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Gratefulness
Three things that comprise the foundation of my life are perspective, gratitude, and humor. Without them I exist; with them, I live fully.
My mother was a first-grade teacher, and I went to the same school. I remember all the times when school was out, but the teachers still had to be there, and I would explore all the different parts of the school where kids were not normally allowed to go. My favorite place was the basement book room, where all the books not currently in use were kept. The boiler was not far away, and it was always dry, warm and cozy. I loved the smell of all those books, and spent hours in my “private” li...
My mother was a first-grade teacher, and I went to the same school. I remember all the times when school was out, but the teachers still had to be there, and I would explore all the different parts of the school where kids were not normally allowed to go. My favorite place was the basement book room, where all the books not currently in use were kept. The boiler was not far away, and it was always dry, warm and cozy. I loved the smell of all those books, and spent hours in my “private” library. Another great memory is of wanting to be an animal. At about the age of three, I wanted a tail sooooo badly, that eventually my mom attached a long piece of elastic to the back of my pants with a safety pin, which was moved to whatever I wore. I am still enamored of animals and nature. I currently work for an organization that arranges peaceful, at-home euthanasia for pets. It can be heartbreaking, but it so fulfilling and gives meaning to my day. I am grateful to be able to help relieve suffering of both animals and their people.
Some drawn-out financial struggles are wrapping up one by one. As frustrating and fearful as it has been at times, I just keep going. A door or window always opens, and I want to keep that mindset uppermost.
I was inspired by reading the daily questions from previous days. The one about resilience reminded me of the saying, “Fall down seven times, get up eight,” the Japanese proverb: “Nana korobi ya oki” (literally: seven falls, eight getting up) (七転び八起き) It’s inevitable that we prevail if we just stand up. That’s all. We don’t have to first know what we’ll “do” after getting up, or be overwhelmed in advance. Just. Get. Up.
Being present while playing with my cat or others’ pets. Watching any animal play brings me out of myself and reminds me not to take everything so seriously!
Holly, that is such a great memory and so good to hear! Thank you for sharing that and for the kind words. I am so glad this way of passing for pets is returning the same way that people are able to die at home peacefully with hospice care. It’s an honor to help this return to peaceful dignity grow!
Carol, I love the image of your talking to the little guy! I talk to nature all the time…my aquarium fish, my flowers…
And hungry bellies!! I adore my kitty’s wake-up face pats.
Hey, Howie, thank you for pointing out something I’ve never considered before: ” … inanimate objects (like overpasses and sidewalks). All means of support.” What a great concept to add to the long list of connected support that each of us has on a continuous basis, without really recognizing it. “Support” doesn’t have to be so narrowly interpreted to mean “people” in our immediate circles, nor limited to the thousands (millions?) who grow ...
Hey, Howie, thank you for pointing out something I’ve never considered before: ” … inanimate objects (like overpasses and sidewalks). All means of support.” What a great concept to add to the long list of connected support that each of us has on a continuous basis, without really recognizing it. “Support” doesn’t have to be so narrowly interpreted to mean “people” in our immediate circles, nor limited to the thousands (millions?) who grow our food, build our houses, maintain our electrical grids, treat our water, and keep the world humming. Cheers!
Don, thanks for introducing me to the Kelpie! I had not heard (or herd, hahaha) of the breed before, and enjoyed reading about them!
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