Gratitude Friday

Tried to take a picture of all three of us in front of the tree. This is the best we could do.

1. Merry everything, happy always! I am so grateful we got this far and are healthy, happy, and safe.

2. Mabel Magazine, Issue #5. It really is the best one yet, and I’m so glad that Liz and Stefanie reached out and asked me to submit — I really wanted to, but hadn’t managed the effort on my own (burnout is brutal!), couldn’t land on what to write when the theme was “living in the now,” but with their encouragement I was able to put something together, and I’m so happy to be sharing space on these pages.

3. Exchanging gifts with Eric. He always gets me the best presents, some things I wanted, asked for, and then some I would have never even thought of but are perfect. He’s so cute on Christmas morning, just like a kid, can’t wait to open his presents.

4. Morning walks. The darkest part of the year, but also so pretty out — cold, quiet, and the best sunrises.

5. Christmas cards and other good mail. I have the sweetest, kindest friends and family. One of these years, I’ll send out some cards. Probably. Maybe…?

Bonus Joy: watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, early mornings when it’s still dark but the Christmas lights are on, texting with everyone I miss and haven’t seen it WAY TOO long, all the people who worked so hard so the rest of us could stay home and safe (in particular, the people working at the grocery store and those putting together and delivering packages), all the first responders and medical professionals and those who worked on the vaccines, writing and hanging out with Mikalina, texts from Chloe’ that include cute pictures and videos, videos and pictures of Lia, having shopped early so most everything got where it was supposed to go on time, clementines, being done with all the cooking in time to take a shower and a nap before eating it, the ease of a day like today, Eric being off work so he can spend more time resting and with me, cheddar cayenne biscuits, audiobooks and podcasts, the sticker on my laptop that reminds me “it’s ok,” knowing it’s okay to rest, all the new books, meditating in the morning in front of the Christmas tree, writing while drinking a hot cup of coffee in front of my HappyLight, a warm shower, clean sheets, dental floss, bird feeders, naps, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.

1. I’m still here. Healthy, safe, and so loved. My life is filled with privilege and good fortune that I absolutely don’t deserve (at least not any more than anyone else) and that fills me with gratitude.

2. The first COVID-19 vaccines. I watched videos of people receiving them that first day, and cried and cried — for all those we’ve already lost, all those still suffering, for all those we might be able to save, and all those who worked (and continue to do so) so hard to keep us safe.

3. Practice. I think I’ve had a regular daily writing and meditation practice for somewhere around 13 years now. Yoga came just a bit later, and dog has been here for close to 20 years. I would not be who I am without any of them, probably wouldn’t still be here.

4. Eric. He’s not always handy, but when he is, he goes BIG. For example: when our lilacs filled and split the old clay drain pipes closest to our house with roots, Eric saved us $2500 dollars by digging the trench the plumber needed to access and replace them; and another time when the heat and AC control dial in our SUV was broken and they said it would cost $1500 to fix it, he got online and figured out how to fix it with a soldering iron he bought for about $25.

His most recent fix was the computer that runs our TV. We don’t have a typical TV setup, but rather a computer hooked up to a flat-screen smart TV that acts as the monitor for the computer where we can access the internet to run Netflix, Hulu, etc. It also has a CD drive so we can play movies we own on DVD. The computer we had running our TV (nine years old at this point) died when Eric plugged in the Christmas tree. We’ve been hooking up my laptop but that’s not ideal since I need to use it for other things. We were going to order a new computer but Eric decided to see if he could switch our the power supply with one from an old computer we had in the garage. It worked! I am so impressed. He also makes amazing pies, so I think I’m keeping him.

5. My tiny family, our tiny home. It still feels a bit weird from time to time to have “only” one dog, (not that Ringo is “only” anything). All of my Christmas duties are done except for a few last minute things and cooking, and now that Eric is on break from work, the season of rest has officially begun, and I am not mad at that.

Bonus joy: Christmas lights, clementines, honey roasted peanuts, tiny marshmallows in my coffee, good podcasts, good books (I just finished The Henna Artist, which was a nice break from the dystopian fiction I’d been reading, and I finally got a copy of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Macksey and I’m in the process of gifting it to just about everyone I know because it’s just that good), good movies and TV and music (especially holiday themed), a bit of snow on the ground (I hope we get a lot more), texting with my mom and brother, a warm shower, down blankets and pillows, “singing” with Ringo, writing with Laurie and our Friday morning group (who are all coming back for another season in the new year), hanging out and writing with Mikalina, frozen pizza (which can be weirdly yummy when you are so sick of cooking and eating your own food), resting in the afternoon even if it doesn’t turn into a full on nap, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.