When I woke up this morning the air felt crisp and clean. I snuggled back under the doona, grateful that I was in my comfy bed, warm and safe. I got up as my feet with ten toes touched the soft carpet below. I put on my tracksuit, walked out of the bedroom and unlocked the backdoor. From there I went out into the garden where the swimming pool is. As I looked around at the pink morning sky, the palm trees and plants and the reflections on the water, I was filled with a sense of wonder and awe. Before I knew it, my mind was flooded with a whole heap of stuff I felt so grateful for:
Thank you that I’m in such a beautiful place and I am safe. Thank you that I was able to get here, to the garden, unassisted. Thank you for the suburb I live in with its greenery, creeks and birdlife. Thank you for the food that I have in my fridge and cupboard and for the money I receive to buy the things that I want. Thank you that my son is not trapped on the other side of the world and thank you that tomorrow we will celebrate his birthday together as a family. Thank you for my work as a teacher which means I get to enjoy the energy and innocence of children. Thank you for my husband’s eyes when he looks at me. Thank you for the moments I had as a child on my birthday and at Christmas when I received everything I ever asked for, especially the 72 Derwent coloured pencils. Thank you for the creamy taste on my tongue of spaghetti carbonara. Thank you for blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Thank you for a slow cooked stew with mash on a winter’s evening. Thank you for the texture of a brioche hot cross bun with lots of butter. Thank you for our fire pit and the sight of the flickering flames. Thank you for the moments I had as a kid at school when I felt as proud as punch with knowing all my timestables or when a friend and I laughed so hard it hurt my belly.
Thank you for the poems I’ve been able to write and recite off my heart. Thank you for the tears I’ve seen in people’s eyes as they go from head to heart. Thank you for the feel in my hands of raw lentils, chickpeas and black-eyed beans. Thank you for the views I’ve seen of snow-capped mountains, valleys and raging rivers. Thank you for all the unforgettable places I’ve seen in the world and the people I’ve connected with. Thank you for the kindness of my parents and their love. Thank you for the teachers who taught me to read, to write, to spell and to type. Thank you for friends who have been there on the other end of the phone when I needed to offload. Thank you for the patience of people I work with when I am not the best version of myself. Thank you for the taps in the house which are always full of clean, running water. Thank you for the electricity which enables me to keep enjoying life when the sun goes down. Thank you for the moments I’ve had on beautiful beaches; walking, swimming, sun baking and basking under the glorious summer sun. Thank you for the yahoo moments I had on the bow of the yacht as it went surging through the waves. Thank you for the tears I have shed when I have suffered and the moments of deep regret which have filled my body with grief. Thank you that my grandfather was still alive when I rushed back from Scotland to bid him farewell. Thank you for the hugs from my mum at the airport as I left the country.
Thank you for the gift of hearing which has enabled me to know animal calls, cars, my babies’ cries, music and Dharma teachings that have transformed my mind. Thank you for all the books I’ve read and the movies I’ve seen which have taken me to all kinds of places like joy, empathy, resilience, determination and fortitude. Thank you for the boardgames played with family and my nana and papa who taught me how to play cards as a kid. Thank you for coffee and churros in the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca and the feel of the cobbled streets in La Alberca. Thank you for jokes from friends that have made me laugh out loud. Thank you for my children who have taught me how to be a better human being. Thank you for the taste of a crisp, pink lady apple and for the chance to pick apples off the trees at Sravasti Abbey. Thank you for the hairdressers who have massaged my scalp and had me feeling blissful. Thank you for my new refurbished iphone X and the clever apps like Calm which fill me with joy and gratitude. Thank you for all the health workers who are risking their lives in helping to save people with the virus COVID-19. Thank you for some world leaders who are putting people before profits. Thank you for the smell and taste on my tongue of a barista coffee. Thank you for the skylight in the loungeroom which floods light onto my workspace. Thank you for the people in my life like you and for the way you enrich the lives of those around you. Thank you for your wonderful smile and the way it lights up your eyes and face. Thank you, my friend. Thank you.
I turned around, closed the garden gate and walked back inside. I sat down on my bed and took a deep breath. Thank you for gratitude, I said out loud. #gratitude #thankyou
Stay safe. Take care.
Love,
Jen xo