Gratitude Journal 2020 #8

I feel a bit like I am inside a Monty Python sketch. Except instead of the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected a pandemic. I mean, honestly, Pandemic is a board game I play with friends. It is not supposed to be our everyday life. And yet, here we are.
I started this journal with the goal of remembering to be grateful for the little things, not realizing that only a year later, those little things would be very big things after all. 

Gratitude Item #25 – Grocery stores
Even 1 month ago, this would have seemed like such a little thing. But now? Now, I think all of us who have the means to go grocery shopping are grateful for the stores and specifically the people who staff them, who put the goods out on the shelves and who work the registers.
We do not live in the age of hunter-gatherers. It never occurred to most of us that going out to get food could be taking our lives (or the lives of loved ones) in our hands. And for those who cannot go to the store themselves, there are delivery services run by the stores themselves and 3rd parties, like InstaCart.
But seriously, even in the best of circumstances, how lucky are we to have grocery stores? To have the ability to go one place gather all of our food. Meat and dairy (for those who eat them), fresh produce, bread, frozen pizzas, soda….
Honestly, I really do hope we can all remember to continue to be grateful for grocery stores and the folks who work there.

Gratitude Item #26 – Blankets fresh from the dryer
Most people in the US have been asked to shelter in place, to stay home except for the needed trips out. And for a lot of people, that can lead to cabin fever. Sometimes, we need the little things to remind us of how good home can be. I washed blankets this weekend. They were getting stinky and needed it. And no matter how old I am, wrapping myself in a soft blanket, warm and fresh from the dryer, just brings a feeling of safety, of love, of home.