"Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one's voice." Joseph B. Wirthlin
I've found when I'm sad, depressed, or just otherwise feeling overwhelmed it's difficult to stop as often as I'd like to and just think of all the myriad ways I am blessed. But of course that's when it's most important to one's health and can often turn the moment around in perspective. So I see it as a good sign that I've taken this amount of time to just think about what I'm grateful for just in the past few days and create a blog post!
Here's the Honey in my Hive:
- Moose is doing better! Well, most days he's sleeping through the night now thanks to our wonderful vet Dr. Mohr. She recommended an Adaptil collar to ease his anxiety brought on by his senior age. This is a fairly new product that is really amazing. It simulates a mother's (dog's!) hormones which calms the sweet boy down. Who knows where the science may lead, but if they could figure out the same for humans think about the benefit to so many suffering from PTSD and other anxiety disorders.
- Is it wrong to feel grateful that one doesn't have a horrible ailment that one's sister-in-law is suffering from? I also feel great empathy for her and others that have this, because it's one that is embarrassing to talk about. I am also grateful that she is talking about it though and I've already read comments from others that they appreciate her giving it a voice. (She's a much better writer than me so please hop on over to her post about it and while there stick around and have some fun reading her other posts, because you'll want to follow her!)
- My husband is feeling better!! For those of you that have significant others you know that when one feels physical pain you both feel pain. He's been suffering from foot and off and on back pain for a long time now. Without going into details, he's got strange feet. Doctors have told him for years he was going to have pain some day. Well, that day came and there's really not a surgery that they feel would for sure fix the pain and in fact they could cause worse problems. So he tried an experimental treatment of shock therapy and after a number of painful visits he's doing SO much better! The back is a different story, but he says it's not as bad as it can get and he's having some good days.
- I'm grateful the lime juice broke and not the fish sauce. I decided to make Pad Thai a few days ago. I went to the store and was carrying my cloth bag at my side. A strap slipped out of my hand and the bottom of bag hit the concrete. Yikes! I lifted and didn't see anything dripping so I smiled and headed to the car. While walking there I passed an elderly woman and her dog that were sitting having lunch outside. The dog came running over and was tugging on the poor lady's arm while he sniffed my bag. I walked faster and kept looking and it wasn't until I was getting ready to put it in the trunk that I saw the tell-tale drip. I didn't smell anything though so I was hopeful. After transferring the rest of my groceries to a new bag I saw the lime juice bottle broken in the bag and almost exclaimed with glee. Fish sauce made it home safely!
- It's chilly for us (35-45s) but so glad we're not being told to stay home like some folks east of the Rockies. Our house is not built for those kinds of temperatures so that would not work: too many windows, high ceilings, and not enough insulation.
- I'm so very grateful for my true blue friends. We have a lot of fun together, but they're also there for lending an ear or as one friend did recently - just reached over and took my arm like a childhood girlfriend while watching a movie together. That surprise of human touch brought tears to my eyes. It was a lesson that you don't have to fix anything or respond when you don't know what to say - just reach out and physically make contact.
Maybe while you're waiting to go to sleep tonight think of just one thing that you're grateful for in your life. It can be a fleeting one time kind of thing or a constant. It could be gratitude for that person that waited for you to back out your car in a crowded parking lot instead of flying by when you're part way out. It could be for the rain and snow that's fallen in California which will hopefully make 2019 a lot less smoky, but certainly is providing wildlife and your yard much needed moisture.
Wishing you lots to be thankful for in 2019!