5 Faces of Gratitude
|Standing in line for a ticket on Saturday afternoon, I was still unsure of whether or not I wanted to go in. The music was loud, teetering on being a tad screechy, and I could see the small park was crowded with vendor tents, a stage and people. I bought my ticket and wandered into the Hungarian Festival. It was more crowded than I’d thought it would be. It was a truly odd experience to be in the thick of humanity, not something I normally do. But, I’m on the search for new adventures, and am grateful for the small helping of courage I have to dig up to press forward when the unsure part of me wants to quit. I’m ever thankful I go through with small adventures, learning to prepare for larger ones.
Starting in my early 20s I would make weekly trips to the local library in search of books that would distract me from the regimented life I’d ensnared myself in. I’d visit the reference section choosing random subjects to investigate, occasionally discovering topics that resonated – like Paris in the Roaring 20s, whoowee there’s an era I wish I could’ve partaken a small sampling of. Nowadays, I take my yearning self to the poetry section, I love the poet’s mind – how they take their love/despair/sadness and distill it into lyrical loveliness. Poetry saves – everyday it rescues with gilded words.
My Saturday morning long run was chockablock full of good moments. I got to see my favorite old dude – a runner in his 70s who always smiles and waves, quite a dazzler that one. Every rose bush had blossoming flowers which I like to brush with my hands to feel their soft petals, some dew-damp. It’s good to have energy, to be strong, to run the mileage you set out to do – I’m grateful this body keeps on truckin, it serves me well.
Whenever I drive to the Pacific I wait for that moment when I catch a blue glimpse which prompts a yell and blown kisses. Like every beachgoer I believe I have a special knowing of the ocean, and it brings joy to dig into her beaches and freeze in her salty water. I don’t know how to weigh my gratitude for the gifts she provides.
Finally, I’m grateful for being able to share my life with some pretty cool people, and one slightly wacky cat-cat. ‘Nuff said, right? Life works when you have your peeps, poetry, courage, nature and running.