#16 – Gratitude (part one)

For some, the weeks that sprawl between Thanksgiving and New Years – is the most magical time of the year. For others – the most difficult. Regardless of which camp you would consider yourself in – I think it is safe to say that for many, just from the sheer nature of it – it is the most complex.

I have found that one way to sort of soften the complexity is to really hone in on all the things around me that are truly beautiful. Gratitude beyond the turkey dinner. Definitely the warm home – amazing. Clothes on my back – I love my clothes. Food in my fridge – constant awareness around that abundance. The health of my kids and myself – total miracles. None of the big things, obviously should ever be overlooked. They get star billing for sure. But sometimes to get through a really challenging stretch of time – you have to look into the nook and crannies. Or maybe – just right in front of you. There is magic everywhere…

Rainbows and Unicorns
I loved unicorns so much when I was a kid. Sigh. To me they were just the purest, most beautiful things. In a world that wasn’t necessarily my ideal – they represented perfection. And rainbows have always held such promise to me. Seeing one instantly means something special is going to happen. The two together – rainbows and unicorns – are heaven. I think its awesome that unicorns are all over the place again. Just when we need them. How bad can a world be with rainbows and unicorns in it? You know what I sometimes do? Send myself a rainbow and unicorn emoji text. Try it. Complexity gone.

But sometimes to get through a really challenging stretch of time – you have to look into the nook and crannies. Or maybe – just right in front of you. There is magic everywhere…

Libraries
The best idea. Ever. I love that my kids can go into the public library and pick out a stack of books that they can then take home! And read them! Piles and piles of books. And then, the next week, they can go back and trade them in for another stack! And on and on and on…I love the library. What a brilliant, lucky thing.

Budding Musicians
Sometimes I will go outside to take the garbage out or get something out of my car and I come back inside to my kids practicing their instruments – Olive the violin and Cash the piano – and it sounds like the halls of Fame(!). God, I love that. A house alive with music. Life energy created by my kids in the best form.  It fills me up every time.

My State
Its gritty. And quirky. And can sometimes be a struggle. But for better or worse, I am so grateful for New Mexico. The authenticity of it. The vastness. The landscape palette like no other. The sky – both in the daytime with its variety-show of ethereal clouds and the star-studded night version. And the tribe of people here. They just get it.

Chocolate
Especially paired up with peppermint. If there is nothing else about this time of year to be thankful for – it is this very sublime combination.

Stories
Whether written or oral or fiction or non – where would we be without the stories of our lives? And the lives of others? And of other worlds and times? What about without mythology of any sort? I am grateful every day for stories. I am grateful for them for our kids. Where would they be without the magic and validation and company of stories? And I am grateful for them for me. Because I know I would be totally lost without them.

More to come…