Aug 31 Swish swish swish

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/raceytay

In the big city the twin spirits Romance and Adventure are always abroad seeking worthy wooers. As we roam the streets they slyly peep at us and challenge us in twenty different guises. Without knowing why, we look up suddenly to see in a window a face that seems to belong to our gallery of intimate portraits; in a sleeping thoroughfare we hear a cry of agony and fear coming from an empty and shuttered house; instead of at our familiar curb, a cab-driver deposits us before a strange door, which one, with a smile, opens for us and bids us enter; a slip of paper, written upon, flutters down to our feet from the high lattices of Chance; we exchange glances of instantaneous hate, affection and fear with hurrying strangers in the passing crowds; a sudden douse of rain—and our umbrella may be sheltering the daughter of the Full Moon and first cousin of the Sidereal System; at every corner handkerchiefs drop, fingers beckon, eyes besiege, and the lost, the lonely, the rapturous, the mysterious, the perilous, changing clues of adventure are slipped into our fingers. But few of us are willing to hold and follow them. We are grown stiff with the ramrod of convention down our backs. We pass on; and some day we come, at the end of a very dull life, to reflect that our romance has been a pallid thing of a marriage or two, a satin rosette kept in a safe-deposit drawer, and a lifelong feud with a steam radiator.     -  O. HENRY, “The Green Door”

Here goes Monday, with a sudden douse of rain dancing carelessly against the cemented parts of our hearts.  Smile, curtsy, and carry on in worn out galoshes and unflattering rain coats that swish swish swish as we hurry, head down, toward the day.

There goes Monday; stop and say hello.

This Monday I am thankful for

1. the gentlemen that held the door patiently while I was slow moving and otherwise lost in thought.
2. the ruby-throated gems that have found refuge on the feeder.
3. a second wind for a good idea.

For what are you thankful?

Aug 24 Courage

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/jcestnik

Do you know those moments in which you slip through the cage of self doubt, break past the locked doors of apprehension and just do .. something?  Those are precious bits of time.

Do anything.

Today I am thankful for

1. that moment when I stood outside myself and just sang, sang from the deepest parts of me, without fear or self doubt.
2. family visits – the anticipation, the preparation, and the giddy laughter that will soon fill the house.
3. a peaceful, deep and reinvigorating night of sleep.

For what are you thankful?

Aug 17 Lucky

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/ajawin

“I’d rather be lucky than good, any day.”   This is another bit of wisdom imparted to me by my grandfather and throughout my life, it’s become a bit of a mantra for me.

My friends used to call me “Lucky” but not because I’m the one who wins the lottery or contests, but because somehow despite the crazy predicaments I’ve found myself I’ve usually landed on me feet – beaten, bruised, battered but still standing.

Lucky, I’m okay with that.

Today I’m thankful for

1. those little bits of luck in my life that find me dangling from the last tree limb on the cliff but give me a way to scramble back to a safe spot.
2. summer rain – even if it’s hot and sticky, there’s still refreshment and renewal.
3. the little slice of peace and quiet this morning before Monday finds her legs.

For what are you thankful?

Aug 11 Mondays and Tuesdays

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/drp

Life’s just a merry-go-round.  Come on up. You might get a brass ring.          ~ Mae West

My Mondays have been blurring into my Tuesdays lately.  It’s not a terribly horrid thing except that certain things have to shift, break routine, and breathe new air.   I like change, it’s an adventure.  But then again, so are merry-go-rounds.

Today I am thankful that

1. … I am busy in the good way – the way that makes you forget if you ate lunch, or what day it is, or where you left your keys and yet it’s still all okay.
2. … the person that broke into my car didn’t actually break anything, and instead just took what they thought they needed more than I did.
3. … a smile is sometimes all it takes to make my day.

For what are you thankful?

Aug 4 Tomorrow

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/lorispindler

Tomorrow is a precious thing, and yet ..

We take her for granted, we heap her up with our worry, fear, anger, with all the things we don’t burden today.

We hope for and dread tomorrow.

We think tomorrow owes us something.

Tomorrow is a kind, forgiving and gentle lover.  She takes us back every time despite our lost faith, our cruel indiscretions, and our petty wars.

Take time to thank tomorrow.

Today I am thankful that ..

1. tomorrow was there for me to write this post that otherwise missed Monday’s smiling face.
2. I am given a gift of sweet forgiveness even when I’m completely devoid of deserve.
3. I am surrounded by those that say “tell me what I can do to help” and really mean it – and go so far out of their way to make things right even when I am afraid or too proud to ask.

For what are you thankful?

July 27 Sparks

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/uaeincredible

If you’ve ever been backpacking or camping, you know the anticipation of getting a fire started.  Whether it be to shake off a morning chill or light up the night, the first dancing flames are a welcome guest.

If you’ve ever been the one leaning over small nest of kindling striking a flint hopefully, you know that the true magic is the spark.   That tiny bit of energy that leaps from one place to another makes all the difference – the spark.

Today I’m thankful for ….

1. The tiny bits of spark that find the tender bits and light them afire.
2. A sideways grin that says “it’s okay”
3. Safe travel and happy returns.

For what are you thankful?

July 20 Dreams

image courtesy NASA

I remember the first time I uttered the words “I want to be an astronaut“.   My Grandfather took his eyes off the fishing lure, cracked his half smile grin and although I thought knew what he must be thinking, he replied “If there’s one I thing I know, it’s that you can be anything you want to be; you just have to work hard.  Now hand me those pliers.”

Dreams propel us past our real and perceived limitations.  Don’t forget to dream.

Today I am thankful for the stuff of dreams:

1. waking from a dream at 3AM with an answer I’ve needed.
2. for my Grandfather’s gentle but firm hand on my shoulder, even now.
3. for those that inspire HOPE at a time when I feel helpless.

For what are you thankful?

July 13 Symmetries

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/42614915@N00

Whatever it is that pulls the pin, that hurls you past the boundaries of your own life into a brief and total beauty, even for a moment, it is enough.   – Jeanette Winterson, Gut Symetries, p. 219

Symmetries intrigue me, but it’s the tiny perturbations from perfect symmetry that keep me interested, engaged, and leaning forward.

Today I’m thankful for symmetries, and modest perturbations.

1. I’m thankful that this site has become important enough to me that I didn’t let it become Tuesday without posting.
2. I’m thankful for that pang when I’m missing someone, a gentle reminder of what’s important.
3. And for making me laugh when I just wanted to scream today, thank you.

For what are you thankful?

July 6 Independence

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/tomvu

I’m one to think that it’s those things we take for granted that we should be most thankful.   I’m also acutely aware that for me, that’s a very long list.

Today I am thankful for my freedoms from

1. hunger that plagues  1 of 6 people in the world.
2. loneliness; this weekend I laughed with friends until my cheeks hurt and my eyes watered.
3. debt; I have what I need when I need it, and for that I am humbly grateful.

For what are you thankful?

June 29 Voices

cc image courtesy flickr.com/photos/fulminiesaette

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

Have you ever found yourself trapped between wondering if you should voice your opinion, or just “let it go”?

What if the people of Iran just “let it go”?

What if those who were at Stonewall, just walked away?

What if Martin Luther King, Jr. decided it wasn’t “his problem to resolve”?

The world, our world, depends on voices.

Today, I am thankful for

1. those that have the courage and the selflessness to speak up.
2. those that listen without judgment.
3. those that endure when it seems the world has stopped listening or caring.

For what are you thankful?