whales.
“’i see them!’ cried Buoy.
closer they came. moving the water with their magnificence. the sweep of their great flukes a metronome to their song.
when they were finally very close, Buoy spoke.
‘hello, Whales!’ he called.
‘hello, Buoy,’ said one.
‘who do you sing to?’ asked Buoy.
‘we sing to the Stars,’ said the Whale.
‘why?’
‘to let them know that we are here, and that we are watching still.’”
~ excerpt from buoy, by bruce balan
11/13/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 13
this kid. the greatest teacher of my life. would rather be reading his self-chosen geometry textbook than doing his algebra homework. would rather be building a new magic deck than playing a sport. demolishes seaweed snacks in 30 seconds. huge feet attached to lanky legs. sorts his blankets into 3 separate piles while he sleeps: one sheet, one grammy quilt, one fuzzy owl blanket. has a birthmark on his back in the same spot i do. has 21 teeth. doesn’t want to take a bath, but won’t get out once he’s in. loves pancakes. loves nachos; ergo, belongs in this family.
11/14/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 14
gratitude for the st. john’s wort/vitamin B-C-D/iron/rainbow salads or whatever component of that is giving me enough energy to make it through these long/short days and not feel as much like my gratitude gland is shrunken this year. on the contrary, right now it feels more difficult to choose one thing to write a gratitude post about, the gratitude rolodex of my mind offers up too many to choose from some days!
11/15/18
~30 days of gratitude~ day 15
i’m grateful that my boy comes home to me tomorrow, in time for a nice week off from school!
It’s a great place to be when you have a sooooo much to be thankful for that you can’t pick just one (of 7) things to be thankful for!!! Thankful for Tuesday night when husbands are busy and we can visit!!!!
what an absolutely lovely collection! i am so glad that things are so wonderful in your world. that these short days don’t seem so hard. your gratitude is inspiring my own. it’s amazing how it has that “spiral” effect. i’ve been keeping mine to myself but it’s still a shining buoy all the same 🙂
I’m loving all the verbosity these days. Your reflections on Quinn are so special. Why-oh-why didn’t I write more in those days about my kids?? And your gratitude posts are so inspiring and beautiful. Your practice of gratitude is evident as you write. I’m struggling to come up with interesting things to be thankful for. It reminds me of the time when Grace was in preschool. All the kids were telling what they were thankful for. One kid said his family and his pet. Then each kid after that said almost the same thing. It got to Grace and I expected more of the same. Nope. She said rainbows and roses.