Ahhhhhh: the sigh of one who is sitting in their jammies at 8:30 on a Friday night, wrapped in the electric throw, sitting in bed getting ready to write. Tonight is one for simple gratitude, for offering thanks for the everyday, uncomplicated, blessings that come to us quietly, without fanfare or magnanimity. I am tired, almost too tired for a word like magnanimity, but not quite.
I am grateful this evening for the fact that it is Friday and the end of another long-feeling week. As I was leaving the office I received a text from my best friend Pat asking if I’d give her a call as we hadn’t checked in for a few weeks. So I spent my 55 minute commute home talking to her, listening as she shared what had been going on in her life, her frustrations with various things at home–family stuff–and various other matters. It was a great way to spend the hour in the car. Talking with Pat is like talking to one of my sisters: you spend a whole lot of time talking about basic life stuff–relationships, finances, workplace dramas and just about anything you can imagine. I am fortunate indeed to have a friend who has been part of my life for over 30 years and with whom I still talk regularly–we talked for two and a half hours and still had subjects we could have covered. Such is the nature of good old friendships. I am so grateful for her.
I am grateful for the many things that so many of us take for granted: my the clothes on my back (and in my closet), the shoes on my feet, food in my refrigerator, and a warm, safe, comfortable place to sleep. I am grateful for my health and strength–although my body isn’t quite as nimble or strong as it used to be, everything still works relatively well. I am grateful to be working; I’ve experienced what it’s like to be unemployed and am so glad to be working with good people, doing important work. I’m so grateful for my family: my children are doing well for the most part. I miss them terribly and am not a huge fan of the “empty nest,” particularly since my nest is completely empty of humans other than me. I am grateful for my housemate, Honor, but she isn’t much of a conversationalist.
It has been an exhausting week and I have drifted off to sleep more than once since I started writing this evening. So, I’m going to sign off early with the promise to try to be more fully present in writing tomorrow’s blog than I’ve been this evening. Tonight may we rest well, safe and protected from harm and wake refreshed and ready for what’s next. So be it!
