Grateful

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting outside by the pool and I began to really notice my little corner of the world. You know, those times when you seem to remove yourself from the very place and time you are, and really observe?
I observed only a few things, but did so deeply. I saw a bountiful garden (my first really successful one in Hawaii), a green, well landscaped yard, two rascally playful dogs, two growing kids having contests in the pool, and a husband resting in the sunshine. I also observed that I was grateful.
Gratitude is something I've been short on for much of my life. (I could blame my childhood, but that's so been done. I'd need something new and improved to blame, if I don't want to just own up to my own self absorption.) And gratitude is something I'm determined to learn more about and to grow in for the rest of my life.

Wouldn't you know, today I got news that a childhood friend's cancer has spread in a ferocious way. For some reason, as I read her news, I pictured the the wildfires of Indian summer in the plains where I grew up. I could see the wind whipping those flames into a tornado. If you've ever seen one (a fire tornado), you know that it brings a deep soul based fear in tandem with its awful dry heat. That seems a lot like cancer getting bad cancer news, to me.

So, that's my goal. Be grateful. Or as my Wyoming family would say, "Quitcher bitchin an' smile."