THANKS

I grew up hearing Doris Day singing, “When you’re worried, and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep”, on my parents’ radio. Later on, in my wild and crazy thirties, when I finally went to AA, I must have heard “Change your attitude to gratitude,” at least fifty times. Blunt. No nonsense. Change it! When I remembered, I’d change my attitude and count my blessings, and it helped me stay on track. And though I don’t generally like platitudes nor simple remedies, that phrase has been sounding in my head as I look out the window of the casita next to our children’s and grandchildren’s California home.

We live here half time now, as our daughter continues treatment for brain cancer and the pandemic rages and the world seems tilted askew, and I am sometimes not one bit thankful and have no kindness in my heart.

“Change your attitude to gratitude.” So…

Here’s a dozen for starters. I am grateful for:

… my ginormous box of Refresh eye drop vials, delivered to me by a Costco shopper friend.

…the milk foamer just like the one I have at home, that turns my coffee into a white peaked marvel.

…the bottle brush tree out my window, alive with mockingbirds and hummingbirds and bristly red blooms.

…my 73-year-old body that still loves to walk in the sunshine.

…a husband who still finds that body beautiful.

…enough ground turkey, tilapia filets, chicken breasts, and shrimp in my freezer for six meals for six and enough money to take our grand kids out for poke bowls.

…a southern mama who taught me how to love food and treat it real good and not waste anything!

…a novel in progress, that, though somewhat delayed, is still alive and kicking.

…grandchildren I adore who call me “Granola” and love me back.

…hair that transitioned so well to super long during the pandemic that I’ll probably keep it this way.

…Everything electronic I need to binge watch The Queen’s Gambit or dance the Cupid Shuffle or listen to old Van Morrison songs with Ed while we cook, or watch Cinema Paradiso with our grand kids, or attend church service and study group, or take life-sustaining voice lessons, or stay in touch with friends via Zoom or Facebook.

…Jesus, whose teachings keep me from making snide responses to people on Facebook and later being sorry I did.

My Yeti cup runneth over, and so doth my pantry and my fridge and my Kindle library, and so does the love that’s everywhere if I only remember to remember to count my blessings and be grateful.

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