10 Things

I cultivate an attitude of gratitude every day, but along with the much of America, I'm giving special thanks today. Here are 10 things that deserve notice among the many, many blessings of my life.

1. My children, the members of my immediate family and I are healthy and relatively well in all ways. We are, to quote a psychologist from back in the day, "neurotic but not psychotic."

2. We--my tribe and I--live with plenty and in relative safety. None of us have serious worries about feeding our children or ourselves, and no one shoots at us or plants bombs or land mines near where we live. Some of us worry about whether or not we're truly happy, but even that is a luxury. Folks dodging bullets and bombs rarely stop to consider happiness or the lack thereof.

3. New friends have come into my life this year--friends of my heart; friends of my soul. They have arrived through cyberspace, through phone calls and in person. They have enriched my life, taught me valuable lessons, listened when I desperately needed an ear, and supported me in ways big and small. They have also accepted my support, allowed me to help when aned where possible, and shared laughter and joy as well as troubles.

4. Old friends and I have maintained our friendships despite physical distance. Through e-mail and blogs and cell phones, we reach out and touch one another's hearts now as ever.

5. The pond and its denizens continue to enterain and teach me. The sun rise colors the sky every morning and I wake to a new day along with the squawks and squeaks of the critters. Peace and serenity and the ability to maintain calm despite challenging circumstances are demonstrated every day, and I have a front row seat for the show. I am SO grateful for my home and its surroundings. After owning it for more than 2 years, the miracle of living there still brings me to tears from time to time.

6. Through meditation, yoga, and the lessons of the pond, I've learned to be aware of discomfort without dwelling in it. I can choose happiness over being right on quite a few occasions and find that my ego drives fewer struggles now than ever before. Not "none" mind you, but fewer. Definitely fewer.

7. The work I love continues to support and sustain me.

8. The business I own is finding balance within itself and within my life.

9. The political ciimate of the country is changing, as evidenced by the recent election. People are waking up and taking stock of the mess we're in. Surely, change will not be far behind this awakening.

10. I have the great good fortune of sharing all this with my children today. I am in Minneapolis, staying at my son's apartment, hanging out with him and my daughter. We're putting together a non-traditional but interesting meal later today--steak and cheese fondue with cranberries and broccoli and cauliflower and bread pudding. We'll go to a movie later and play board games this evening. Every stage of their being has had its own joys and sorrows, but I'm finding unexpected joy in this young adult stage. Nothing I've ever experienced as a parent is quite as surprising or wonderful as seeing my children become adults I want to know and hang out with.

Happy, happy. Joy, joy to each of you.