When life is busy and stressful, as it has been lately, I like to dig in when it comes to practicing gratitude whenever possible. That’s usually easiest early in the morning.
Today I am thankful for yesterday’s beautiful sunrise which is pictured here. It was well below twenty and so I could see my breath as I carried out the trash and readied to leave for the day. I was grateful for an effective defroster in my new car and for the sturdy scraper that allowed me to clean my windows efficiently.
I’m thankful for the book I’m reading – a fascinating piece of non fiction gifted to me by my fella – which I will write about soon. If you enjoy book culture and history, you may find it interesting as well.
I’m thankful for grilled cheese and tomato soup and for Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough which make warm and happy companions on a cold, windy night.
I’m thankful for twinkle lights and Christmas trees, for warm throws and for colorful pjs.
As always, I’m thankful for the good job that allows me to have these creature comforts and that helps me give my cat the life he believes he deserves. His tastes are rather refined for a former street urchin.
Your turn! What are you thankful for today?
If there’s anything I want you to take from reading here, it’s that life is what you make of it and that your perspective can be shaped and reshaped so that you can be happier. In other words, there’s something interesting to learn and beautiful things to see all around but you sometimes have to go looking for them.
My room on the nineteenth floor of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus came with a view of a parking garage roof, some buildings and highways that criss-crossed as far as the eye could see. Rain and gloom made it appear even more workaday than it would normally seem. I sat by the window Sunday evening, killing time with a writing project while I waited to meet my party for dinner. The view became increasingly attractive as the gloomy, rainy evening turned into a dark night and nearby buildings and far off traffic transformed into beautiful works of lighted art.
I enjoyed seeing how darkness and artificial lights changed my view and I went to sleep looking forward to sunrise.
When I hopped out of bed the next morning, it was still dark outside and I could hear sirens on the highway far below my window. I was showered, dressed and next to the window again when the sun began to brighten the horizon. First a subtle bit of purple broadened to a brighter line of pink that slowly crept across the entire sky. Colors pushed away the darkness until a bright peachy light washed over the city skyline and into the blue.
A city sunrise is so different than our country sunrises. Light over trees will always be my favorite but this wasn’t a shabby view either despite the parking garage roof and ribbon of highways. There’s something to be said for being open to seeing beauty in the mundane.
Try it for yourself sometime. Go look for something good in the ugly and boring. You may be surprised at what you find.
After a near catastrophic drought here in southern Ohio, Mother Nature unleashed a harsh storm on us yesterday. Heavy rainfall, unceasing winds and tornadoes ripped through the region but not in any consistent way.
As I sat in the dark last night, listening to the wind pick up and the rain beat down even harder against the windows, a Homecoming Queen was crowned just ten miles out the road. I’m glad the kids got to enjoy this much anticipated bit of fun.
The power is still out but the air and sky are calm right now. I’m still fighting bronchitis so I’m glad for the excuse to lallygag in bed until it’s lighter in the house. But I did step outside for a minute to photograph the sunrise.
The sunrise after a storm is always the most beautiful in my mind.
Rose Kennedy once said “Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in. Whatever sunlight remains to them?”
Never forget to look for those rays of sunshine, especially after the worst storms.
The sunset was especially nice Wednesday night but it was almost gone when I arrived at Concord Church. This was the last gasp of the day’s light and darkness would fall within minutes.
When I turned to go, this was the scene behind me.
Sunset is a prompt to stop, rest and reset in preparation for a new day. It’s kind of reassuring to know that the world gives us this consistency. No matter where you are in the world, the day will be bookended by something miraculous. As the sun sets you can rest assured it will rise again.
If we’re lucky, tomorrow is a new day. Enjoy today, get some rest and prepare to do it all again tomorrow.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one doesn’t begin to speak to yesterday’s vibrant sunrise but it’s a nice try.
Happy Wednesday, friends. Enjoy!