On Thanksgiving

When I was caught in the torrential rain, I was/am thankful that my destination kept me sheltered from the storms.  Thankful for the electricity and heating.  Thankful for a stove and the ability to easily prepare food for myself.  Thankful for my job.  Thankful for the cheerful messages written on the coffee cups this morning, by people who had to work this morning instead of being home.  Thankful for the choirs that I sing in, for the community, the music, and experiences being a part of them has brought into my life.  Thankful for the daily proximity to nature.  Thankful for my garden, for the creatures that live there, for the chance to get my hands in the dirt.  Thankful for my education, and the twisted path that has taken.  Thankful for art in my life.  Thankful for music.  For music and stillness and touch when words are not enough.  Thankful for my family, and my childhood friends.  Thankful for all the people in my life, for those who have offered unconditional love, and for those who have offered challenges; the first because they believed in me and gave me courage, and helped me to love myself, and the latter because they helped me to grow and be a better version of myself.  I'm thankful for the privilege to travel, and for the community that has come into my life from that.  I'm thankful for the rain, and sunlight, and snow.  Thankful for the seasons, and the migrations of birds.  Thankful for trees and water and sky.  Thankful for all the strangers (and friends) that have taken me in, for shelter, for celebrations, for support.  Thankful for all the friends i have now.  I'm thankful for 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances, thankful for the effort.  And I'm thankful for being alive now, in this moment in time.

Thursday

The Byron poem was "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage."  I'll admit that I haven't read the whole thing, but I remember being blown away by what I did read and how evocative it seemed to me at the time (I was 21, I think.)  It's his descriptions of places, made me more excited about seeing the world.

And looking back on the year, I am thankful for second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances.  Been a lot of those this year.  Got to know some wonderful people I wouldn't have otherwise.  Sometimes first impressions are spot on, sometimes they are not.  Sometimes our own baggage and insecurities get in the way.  And sometimes everything changes from moment to moment and you can't figure it out.  There is that baggage where someone reminds you of someone else and that gets in the way of seeing who this person standing right in front of you actually is.  Always heed the red flags that come up, of course, but sometimes we judge people too quickly assuming we have nothing in common and would never get along, and sometimes we are wrong.  And I had second chances this year where my first impressions were wrong, and as a result met people I'm happy to know, my life is better for it.  (One of them is possibly the most remarkably thoughtful person I've ever met, and my belief in my inherent value as a human being goes up in their presence.  It's little things, but they are really thoughtful.)  Grateful for this year and the roller-coaster ride it's been.  I know it's not over yet, another 19 days to turn my life upside down, why not?

That's not meant as a taunt, only as an observation on how much change there has been this year, and how often that has occurred.

Cheers.