Today's post is inspired by Pia Giovanni Cuelebre, by Thea Harrison, who always makes time to appreciate the blessings in her life.
On Thanksgiving I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to my readers who keep finding me and who keep coming back. I am so grateful that people choose to spend some of their down time with me and my quest to live authentically and to find truth in fantasy. I also offer thanks to God/Goddess/the Universe or whatever each of us chooses to call that which is bigger than we are (and I have to digress for a moment--I wouldn't be me if I didn't--and share some wisdom that was imparted by one of my theology teachers many years ago, "there are only two things we need to know about God: there is one, and you're not it." And now back to our regularly scheduled programming).
I love that that Thanksgiving offers a moment to pause and contemplate all that is good in our lives, all the things that work, all the everyday miracles that we experience but rarely acknowledge. And a lot of this may be trite, or delivered in a more cliched manner than would be the case if I were a more accomplished writer, but I truly wish for each and every person reading this that you take a few minutes to think about all that is good amidst all that is not. I believe that wherever we focus our attention on gets bigger and invite you to focus your attention on the many blessings in our lives, even if we need to begin our list with the fact that we are breathing today, the sun came up today and we are here on this planet and this plane to see what the day will bring. We each have that each and every day. And it is good.
So, I will begin my litany of thanks with the truly spectacular sunrise I witnessed this morning. I awoke early to hit a Thanksgiving yoga class, just to begin my day in the right frame of mind, and to offer my body some respite before its ritual abuse later in the day (although I have to say that the abuse started early this year and I'm fairly hung over, even as I write this, but I'm focusing on the good stuff here, not what isn't working at this moment, like my head or my stomach, neither of which is too happy with me right now).
So I'm thankful for a beautiful sun rising over the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. I'm thankful for beauty and nature and silence and solitude before the bustle of the day begins. I'm grateful for a moment just to be and to witness that over which I have no control and that which I have no need to control. I'm grateful for the reminder that I can let go sometimes and good things will happen anyway.
And as I contemplate the rising sun, I turn my attention to the people sleeping in my house this morning. My husband, for whom I give thanks each day. He offers me the gift of acceptance in all my imperfections and all my deficiencies. He celebrates my achievements and supports my dreams and endeavors, even when they come at a high cost to him. He has let me be me--even more importantly, over more than two decades together, he has let me create myself in such a way that I can finally be comfortable in my own skin, because I no longer have to conform myself to someone else's ideas of who I should be.
I'm grateful for my twin boys, who challenge me in so many ways to be a more complete person. Each era of their lives had helped me grow and evolve and I am so thankful I get to be their mother.
I'm grateful for my childhood friend, who is here celebrating with us. She represents all the deep friendships in my life and the longevity of our relationship is mirrored by the rest of my circle of close friends who are scattered all over the country. These women are my created family. They are my sisters even though we don't share blood. The blessing of friendships that have spanned a lifetime are beyond measure and I often wonder what I did to be so lucky to have friends such as these. I also have amazing friends from later walks of life who so often inspire me and support me and provide very necessary perspective. My friends are among my greatest wealth.
And as we prepare the delicious food and set a beautiful table and listen to our children playing and our phones vibrating with a Thanksgiving wishes from those who are father away, I am struck by all the good in my life. It is so easy to focus on what is wrong. It is harder to attend to that which works, that which is quietly fulfilling, undemanding in its wholeness. I'm so wired to seek more, more, more, that I sometimes miss what I already have. Or worse, I discount it because it is not everything I could imagine having.
And the truth is I have so much more than most. Not just in terms of abundance, with which I'm definitely blessed, but also because I have a wonderful marriage, healthy kids, friends who would cross the globe to get me a tissue if I sneezed, and enough self awareness not to take myself too seriously. Life so, so good. Is the same true for you, even if the particulars are divergent? Are you counting your blessings? Have you thought about the immortal words of my favorite philosopher, Dr. Seuss, Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
So, let's all cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Today. Tomorrow. For as many days as we can. The days we look at the world through grateful eyes are the best days.
Today is one of the best days. Thank you.