Daily: Reflect on 5 things for which I'm grateful

1. For being invited to a wonderful meal at a restaurant that is new to me.

2. For seats out on the patio, and beautiful weather.

3. For good company and a good long discussion.

4. For a friend of mine who is moving soon. Even though I’ll miss her, I’m grateful to have had her as part of my life for the past year.

5. For my first trip to a relatively new shopping center that I’ve never visited. I really don’t shop much these days, but I’m grateful to have these nice new stores around if and when I need to buy something.

1. Grateful for Doris, who so faithfully keeps recording her daily gratitude entries, for inspiring me to start back again today.

2. Grateful for gathering with a group of women on Tuesday, and having a fantastic lunch, and leftovers to take home.

3. Grateful for gathering with a different group of women yesterday to see a good movie and have fun at lunch afterwards.

4. Grateful for a walk with my walking buddy and her dog in the cool weather this morning. I’ve eaten too much and not exercised enough in the past two days.

5. Grateful for a good night’s sleep last night, some reflection this morning, and a new perspective today.

6. Grateful for a friend’s invitation to go to an event downtown on Saturday.

7. Grateful for piratey silliness to look forward to on 43-Things tomorrow. :)

1. Grateful for the gift of a short walk around the library pond late this afternoon, and the amazing sight of at least 10 turtles swimming towards me from all directions. I guess people feed them. I think they were “pond sliders”, like the one in this image from The Firefly Forest. There was one larger turtle that looked like a snapping turtle, and thankfully he was swimming away from me.

2. Grateful for the gift of enough gumption to finally take care a contract issue that’s come due. Grateful for a friendly and helpful customer service rep.

3. Grateful for the gift of some time spent in the comfortable air-conditioned library this afternoon. This was a gift I gave myself as a reward for item #2.

4. Grateful for the gift of anonymous friends.

5. Grateful for the gift of a cute thank-you card from my sister-in-law and brother.

6. Grateful for the gift of all my siblings, but especially for my brother whose birthday is today. I’ve known him longer than any other person I can think of who is still living, except for one uncle.

1. Grateful that my foot is feeling much better today. I was bitten by fire ants last Monday evening. It’s amazing how much damage these little tiny animals can quickly do! I’m grateful that the swelling has gone down. I’m grateful for over-the-counter cremes that are helping to stop the itching. I’m grateful to information available on the internet about treating fire ant bites. This is the second time in a month that I’ve been bitten, but this time was worse than the first time.

^{Note to self: Don’t stand outside too long on sidewalks or parking lots with sandals on talking to people.}

2. Grateful for a good sleep last night.

3. Grateful for a pleasant walk this morning.

4. Grateful I had a coupon for a free cup of coffee this morning.

5. Grateful for the new library. It’s really a nice facility.

6. Grateful for supportive communities, including this one on 43-T.

1. For breakfast this morning, and dinner last night.

2. For a roof over my head.

3. For rain yesterday.

4. For public utilities that generally work well. For clean drinking water, working sewage systems, electricity, and phone service. All it takes is a power outage, like the brief one yesterday, to appreciate working utilities.

5. For basic good health today. Working arms, legs, eyes, ears, teeth, digestive system, lungs, heart, nervous system, brain. (Well, sometimes I wonder about my brain.)

6. For a working car and for gasoline to make it go. Yes, I’ve cut back on my driving. Yes, other transportation options are urgently needed. But for today, I am grateful to have the option of having a car for transportation.

7. For friends who are struggling right alongside me with the basic problems of living day to day.

1. For a friend who kindly gave me a gift of some fresh peaches from the peach festival in Trenton, SC. I’ve been eating them for the past week. I just ate the last one for breakfast on my cereal this morning. Ahhh…fresh peaches are good.

2. For my brother and sister-in-law travelling all the way here to Augusta to visit me. I’m looking forward to seeing them. I’ve had the gift of being a guest at their house many many times, and am glad to have an opportunity to return the favor.

3. For the gift of gorgeous weather today. Not too hot or humid. A slight breeze this morning. Just right.

4. For the gift of desperation, born of my fear of having people over, motivating me to get some cleaning done.

5. For the gift of inspiration, from the flylady website, on the value of patience and persistence and babysteps.

Grateful that I can forgive myself for neglecting this goal for a week, and start again tonight.

Grateful for the opportunity and the gumption to work on typing my notes this afternoon.

Grateful that I live so close to the Savannah Rapids.

Grateful for all the times in the past few years that I have gone to the Savannah Rapids by myself to grieve and to heal.

Grateful that this historical site has been restored and is used by the community for many activities.

Grateful for the sounds of birds and rushing water and cicadas.

Grateful for beauty… for the silhouette of Spanish Moss against the setting sun.

1. Grateful for Crape Myrtles. They grow all over town, and take the form of trees and shrubs, large and small. About this time of the year they begin blooming in white and various shades of pink and purple. They are splashy and eye-catching and brighten up the summer landscape.

2. Grateful for an invitation to lunch today.

3. Grateful for the gift of delicious and healthy salad ingredients that have fed me for the past two days.

4. Grateful for a “cold snap.” The high temperature today is forecast in the 80’s. Nice. There’s even a hope of rain.

5. Grateful for a an old friend returning my phone call. I miss her.

6. Grateful for disappointment lately, in other people, in situations and circumstances, in myself. Disappointment, dissatisfaction, displeasure, distress, discontent, disenchantment, disillusionment, and frustration. Maybe I can learn something from it.

1. Grateful to be even attempting to write a gratitude entry this morning. I don’t know what’s been wrong with me lately. Writing entries on 43-T has been a struggle. Feeling gratitude has been a struggle. But I am feeling grateful this morning.

2. Grateful for the party I went to last night, and seeing old friends, and getting some food to take home with me.

3. Grateful for a some tiny babysteps of progress yesterday in tackling my personal chaos and disorder.

4. Grateful for this book I’ve been reading called Rebuilding.

5. Grateful for things to look forward to today. A walk this morning. Work this afternoon, and maybe some more time on 43-T.

1. For gardenias, with their fragrant white blossoms and glossy green leaves. These beautiful southern shrubs are believed to have been named after Alexander Garden, a physician in Charleston, South Carolina, during colonial days. There are some blooming now right outside my garage, and I see and smell them each time I come and go from the house.

2. For cool breezes and companionship this morning during our walk.

3. For a house to live in.

4. For the individuals and businesses in this city who donate to the local food pantry.

5. For the privilege of eating with friends in a pleasant air-conditioned restaurant this afternoon.

6. For good news from both N. and B. today.

7. For Tink and Todd and others who generously helped Segsy reach her fund-raising goal for the 2008 Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis Walk. (please check out their progress here and donate if you can. )

8. For the gift of a chocolate bar. I haven’t had chocolate for awhile, and it sure tastes good.

9. For getting over my recent writer’s block enough to write this entry tonight.