Author Topic: Gratitude Month (Read 436 times)

Amara · « **on:** November 10, 2018, 08:21:31 pm »

Over on the old Ehell blog, I found a wonderful link to a Month of Gratitude that I decided to print out and fill in because "feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it," said William Arthur Ward.

Calendar: https://i0.wp.com/www.traci-smith.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/November2018GratitudePractices.jpeg?resize=768%2C593

But I thought maybe we might start a sort of one here where each day we list what we are grateful for that day based on the topic. Whoever arrives at the folder first each day can list the day and date and we can each add to it. Then the next day there is a new day and date. The first day, for example was "A memory I am thankful for." The second day: "A color I am thankful for." I will start (or re-start) here, but you can start like I did with all the past days or begin at the day you see this.

Thursday, November 1: A MEMORY I AM THANKFUL FOR
Peter and I making love. He was the most special man in my life for many reasons.

Friday, November 2: A COLOR I AM THANKFUL FOR
I am thankful for all the colors, and that I can see them, but I am especially thankful for emerald. This is the color of mystery, of nature, of deep and abiding luxury, of peace and calm, of richness. It is my favorite color and oddly, it only became so several years ago when Pantene named it color of the year. I realized that emerald was the color for me. I started decorating my home in it--a gorgeous emerald Murano vase I found on Etsy began the passion, and today while I have many shades of green in the home the emerald is my favorite by far. I dream of owning an emerald sofa or loveseat to set off the neutral tones of my other furniture so I am saving for that. It will be the showpiece I plan for it to be. I'd love to find more emerald-colored clothes since that is one of the least likely colors to find too but I am working on it.

Saturday, November 3: A FREEDOM I AM THANKFUL FOR
I am grateful for my freedom to choose where to live with no requirements to report in or ask permission. I know that even in Switzerland, a first world country that we think of as free, people cannot just up and move. It requires permissions and paperwork and is insanely complicated. Here, if I don't like where I live I just move. Sure, I have to notify the IRS and a few other agencies plus all my bills, etc. but no one cares or has any say in before I do it.

Sunday, November 4: A TASTE OR FOOD I AM THANKFUL FOR
This one is hard because is there is much food I absolutely adore. I am going to cheat a little and list two things. First, are littleneck clams. Steamed with wine, garlic, butter, peppercorns, parsley and a bit of chili flakes they are OH MY GOD delicious! Second is gazpacho. My own creation, which took years to come to perfection, is my favorite but I love any and all variations. And there are quite a few. I am currently putting together a cookbook of all the recipes (along with the history of the soup) I can find online. But I will eat this anywhere at any time. And I do want to note that I am aware many others go hungry or starve. So I am grateful that I live where I have access to so much and that I work a decent job so I can afford to buy food when I want it.

Monday, November 5: A SONG I AM THANKFUL FOR
For me it has long been a song I heard by pure accident when I had the radio on during Saturday chores. Upon its completion I immediately called the station and asked what it was. And it turned into a lifelong love of both composer and conductor: Jupiter, the 41 symphony, by Mozart as performed by Herbert van Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Dear god, this is perfection, absolute perfection. Then in my second trip to Europe, I had the incredible fortune while in Belgium, to be walking down a street and see a poster for the Berlin Philharmonic that very night. I went into the ticket office; they had only five tickets left and I got the one that was third row, dead center. It cost the equivalent of $80 but I didn't hesitate. The hall was specially made for concerts, acoustically perfect. Von Karajan had to be helped out to his podium, which was fitted with a sort of back brace to help him stand all evening. But when he began to conduct, his arms waved with such power it seemed he was a young man again. His fierceness shone, the orchestra responded, and that was an evening I will never, ever forget. Jupiter was not in the program but I got to see something so incredible I was swept away into a world of beauty unimaginable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._41_(Mozart)

Tuesday, November 6: A PLACE I AM THANKFUL FOR
My home that I created. That is, I am very tired of the city (Santa Barbara, CA) that I live in and want very, very, very much to move to a smaller town in the Pacific Northwest. But while I am here I worked hard to create my home that gives me the greatest pleasure--I smile as I type this--because of its warmth, beauty and love. Inside, I am surrounded by cats I love, people I love, decor I love, furniture that is comfortable and elegant, a warm and inviting bed, happiness. I have done so well at creating this over many years that it never fails to bring warmth and comfort to me.

Wednesday, November 7: A GIFT I AM THANKFUL FOR
My new boss. We have been together one year and one week and while I have had a couple of good bosses in the past Ken is the ultimate in Good Boss nominations. He is kind, gentle, thorough, sharing, thoughtful, self-assured, just a universe of difference from my last two. I actually love to go to work with him. I work hard but during down times he doesn't care what I do because I do such a good job. I have been a writer in the past and he loves that I can whip up anything for him, including stuff he dreads. He and I have each other's backs, and we can vent to each other about teachers and situations that cause us trouble, then we both turn around and solve the problems. It is an amazing relationship and I know he is as thankful for me as I am for him.

Thursday, November 8: A FAMILY MEMBER I AM THANKFUL FOR
This is a toughie because I am torn between my mom and my dad. I will go with my dad, though, because he lived his life in the way he taught: honest, forthright, treating all people fairly, taking responsibility for his actions, recognizing his responsibility to his family, and pulling himself up by his own bootstraps, as he always phrased it. Among those things that he passed on to me was reading, a love of books. He drank from the time he was 17 until I was about that age, then went to AA and died with 44.5 years in the group. He was a hero to hundreds of men in it. And though I didn't really appreciate in full how good he was--he had his blind spots and issues like we all do--until he and I were older, I am happy that I got to know him.

Friday, November 9: A SIMPLE PLEASURE I AM THANKFUL FOR
I confess I couldn't come up with one that day. I had things going on but I never got back to it. So I will say, here and now, that the simple pleasure I am thankful for is my growing ability to be happy. I am happy at work. I am happy with everything I own ("happiness is wanting what you have"), and I am happy with my life. Sure, there are things to buy, to experience, to feel, to have. But none of that impedes my happiness now.

Saturday, November 9: A POSSESSION I AM THANKFUL FOR
I think I will choose my red lobster. I found this at the thrift store for a few dollars. It is made of plastic but looks quite real. I have no idea why I picked it up, but I do remember thinking that I wasn't sure about it but could re-donate it if it turned out to be not something I really wanted. Turns out it was something I really wanted. It sits on my shelf, reminding me each time I see it that having a humorous piece of "art" in each room is a good thing. Clawdine makes me smile each time I see her.

Airelenaren · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2018, 11:01:51 pm »

A MEMORY I AM THANKFUL FOR: A certain talk I had with my father, maybe a year or so before he died. We discussed our ideas of death, what may come after it, and our opinion of life itself.
There was a very clear understanding between us that, whenever our life would end, we would be at peace with it and have no regrets.
Considering most people do not get this chance, I am so very glad we were able to reach this conclusion.

A FREEDOM I AM THANKFUL FOR: The freedom to choose what and when I eat. It might sound very minor, but given that textures, flavors or even associations from food can give me very major issues, this freedom has a huge impact on my quality of life.

A TASTE OR FOOD I AM THANKFUL FOR: Pickled herring. It was my birthday-saving food when I was little and all the other kids ate cake (which I didn't care for). Now it tastes of nostalgia.

A SONG I AM THANKFUL FOR: Everything Possible, by Fred Small. A message that I was seeking for a very long time until I finally found it.

A PLACE I AM THANKFUL FOR: All the clean beaches full of shells in this world. I wish I could live closer to one.

A GIFT I AM THANKFUL FOR: My first musical Christmas card that I got from a friend last year. I had never seen one of these in real life before, but loved the idea and always wanted to get one.

A POSSESSION I AM THANKFUL FOR: My bread knife. That knife is one of my most important tools! I have cut bread and watermelon with it, sawed off the tips of many Christmas trees with it, adjusted wooden toys for my pets with it, and still it's as straight and sharp as I could wish for (although, granted, I don't demand the highest degree of sharpness from my knives).
Take a lesson from it, pizza knife that no longer has a tip and is curved just from cutting through cardboard!

Amara · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2018, 12:52:40 pm »

Sunday, November 11: A GIFT FROM GOD I AM THANKFUL FOR

I wrote this the way it is written on the original calendar but I am not, repeat NOT, the least bit religious so the g o d word is offensive to me. However, I will re-phrase it in my mind and say this:

I am thankful for the intelligence I was given. I have been a lifelong reader, am curious about so many things and I enjoy exploring and discovering, and am quick to pick up new information and new knowledge. It has served me well because I can bring together to any situation or problem a strong unique viewpoint based on my ability to coalesce and balance my knowledge, experiences, abilities, and so on. I rather like that about myself.

Amara · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2018, 01:40:32 am »

Monday, November 12: A PIECE OF ADVICE I AM THANKFUL FOR

There is so much from my parents even though I can't remember the exact phrasing. So I think for today, rather than paraphrase or put into a sentence a sense of what they said, I will take something less important--but no less useful--and use that. It came from William Morris, the 19th century Renaissance man who once said, If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. That really works for creating a great home that both works for you and is in your eyes beautiful.

Amara · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2018, 10:50:47 am »

Tuesday, November 13: A SMELL I AM THANKFUL FOR

I'm beginning to feel as if I am talking to myself here but what the heck. It's a good gratitude practice.

There are so many! Food, nature, a freshly clean house, clean clothes. But I am going to choose the smell of my cats' bellies when I roll them onto their backs and kiss their chests and bellies. One cat's warmth often smells like buttered popcorn. But they always smell warm and wonderful. While they are kitties and therefore not crazy about kisses, I love the ritual.

STiG · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2018, 07:50:58 am »

Memory:

I always went home for a week to help my Mom bake for her church bazaar. I made gingerbread men and we just put them in bags and stacked them in a basket; by the end of the day, several of them would be broken so they would just be given to people. I decided to package them up, two to a tray and my Mom and I were arguing about it. She said it was too much work; I said I'd do the work because I was sick of my work going to waste with the broken ones. Mom looked at me and said, 'God, you're stubborn!'. I paused, looked at her and said, 'I learned from the best!'

My Dad broke up laughing at that point and it broke the tension. And the cookies were packaged the way I wanted them to be. She's been gone 15 years; I still miss her. Especially when I'm baking. We had a good routine! I did the baking and she cleaned up after me!

Colour:

Purple, all the way. In any shade from lilac to midnight.

Freedom:

The freedom to live my life as I choose with no doors closed to me because of my gender or religion or race. For those talking about the freedom to vote, see if you can find the video online of Obama refuting the seven biggest reasons people don't vote. It's awesome; I saw it on Facebook. I'm not American and even I miss that man...

Food:

I'm blessed to live in an area where I can grow a lot of my own vegetables that, with refrigeration and canning, can last me most of the way through the winter. I'm also blessed to live in an area where I have a plethora of choices to buy additional vegetables or free-range meat and eggs for decent prices. Sometimes even cheaper than the grocery store for factory farm equivalents.

Song:

'Woman, Amen' by Dierks Bentley. My husband tells me that it expresses how he feels about me. The one that expresses my feelings for him? Teybey's 'Who's Going to Love You?'

A place:

I'm thankful for my home. We moved out to the country a couple of years ago and while it gives me a bit of a commute to work, it also gives me a space in which to grow my own vegetables, a space to have my Dad live with us and still have his own space, a space that's quieter with cleaner air, a space that's much more 'me' than anywhere I've ever lived before, absent my childhood home.

A gift:

Hmmm... Does this mean a physical gift, given to me, or does it mean a particular gift that I have, like the ability to read upside down?

I think I'm going to go with physical gift. My husband's first gift to me was a pair of 'Tree of Life' earrings. Several years later, I still wear them every day. I've lost one or the other on several occasions and thus far, have always been able to find them. I treasure them because he hit the mark right off the bat. He hasn't always hit the mark since...

A family member:

Of course I'm grateful to my parents but I think the family member I'm most grateful for is my aunt. My parents were older when they had me and I only had two grandparents left when I was born; one died when I was 3 and the other when I was 11. My aunt kind of fulfilled that role for me. She would have me stay with her for a week in the summer and do all the little things to spoil me that grandparents would traditionally do. She always encouraged me in whatever I tried and was insanely proud of my accomplishments, so much so that she had me write down my university program for her so she could brag to her friends. She was the oldest of my Mom's siblings, and when their mom died, she dropped out of school to run the household. It allowed my Mom to finish High School and go on to become a nurse.

Sadly, she died in 1994, when I was only in my mid 20's. I still miss her.

A simple pleasure:

A soak in a tub or a hot tub.

Possession:

This is a tough one; there are so many things that mean something to me. I think I'm going to pick the quilt my Mom made me, years ago. I've had it on a quilt stand at the end of my bed for about 20 years

A Gift From God:

I'm going to say my love of reading. As soon as I learned to read, I never stopped. Mom often had to come into my room and turn my light out because I fell asleep while reading in bed.

Advice:

When I was looking at taking the job I have now - I didn't get my preferred location - my brother advised me to make a pros and cons list. If I hadn't done that, I'm not sure I would have taken the job and wouldn't have the life I have now.

Smell:

I have two, here. One is the smell of fresh baking. And the other? Is the absence of any smell. I'm highly scent sensitive and I really appreciate being able to take a deep breath in through my nose and smell... nothing!

Life Lesson:

Doctors are not the be all and end all of knowledge; question everything. A doctor, who was very condescending towards me, told me that a mole I had was nothing and it could just be removed; no need for a biopsy. Because of his tone, I sought out a second opinion. That doctor agreed to do the biopsy, though he also thought it was nothing. Nope - melanoma. Fortunately, caught early and only needed excision as treatment.

Amara · « **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2018, 11:18:58 am »

Wednesday, November 14: A LIFE LESSON I AM THANKFUL FOR

STiG, thanks so much for posting that. I really enjoyed reading yours.

A life lesson that I am thankful for is that work is or can be truly enjoyable. Not "keep a good attitude" enjoyable, though that is important, but a genuinely fun and enjoyable time. A lot of people don't feel the same way. At (too many) times I haven't either, but now it is something I look forward to as much as I look forward to my time off.

STiG · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2018, 07:47:28 am »

A mystery:

Mystery/intuition, not sure if this one fits. Many, many years ago, when I was learning to drive, my parents and I were heading out. Dad handed me the keys because I was trying to get as much experience as possible so I could take my test. For some unknown reason, I turned him down and told him I didn't want to drive. 20 minutes later, the right front tire blew. Dad managed to steer the truck safely off to the shoulder. Had I been driving? I'm not sure I'd be sitting here to be typing this.

Took me two more years to get my license after that experience.

MariaE · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2018, 08:33:29 am »

Catching up

1: A MEMORY I AM THANKFUL FOR
My years spent in New Zealand (1990 and 1996/1997). Especially the latter as it was the year I discovered myself and realized that I actually like myself. I made many friends for life that year, and my BFF is still my BFF these 22 years later!

2: A COLOR I AM THANKFUL FOR
Green in all its many shades.

3: A FREEDOM I AM THANKFUL FOR
The freedom that free healthcare and free education has given me. I've spent months in the hospital due to a wacky infection, and didn't have to pay a dime for it, and I have a Masters degree with no student debt at all. I used to take that for granted, but not so any longer.

4: A TASTE OR FOOD I AM THANKFUL FOR
Any food I don't have to cook myself! ;-)

5: A SONG I AM THANKFUL FOR
I can't limit myself to just one song, but I am thankful for Hillsong. They've written a number of songs that speak to my heart.

6: A PLACE I AM THANKFUL FOR
New Zealand. It holds a very special place in my heart.

7: A GIFT I AM THANKFUL FOR
I'm going to assume physical gift - a home made quilt one of my friends made for me last year as a surprise. I've always dreamed of having a quilt of my own, but quilts are hard to come by in Denmark, and getting one from the US would cost an arm and a leg. One of my online friends knew this (she reads my blog where I'd mentioned it once or twice) and made me one!! I was blown away. The quilt itself is gorgeous, but the thoughtfulness behind it moved me to tears.

8: A FAMILY MEMBER I AM THANKFUL FOR
All of them :-) I am thankful for a very close-knit family who both love and like each other.

9: A SIMPLE PLEASURE I AM THANKFUL FOR
Reading and knitting. Both bring me joy and help me recharge.

10: A POSSESSION I AM THANKFUL FOR
All my old journals. I started journaling regularly at age 14 and have kept all my old journals (though some of them are rather cringeworthy) and enjoy reading back and being reminded of old memories.

11: A GIFT FROM GOD I AM THANKFUL FOR
Two years ago my sister was healed from fibromyalgia. A true miracle and an amazing blessing.

12: A PIECE OF ADVICE I AM THANKFUL FOR
From my aunt at my sister's wedding: "When you fight - and you will! - remember that it is only the issue that is up for debate - never your marriage."

13: A SMELL I AM THANKFUL FOR
New Zealand bush. Impossible to describe, but anybody who's been there will immediately recognize it.

14: A LIFE LESSON I AM THANKFUL FOR
It is not rude to say no! After having been diagnosed with stress a few years back, I've had to learn to say no to things. It's hard, as I'm both non-confrontational and a people-pleaser, but it's been so important to learn.

Amara · « **Reply #9 on:** November 15, 2018, 12:09:20 pm »

Thursday, November 15: A MYSTERY I AM THANKFUL FOR

I have spent some time thinking about this because it is so unusual a thing to be thankful for. I decided I am thankful for the mystery surrounding the reason why my mom's best friend from a young age, wasn't a bridesmaid or the maid of honor at Mom's wedding to Dad in 1949. A couple of years ago when I was looking at her wedding album with her I asked her that question. (Pat had died from a brain tumor when I was in my early teens.) Mom kind of hedged and mumbled something about how she didn't want to be. But they were SO close, deeply intimate friends, almost from the time they met.

If I was going to guess I'd say that Pat disapproved of Dad even though Mom met him in high school and knew she wanted to marry him then. You see, my dad drank from the time he was about seventeen until I was the same age. It was a very dysfunctional home life and I wonder if Pat saw something in him that foretold the dysfunction to come.

I will never know so it will remain a mystery, but it is one I am thankful for. Because Pat stayed in our lives until her death and I still remember her red hair, freckles and always warm and wonderful friendship to this young girl.

STiG · « **Reply #10 on:** November 16, 2018, 06:57:15 am »

Something happening tomorrow:

I would be thankful if nothing were happening tomorrow and I could sit on my butt and do nothing! But alas, that is not the case.

So I will be thankful for the talent to make pastry and to make pies to be sold at the church bake sale on Sunday. I do enjoy baking and find it relaxing but it just seems that there is so much to do this time of year!

Amara · « **Reply #11 on:** November 16, 2018, 11:56:33 am »

Friday, November 16: SOMETHING HAPPENING TOMORROW I AM THANKFUL FOR

Your baking sounds good, STiG!

What I am especially thankful for is something I have been looking forward to for a couple of months now: Our Assistance League's annual Christmas Boutique. This is in separate and larger rooms that have been opened up to be one very large room. They have anything and everything Christmas from tall (faux) trees to children's toys to gloves and hats to decor, wreaths, garlands, dining table stuff and accessories of all kinds. They collect it all year and then do this over two Saturdays, the weekend before Thanksgiving and the weekend of Thanksgiving.

The doors open at 9:00 but I plan to get there at 7:00. The line gets very long. I don't need anything but I want to look. Since I tend to not overdo holiday decorations I won't be tempted to just grab and would be happy to find nothing at all. Or maybe if there is a gorgeous, vintage-type red tree ornament I'd be thrilled with that. I will also go the following week since they keep stuff out for then but not anywhere near as early.

This thrift store is a high end one with good donations and reasonable prices. I borrowed a chair from work that is in my trunk and am taking a paperback to while away the time. I am so excited!

Amara · « **Reply #12 on:** November 18, 2018, 12:21:42 am »

Saturday, November 17: A SACRED SPACE I AM THANKFUL FOR

I don't really think of spaces as sacred, especially in the religious sense of the word, but if I expand the meaning to "special to me for _____ reason," then I think I would call my bed sacred. It is the place I truly love, where I sleep deeply to awaken refreshed, where my cats like most tend to think of it as their space, and where I feel safe, loved, together as one, calming and peaceful.

I buy sheets I love--percale, white, as crackly as I can get them--and I have a wonderful deep emerald bedspread, my favorite color. It is the place I do nothing but sleep and nap and so it is a special haven to me.

Amara · « **Reply #13 on:** November 18, 2018, 04:12:31 pm »

Sunday, November 18: AN ACT OF KINDNESS I AM THANKFUL FOR

There are so many! One is an act that didn't benefit me but it is definitely one for which I give thanks. A good friend who is retired and does cat sitting had one of her owners die. The man hadn't been doing well for quite a few months and when he died his adult children did not want the cat (despite it being the love of his life). One daughter said she'd take Lancelot but my friend felt it wasn't really a good offer so she took him. He stayed in my guest room for about eight days; she visited him at least twice a day. Neither she nor I could take him so she asked people she knew, including her vet (who had herself just inherited three more cats from a relative who had also recently died). Finally, she looked at a rescue in a town about an hour away that offers lifelong homes to cats from people who can no longer have or take care of them. It is in a home that has rooms and runs and screened outdoor areas and play areas and all sorts of toys, and it costs a one-time fee of $5,000. She put up the $5,000 as the family wouldn't contribute a dime, and will just tack that amount onto the sale of her home. Lancelot loves it there! He has a girlfriend and lots of buddies and is spending days basking in the sun; his adjustment has been the fastest they have ever seen. I'm not surprised given that his owner was so sick for so long that all he did was watch television. Lancelot must have been bored but now he's just so happy. And my friend and I are too.

STiG · « **Reply #14 on:** November 18, 2018, 05:20:34 pm »

A sacred space:

Anywhere I go in a canoe. I find it so peaceful to paddle, even on canoe trips when you have to huck your gear over portages, even when it is cold and raining, even with mosquitoes and black flies. Though I think one of my favourite places to paddle is on the lake where we go camping every year. I'll paddle one or more of the fishermen around or I'll just paddle up to the beaver dam and look for the cardinal flower that is always there.

An act of kindness:

When my Mom was dying, she was in a hospice room at the local hospital. I'd taken time off work and my Dad and I were sitting with her. A friend came in and shooed us out one day so we could go get some lunch and she'd sit with Mom. It started a chain; people who asked what they could do ended up signing up to sit with Mom for a lunch or a dinner and Dad and I would take a break. And then all the neighbours who brought food over to the house. At one point, my SIL made 'stone soup' from the leftovers. (My brother couldn't stand to sit around; he'd pop in but he ended up doing all sorts of things in between. Cutting wood for my parents wood stove. Helping the minister and her husband put the roof on their house they were building.)

Polite Paradise

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Author Topic: Gratitude Month (Read 436 times)

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