Day 148 Gratitude

In one of my daily readings I read about a person who decided to list, alphabetically, the items they were grateful for.  At the time, it was a begrudging task, but the author did it anyway as a gesture of trying to be more positive.  Doing such a task plants seeds of gratitude, and if you review your list frequently (every day?) you move from duty to sincerity.

So, I thought I would try the exercise, not out of duty, but because I have a number of people, things and events that I am truly grateful to have in my life.


A - Anastasia my physical therapist who is helping me regain my sense of balance after locomoting on one foot or another for nearly eleven months.
B - Balls. A squishing small red ball that I hold between my knees, and a ten pound medicine ball I press over my head.
C - The person with whom I've shared several adventures this year.
D - Dogs. My dog specifically.  That little twelve pounds of fur and energy has saved my life, figuratively and literally. 

E - Energy. My own and the stuff I buy every month.
F - Family and friends.  Your encouragement always seems to come at the right time.
G - God. He gives me the strength to go on another day.
H - Home. I have one. It doesn't leak and it keeps me warm in the winter.
I - Ice cream. You knew I had to say it. Whoever came up with the idea created a winner. I only treat myself once in a while, but it sure is good.
J - Jesus. His teachings in the Gospels provide a compass for my life and a hope for later.
K - If I had a cat, I might say a kitten, but as cute as they are, I haven't had one. So, I have to say, "Kite."  I love seeing them dance in the spring skies, brightening the gloom of winter.
L - Light. Light has become precious to me. When I don't have light, I am unable to read, and that's a gift I am especially grateful to have.
M - Even though I don't agree with some of the things M is thinking, I love that M is working on what she thinks is important - helping others, whether it is through her studies or her poetry.  M is amazing and it is the caring of people like her that give me hope for future generations.
N - Notebooks. I scribble so much of my activities into them.
O - Onomatopoeia. Woof. Screech. Buzz. Writers need onomatopoeia.
P - Somehow he's been gifted with an amazing amount of wisdom for a young man. He provides a good example to others regarding following your dreams. C, M, and P have all provided tremendous support to me throughout my various health events.
Q - Queen Elizabeth. I spent some time studying her fashion, especially her shoes in an attempt to find out what sort of shoes I might be able to wear with my bad feet.
R - my brother, who has also provided guidance and encouragement. His generosity is amazing. I only wish I could see him more frequently.

S - Silence. It's really, really hard to find complete silence. I experienced it once, for about ninety seconds and it was one of the most amazing things. Unfortunately, that was a $300 excursion  to go on a tandem sky-diving jump at a regional airport. But the experience has made me crave silence and appreciate when I get close to silence in my everyday life.
T - Time. Everyday is another time, a chance to get "life" right. 
U - United States. I know it isn't the most perfect place, but I also know that living here has provided me options and opportunities a lot of other places do not have.
V - Victory. Despite the struggles, I have had a few victories. It is important to remember them so I can remind myself that I did it once and I can do it again - whatever it may be.
W - Watermelon. On a hot day, there is nothing quite like a sweet, tasty and cold slice of watermelon.
X - X will be tough - but I think I have to go with x-ray. I had a couple of chest x-rays this year to make sure I didn't have pneumonia or other lung issues.
Y - Yellow. The bright yellow sun, yellow paint on the walls, yellow is a color of life and light and heat and encouragement.
Z - Zoos. In particular the open air models where animals have a habitat closer to where they are from, and the freedom to move about without being in a cage. I realize this isn't the preferred location for these animals, but with the rapid change in environments, zoos help keep animals from an early extinction caused by the encroachment of people into their habitats.

Some of these are a stretch, I know, but it is a good exercise. See, I could have used "exercise" for "E" rather than energy, but I went with the first thing that popped into my brain.  Some of the alphabet is a bit of a challenge, and I'm sure if I do this fresh once a month I'll be fairly limited with what I can be thankful for with some of the letters. But it's fun to try.

Plant seeds of gratitude. Try this yourself on a regular basis. I have a suspicion that your thoughts will turn toward the positive and some of the negative will fade away.