Gratitude Journal #18
It has been a crazy two weeks. I had every intention of writing a gratitude post last week, and then the week was just gone. And I kept thinking about it this week, and kept having the intention to write the post, and suddenly, it is Sunday afternoon. I realized I needed to stop what I was doing and write, otherwise, I would not only go two weeks without writing a gratitude post, but I would not get up any content at all this week, and that is most definitely not what I want. Writing is like so many other things, the more you make time for it, the better you are at it, and the more you have time for it. Once you stop making time for it, that time goes elsewhere, and it is really hard to get back in the habit. (Trust me on this one.)
So here we are with two weeks’ worth of gratitude, and it really has been two weeks to be grateful for.
Gratitude Entry #40 –
Small Town High School Plays
Last week, I got to go see Pop Tart in her first high school play. She had
a minor role. I was lucky enough to get to see both the dress rehearsal and the
first performance. It was so much fun. I love high school drama to begin with,
but I think there is just something special about it in small schools. The entire
school Pop Tart is at, Kindergarten-12th grade is smaller, I think,
than just my graduating class. This means there is not a wealth of talent to
pick from. There are X number of kids who want to do drama, and only a fifth
(or fewer) are boys. So the drama teachers have to make do. And the kids in the
play are also the kids doing the set design and working backstage. It is
amazing. It is fun. It brings such a different energy. The kids are on the
stage because this is what they want to do, and it does not matter if they are
not great at it. The people in the audience are there because these kids are
their family and friends. The whole thing is just one large, creative, act of
love. And I am so grateful I had a chance to go see the play, and applaud these
students and their teacher.
Gratitude Entry #41 –
Accidental Scenic Drives
The town Pop Tart is living in is small. It does not have a hotel/motel. When
I visit, I stay in the same city the airport is in. This city is about a two
hour drive from where Pop Tart lives. Friday night, I found myself driving back
from her town to the city I was staying in about sunset. The drive takes me
along a river. So there I am, driving next to a river, headed west, at sunset.
It was so gorgeous, and peaceful. There were not a whole lot of other cars on
the road, and I just got to relax and enjoy the beauty. (I probably should have
pulled off at one of the many places I could have and taken a picture, but I
did not.) Still, it was a lovely end to a great day, and reminds me how
grateful I am for the places where we can still experience that natural beauty.
Gratitude Entry #42 –
Flexibility and Ability to Make Last Minute Plans
On Thursday, May 23, I was at an award ceremony honoring faculty and staff who
had made significant contributions over the last year. While I was there, I got
a voicemail. When I had a chance to check the vm, it was my cousin, K, letting
me know that she had made the last minute decision to walk in the graduation
ceremony for her MS degree. The ceremony was to be Monday, June 3, less than
two weeks away.
As I am just finishing listening to the vm, I get a text from my mother, asking
if I will be able to make K’s graduation, because she cannot. And luckily, I
was. I extended my vacation by one day (I was off the Thursday and Friday
before to go see Pop Tart’s play), and on Monday morning, I hopped in the car
at 6a and drove the three hours to Portland to see K graduate.
I adore my cousin. She was born less than 3 weeks before my 16th
birthday. She remains the only baby I have held on the day it was born. I have
always been very happy to be a part of her life, and I was thrilled to be able
to go celebrate this next milestone of hers.
But I could not have done that if I did not have the flexibility in my job, or
the monetary ability to take a last minute day off, or a car that could drive
me from Seattle to Portland and back. I am so grateful that I do have that
ability, so that I can take these opportunities to celebrate with my family.
Gratitude Entry #43 –
My Knee Brace
This one may seem silly after the previous three, on some level, my knee
brace is part of what makes the three above things possible. I have a bum knee.
The official diagnosis is luxating patella. Basically, my knee cap does not
like to stay in place. This is not always painful (though sometimes it is), but
the real problem is, when your kneecap is not in the right place, your leg will
not hold your weight. It just collapses. I have been having issues with my knee
for about 20 years now. (It is a genetic issue.)
Air pressure changes, such as happen when flying, can cause the knee cap to
migrate. Holding my leg in a single position for long periods of time (such as
driving for 3 hours), can cause the knee cap to slip. So, I wear the knee brace
when I travel to make sure I can get off the plane and get out of the car, with
my knee cap kept where it belongs.
I also wear the knee brace when I walk the dogs, especially if we are going to
do hills, because it just helps support the knee and reduce pain.
At some point, I will need to get knee replacement surgery, but I do not need
it just yet. And I am very grateful that a knee brace that is comfortable to
wear for hours at a time exists, and that I own one.
