Stop and smell the gratitude.
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude — everyone agrees this is a tremendous skill that will only serve you well. So here are a few things I am grateful for today:
Today, I do not have a migraine. Anyone who’s ever experienced this “headache on steroids” knows exactly why I have an enormous amount of gratitude. Anyone’s who’s never had a migraine headache should consider themselves super lucky. On the whole, I’d rather give headaches then get them.
Today, I am a free woman. Of course, I have obligations, a family, and a community, and a country, but I am not confined to a certain spot — not quarantined, not incarcerated. I can come and go as I please, I can vote and drive and sleep whenever I want to and wake up when I want to.
Today, I can feel the sun on my face (or the rain, if it was raining, but it’s not). The sun on my face makes me feel alive.
Today, I am the owner of two opposable thumbs. There are so many things I could not do if I did not possess these miracles of evolution. These thumbs are so helpful for the things I love to do, like knit or write with a pen or eat Chinese take-out with chopsticks. (There are a lot of foods you can eat with chopsticks. There is really no need to limit yourself.)
Today, I give thanks that my parents are still around, still in pretty good health. I may be more than 50 years old, but I still need my mommy and daddy.
Today, and always, I give thanks for my partner, smart and funny, compassionate and big-hearted, Jeff. We’ve been married for more than 27 years, and I still feel like a honeymooner. I have yet to find a better human (or editor).
Today, I am grateful for my children, Riva and Sammy. They are filled with joy — they make me laugh every day. I have no idea how I got to be the mom of these amazing humans. I must have done something right in my previous life.
Finally, today, I am glad to be alive, even at the time of COVID-19. Especially during this time, when life itself is nothing we should take for granted.
