i resisted doing gratitude posts for a few days. i have mixed feelings about corralling gratitude into the month of november just as i do saving expressions of love for february fourteen. plus i'm getting closer to the belief that all this self-care/gratitude/enoughness is just way too self-indulgent and sometimes verges on the edge of gloat. and bloat.
on the other hand, the act of expressing gratitude for the unbelievable abundance in my life serves a purpose: i am reminded to focus on the sweet spots in my day and release the fear and ugliness and hunger. the contrast gently nudges me to do something about that darker side, make it lighter, less ominous. for myself and for others.
so there you go.
and here you go:
this week i am grateful for
- the trees that surround my home. they stood strong and safe during sandy.
- trees that stood strong and safe around others' homes.
- democracy (while i'm not too thrilled with the narrowing definition, i deeply value my right to vote)
- the kismet that brings d.c.'s gourmet ice cream truck (above) to my neighborhood for the winter. seriously, it matches our garden shed. in a town full of traditional brick and colonial columns, our hood is the home of the multicolored harlequin.
- my new job is more than i could have imagined. i love it.
- i am grateful when painful endings leave room for bigger and better things.
- a walking trail in the middle of the city that sports view like this.
- continued clarity about who i am and the kind of life i want to live.
