Grateful

Photo credit: Stephanie Krist - Unsplash

I woke up, read my devotional, grabbed a sweatshirt and the Fitz, and headed outside. We walked and lazily meandered about for awhile until settling on the deck with coffee for me (and, of course, a treat for him😊) to enjoy a lazy day off.

I paused to reflect, like I try to make a practice of doing.

Research shows that practicing gratitude helps to train our brains to look for the good instead of the bad – for the enough instead of the not enough.

I practice gratitude regularly, but I think I tend to over-complicate it by trying not to repeat the same things each day – when really, isn’t it okay to acknowledge you’re grateful for your family and various other things each and every day? It should be.

So I got to thinking – really thinking – about gratitude this morning, as I sat on my deck watching my pup’s nose go on overdrive smelling the air while his face shined in the sun, fur blowing in the breeze.

And I started to make a list.

I started listing what I was grateful for in that moment: my husband, our family, our goofy pup, our health, our home, and so on.

You know – the big things.

Then I added to my list.

I started to add the things that often fade into the background of the hustle and bustle of our daily lives: hearing the rustle of the leaves in the wind, feeling my pup’s shaggy fur resting against me, basking in the perfect sweatshirt weather of an early autumn morning.

Then I zoomed out more and I thought about gratitude at a whole different level – I was grateful to be.

Breathing.

Heart beating.

Hearing.

Seeing.

Thinking.

Feeling.

Grateful that it’s another day I get to experience.

And I think this is something most, if not all, of us take for granted at times – or at least until something comes along and shakes us out of our trance.

This morning, the perfect autumn weather and sunshine had me thinking back in time, reminding me of a morning half a lifetime ago… When a beautiful morning drive nearly turned tragic. An accident – which looked harrowing – somehow left everyone relatively untouched.

…That left me not confused, but clear eyed. Spinning. Gaze fixed on the crystal cross hanging from my rear view mirror as it seemed like time stood still. Somehow, feeling calm – like it would be okay.

And it was.

And it is.

And now, sitting here half a lifetime later, once again in the stillness and sunshine of another beautiful early autumn morning – I’m grateful.

Grateful not only for today, but for the half a lifetime of days and treasured moments since that autumn morning when time seemed to stand still.

Grateful to be able to reflect on how grateful I am today.