Stop, Look, & Listen

A squirrel races past the patio door, scurrying on its way to add another token to his winter larder. The cat in turn, races past, trying to get a closer view of this would be prey. Life. In its ordinariness. The pond outside has the first flimsy, fragile coating of ice. There is no snow on the ground...yet. The patio outside has been emptied of the glorious colors of summer...flowers, planters, a lounge chair, wind chimes, and hummingbird feeders...it lays barren, as soon the rest of the landscape around will be covered in the glitter of individual snowflakes, crowding together to make mounds of relentlessly cold snow.
If I look closely, I can see snow falling. Not the pretty, big, fluffy looking flakes, but the tiny, hard to see stuff that no one welcomes. What I do welcome about this time of year, is the comfort of familiar recipes. Soups. Stews. Roasts. Bread fresh from the oven, whose smell alone can warm a person just walking in from a bitterly cold foray.
These activities, and a host of others go on continuously, unseen, or maybe just unnoticed by those who are just too busy to stop, look, and listen. Those three adjectives apply not only to road crossing safety, they also apply to life, specifically to appreciating life. And truly, to appreciating your own life. Every breath we take is a gift. Each one signifies and affirms that we are alive.
Will it ruin my life if I don't notice the multi-colored squirrels, foraging for the fast approaching winter? No, it won't. But, every time I do stop to notice, I'm reminded of the intricacy of life. Of my part in this life. Of the glorious gift afforded me to be able to live this life. Too often, I take for granted the luxury of being able to come and go as I please, to work, to be on my computer, to text or talk to a friend or loved one on the phone, to cook, for myself or for others. All normal, average, run-of-the-mill types of things. Until I understand there are those who can't do any or even just some of these things. Illness, economic failure, lack of consideration by others....there's a myriad of reasons other can't.
So, I'm learning. To make time to show appreciation for the every day things I'd normally take for granted. I smile more, because I see more, and acknowledge more. You want to be a happy person? Appreciation is a key to happiness!

The Thanking Time

As a writer, I want a title to grab a reader's attention, so they want to see what's in the article. Sort of like wrapping a gift you really hope someone likes, then waiting in anticipation of their reaction when they open it!
I've gone through another of those periods when I just want to know why. Why can't I seem to find someone who just wants to date me, get to know me slowly, and make that slow journey of discovery to determining if this person is someone you'd want to consider forming a deep relationship with? But that time is now once again over. At least for a short while! What I keep re-learning....or maybe not so much re-learning as coming to a deeper, clear understanding...is that I am enough. This time of year leads me inevitably to self-evaluation. I take stock of where I've been, where I am, and where I want to be. I ask myself, seriously..."Why do you want a man in your life?" The answer is because each day I'm finding a clearer vision of who I am, and I understand that at some point, I'm going to want to share that with someone. Deeply. Intimately. Privately.
The conclusion I've come to is simple. I'm not ready yet. I can stand in one place now and say "This is who I am!" But there is also unfinished business. When someone comes in to my life, I want to be completely unfettered. Liberated from my past. Living my present as fully as I can, and looking with eagerness to a bright future.
How do I do this? I keep at my plan. That plan that took me to Florida (and back). That put me at the lowest point I've been in my life, but showed me as I grabbed each piton and scaled the slick walls, that I had the stamina and determination to get out of that hole! It's been filled in, gradually over the last two-plus years, but I still have some significant backfilling to do before it's completely re-filled. 
Being thankful, even for seemingly small things, helps change our attitude. It helps get our focus outward, and when that focus turns away from being so self-focused, it skews our world view. Our life view. And begins to help us define our place in the world.
I write...because it's a release. Words tumble around, unfettered, in my mind and it feels as if they must be tamed and released in (what is hopefully) some semblance of order. As we enter this dizzying time of holiday obligations, decorations, and celebrations...focus on what makes you, personally thankful. When you do...when I do, it's life altering. It's life affirming. And it forces your focus outward. Look for where you can be a blessing, even in a small way. Because what's small to you, may be momentous to someone else! Be thankful!