I still haven’t worked out all my goals/resolutions for this year, but one I know will on the list is to focus on being more grateful. It’s not enough to just complain less. I need to recognize the good things more. Some of my most favorite people have also developed senses of gratitude, and I doubt that’s a coincidence.
So this year I plan to post regularly about things I’m grateful for.
For example, I am grateful for a wife who is even more frugal than I am. Just yesterday she was complaining about how much it costs our family per day to eat. I realized that many people spend more for one meal than we spend on meals for all five of us for one day. And we don’t exactly skimp. We’re vegans, and vegan food is not necessarily cheap. But my wife is just that good, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate that. Her frugality probably did more to help us survive my recent unemployment than anything I did.
I’m grateful for mountains. I’ve been fortunate to live places where there are mountains to interrupt the view between me and the sky (and more importantly sometimes, between me and the sun). Though I’m already starting to take them for granted, the mountains here where we recently moved are beautiful; so towering and so close! I still get a little thrill when I take my freeway exit and get a full view of the mountains near home.
I’m grateful for thick, cozy comforters. We have one on our bed, and if I let myself I could stay snuggled under there until spring.
I’m grateful for Mrs. DeGarlais in seventh grade who encouraged me to write. She took the liberty of entering one of my stories in the local competition, which got me a spot at a local young writers conference that felt like coming home. I got second place in my age group and category, which didn’t hurt, either.
I’m grateful for macademia nuts, which are to me as cherry chocolates were to my dad (I hope, since we sure gave him a lot for birthdays and Christmas when we didn’t know what else to get him).
I’m grateful for water. Besides the fact that we’d die without it, it’s handy to have it around for lots of other reasons, too. Like washing your hands. There are very few liquids you can wash your hands with that wouldn’t leave them feeling as dirty or dirtier than they started.
Clouds, too. I really don’t know clouds at all either, but I’m grateful for them all the same.
I’m grateful for spoons and forks, and the unique applications of each.
That’s a good start for today. I’ll be back with more some other time.