A Thankful Post

There’s a reason that practically every wellbeing guru and wellness enthusiast will extol the virtues of extolling virtues; gratitude works!

It sounds simplistic, and maybe even infantile, but taking the time to smell the roses and to feel grateful for them is taking necessary time for yourself. We’re not robots. Sometimes life is hard. In nearly any situation, gratitude helps make us feel better, and makes the odds seem more surmountable. Huzzah for the power of gratitude!

And just recently it was Thanksgiving, which is THE SEASON for all of this gratitude stuff. An ideal time for taking stock. Well then. With that in mind, here’s an incomplete list of the amazing things that I currently feel grateful for. I am sure that writing these things out and experiencing them again in my mind will make me feel pretty good. Hopefully you’ve made a gratitude list of your own to get in on those good vibes. In case you’re still on the fence, here is a link on the science of gratitude. It’s real, and it might be enough to convince you to get out a notebook and start right now!

• I am grateful for my family. Yeah, let’s go with the obvious stuff first! But seriously, I love my life with the offspring, Jason and our two cats. Plus, I have my folks, his folks, our siblings and our extended families. We have people who care, and that makes all the difference. A supportive family is a blessing, and I wake up to one every day.

• I am grateful that I still have friends! My intentions are really good, but sometimes, I know that I’m kind of a bad friend. I am bad at returning messages. I am not always great at making plans to get together. But…there are still people in my life who like me, and enjoy the time, shamefully sparse as it is, that we do get to spend together. Thanks for puttin’ up with me, guys! 😀

• I am grateful for my health. Another big obvious one. Sure, I might wish I was stronger, or that I looked different sometimes, but I also take a certain delight in knowing I can still run uphill, lift a heavy object or stand for most of the day if I have to. It’s uncomfortable to think that the “surging with energy” feeling I still get a lot of the time might someday go away, or that someday I won’t be able to do these things. I am so so grateful to have this right now. Thank your bones and muscles if you’re reading this. Your body deserves it!

• I am grateful to be able to assume various rights and freedoms. I think it’s really nifty to be allowed to drive. I like freely associating with my friends, and the ability to more or less wear what I want. I am grateful to be in Canada, where women have the right to an education and to occupy public spaces. It is friggin’ gross that there are places where women can’t just lead their lives in peace, like ordinary people. Sadly that is the reality in some places on our planet. I am grateful, for my own sake and my daughter’s, to be where I am.

• I am grateful that my creature comforts are cared for. In fact, it’s scary how easy it is to overindulge in this modern age. This shows me that, like it or not, I lead a life of some privilege. I can go upstairs and have a hot shower whenever I feel like it. I can open the cupboard or fridge and grab a snack when the mood strikes me. An apple? Chips? Glass of wine? If I truly wanted to have any of those, I could have them, not to mention the hundreds of other foodstuffs I’m sure I could procure easily enough. Haven’t got it at hand? Heck, I can drive to the all night grocery for whatever I want, and then bring them back to my comfortable house to eat it in. MIND-BOGGLING.

• I am grateful that I have too many opportunities. Sing. Write a blog. Start a YouTube channel. Act. Learn more about costume makeup. And botany. And toads. And death rituals around the world. And how to yodel. My problem is never that there’s nothing to do…it’s that I’m spoiled for choice! Of course, this “problem” is one for which I am eternally grateful. I’d rather do this mad balancing act than sit around, bored, watching TV or something. I’m always going to be busy, because there is so much cool stuff to do!

• I am grateful for a new beginning on the spiritual front. I am starting up a Pagan spiritual group again. I am very excited to be connecting with people in this way once more, and I have a framework (generalized planning, events, etc.) pretty much ready to go. Obviously a lot of things require the input of others to flesh out/work on/finalize. I can’t wait to get together with some interested people, have some chats, make some decisions…GEE WHIZ I am so thrilled to be doing this again. Better still to be coming at it this time with a plan.

Well, this is getting long-winded. Let’s shorten this up. Here’s a list of other cool stuff I’m grateful for right now, too:

-The Harry Potter t-shirt I’m wearing that says “I Solemnly Swear I’m Up to No Good”

-Coloured leaves drifting by the windows

-Making homemade candles

-Fancy pens

-Jason’s beard

-The laptop I’m writing this on

-My assorted semi-precious stones

-Petting cats

-Espresso and fancy coffee

-Bob’s Burgers

-An apple soap I found at Winners that just smells SO GOOD

-Jason’s homemade squash soup

-Lots of books to read

-Really comfy jeans

-Limes

-Books to listen to on audible

-Bath robes that are much too big

I’m sure I could think of a million other things worthy of gratitude, but I would be grateful to actually get this thing posted today!

(Ha. Gratitude is like thanksgiving Turkey, right? Still fresh a couple of days later!)

Light, life, and love,

Jennnq