The Gratefulness (and More!) Getaway, Day 1

Journaling is not something I am particularly fond of doing. It means taking time away from whatever else I am doing to write about my thoughts, what’s happening in my brain about a thing at that moment in time.

I knew that keeping up with a journal was not one of my strengths, but recently it became more than obvious through an experience that is really a different story for a different time: I had been writing in this lovely little book about a particular thing, a sequence of events in my life. The first entry was a few years ago and at that time, I was consistent — not every day consistent because the sequence wasn’t daily. However, I was doing quite well.

And then I wasn’t.

A couple weeks ago or so, it dropped in my spirit to open the little book and do a synopsis of what had happened since my last entry. It had been nearly two years to the day since I’d last written in it. I spent the next hour, writing away until I was at ‘today’, the moment I was in right then at 1 am at my kitchen table.

Last night, a writing group that I am part of had a wonderful discussion about gratefulness (in part — if you want to know what else we were on about, you’ll need to join! Send me a message in the contact form and I’ll tell you more).

In sum, it helps to see with joyful open eyes the good around us because the bad or negative is so easy to notice. To that end, I will endeavor to post a Gratefulness (and More!) Getaway at least three times a week, with at least two things for which I am grateful or two things I recognize about myself that are fabulous (because encouragement begins with self). Starting now.

1.

Last year around this time, I had my annual eye exam. I wasn’t fond of the office where I’d been having my eyes checked, but sometimes the unpleasant familiar is easier than the potentially unpleasant new, right? I’d not been thrilled with my experience from the year before but toddled on in there again. This time I had a different doctor and she said it looked like I had cataracts and better get them checked. No documentation, no tips for what I could do in the meantime, no recommendations for an ophthalmologist, nothing. I stewed on it until it was close to the time for my annual exam and searched out a proper doctor for a cataract evaluation. I am grateful for the staff and doctors there (shameless plug alert: NVision in Ontario CA is amazing!). I’ll go back in six months to get evaluated again because the cataracts are small enough that I don’t need to do anything right now. My optical nerves are great. My vision isn’t horrid, confirming what I thought. I got all the information I need when the time comes to have surgery (did you know that cataract surgery means they take out the lenses in your eyes and replace them? It takes about 10 or 15 minutes and the new lenses they put in work for distance, computer, and reading? I’d be the bionic woman, at least in my eyes!). For all that — from the news about the condition of my eyes to the people I met in the process, I am grateful.

2.

I attended a celebration of life service yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and although I was a few minutes late getting into the sanctuary (who knew there would be so much traffic at that time of day?), I had time to admire the sunlight (a great thing for those of us who spend our time in front of a computer screen at least 29 hours a day, 12 days a week). It was of course sad and solemn, saying ‘see you soon’ to a young woman, 28 years old; we watched a photo montage of her from her formative years through the present. An amazing young man sang ‘Good Good Father’, which always makes me cry; however, it was difficult not to when my friend Claudia stood and sang with him. The words said, songs sang, and love expressed to dear Angela yesterday made the afternoon a joy in the midst of tears; to see the faith of her family and friends was wonderful. I got to talk briefly with Claudia before we left and discovered her birthday is just a few days before mine; I am grateful to know her, to have been there yesterday, and to know — God willing! — she and I will take a bit of time out of our daily doings to celebrate another year.

What are you grateful for today?