Category Archives: Gratitude Friday

Gratitude Friday

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1. Sunrise. The color of the sky, the fact of light, the promise of the coming day, the dark lines of the trees.

2. Mary Lambert. I went to see her last night at CSU in the company of a dear friend, and she’s magic. I feel an Open Love Letter coming on.

3. Books. I’m reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel right now (I was ten minutes late to the concert last night because I wanted to read “just one more chapter”), and next up is either Orange is the New Black, or Amy Tan’s latest novel The Valley of Amazement.

4. The Daily Bon, “look for something in your day that makes you smile, post your pic to Instagram with the tag #thedailybon.” It’s like getting to do Gratitude Friday once a day, every day for the whole month of November.

5. Practice, specifically the routine and calming nature of it. Each morning, I get up early, meditate for ten minutes, write for at least 30, and then either go on a long walk with my dogs or to a yoga class. It keeps me sane, gives me a peacefulness I wouldn’t have if I woke up and rushed around immediately, got on my computer or started to work first thing.

pbandjBonus joy: the last of the fall color, the Poudre River, warm french toast with real maple syrup, sweetening my half a cup of morning coffee with a bit of hot cocoa powder, the joy that is possible even when you know the whole truth, music, dog sighs, laughing, good friends who make you soup, browsing a bookstore, being crabby and tender but knowing it will pass, how a hot shower or a nap or a simple meal can shift everything.

Gratitude Friday

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goldenraintree1. My Golden Rain Trees. When we first bought our house 14 years ago, I joined the Arbor Day Foundation because if you did they would send you 10 seedlings, (they still do this). Your choices at the time were either 10 Colorado Blue Spruce or a variety pack which included five different kinds of trees, two of each. I chose the variety because we already had one Spruce and they get so big I couldn’t imagine where I’d put 10 more on our lot. The only ones that made it of the original 10 were the Golden Rain Trees, and since then, they’ve seeded even more that I’ve been able to move and plant in various other places in our garden. They are nice because they are pretty and provide shade, but they don’t get giant. They turned the prettiest colors this fall — gold, orange, red, and even deep purple.

2. Ringo. Growing up just a little bit more, back in daycare after being sick, in another training class and doing so well, and still such a goofball.

ringocouch

Ringo doesn’t understand couches

3. Sam. Such a good boy. I confess I resisted him for such a long time. I couldn’t help feeling in the beginning that the only reason he was with us was because my Obi had died, which made me hold back, resist loving him completely. But now, when he crawls into bed with me in the morning and curls up next to me, I’m so grateful for him, so in love,

a picture from last fall, still one of my favorites

a picture from last fall, still one of my favorites

4. The Open Heart Project Sangha. It’s a really really really good thing, a supportive and genuine community.

5. Weekends. I am so glad for them, so grateful. My only problem is that they aren’t long enough.

Bonus Joy: Reading, Eric taking the dogs hiking, taking a nap, laughing with Eric, payday.