Tonight I am offering gratitude for some very simple but noteworthy things. Sometimes I wonder if I have a particularly quirky personality given the kind of things that catch my attention, that make me smile or shake my head in wonder or make me think. I am glad and grateful to be exactly who I am, in all of my imperfections and wonderful, quirky, uniqueness. Here are a few things that caught my attention today:
- I wear a hat every day. More often than not it is a wide-brimmed hat; I have a number of various types, ranging from Australian “outback” hats that keep my head dry when it rains or snows, to straw “gambler”style hats, various felt fedoras, and many others. This morning I was wearing a brown, wide brimmed fedora of sorts and cruising to work as usual. When I got into town I pulled up behind a person driving a Smart Car–one of those tiny little two-seaters–and noticed the woman who was driving it was wearing a broad-brimmed hat like mine. I was like, “Cool!” and nodded my approval. She happened to look in her rearview mirror just as I was looking at her. I pointed at her and tipped my hat, smiling at her. She tipped hers back, nodding her approval. It was a very cool moment of solidarity. It takes a bit of spunk to wear the kind of hats that I wear on a regular basis; you don’t see many people wearing them, especially women. So it was a very cool moment for me this morning to see and share a moment with a fellow hat wearer. We are a rare breed.
- This evening I had another really icky commute home. My timing must be off or something. My regular 75 to 90 minute drive has turned into an hour and 45 minutes to two hours. Once you’re tied up in Beltway gridlock you can just about forget getting anywhere in a timely way. Today was one of those days when I nearly shrieked with frustration when even the route that was supposed to provide relief ended up taking longer than it would have if I’d simply taken my normal route. In spit of this, I made the good decision to call my sister and chat with her as I drove (or I should say as I sat in bumper to bumper traffic). Talking to her distracted me from most of the traffic drama and allowed me to focus on her rather than the sea of red taillights stretching out before me. It was a welcome distraction and I was able to keep my mind relatively calm, given the situation. I was grateful for the company and for the distraction.
- Regular readers of this blog know that I love nature–the flora and fauna in my back yard and surrounding area are often a source of simple but significant gratitude. This evening, after my hour and 47 minute commute, I was outside walking Honor, dragging my tired self around the yard. In the distance I heard the honking of a single goose, followed shortly by a cacophony of sound as the entire gaggle honked in response. In the dark of the evening I found myself searching for the source of the spectacular sounds when suddenly I looked up to see what had to have been about 30 birds flying high overhead. What was remarkable was that I could see them in the dark evening sky. They seemed to be illuminated as if by some faint light–they seemed almost to be glowing. It was quite an amazing sight.
I am continually grateful for the many interesting, quirky kinds of things that I notice or cool encounters that I have with all kinds of beings, human or otherwise. Women in hats, glowing geese, calming conversations, so many other encounters great or small that capture my attention and captivate my imagination. I am grateful for my imagination, for my willingness to see beyond what’s right in front of me to make meaning. These are simple things, but I do not take them for granted: they are sacred and precious, and for each one that happens, each smile or thought or tear or moment of wonder they produce, I am deeply and wonderfully grateful.
Looking like I'm up to something in the hat I was wearing today.
