Bodhi paying a visit, as I sat at my desk yesterday
I brought Luke to the river yesterday in the late afternoon. I’d planned on being there about an hour, but 10 minutes after I arrived, a large group showed up. I don’t mind loud or rowdy people who are having fun, but this felt less like fun, and more like potential trouble and I didn’t want to be there, so I left. I was having a hard time not judging these people, and I wondered why I had dove-tailed with them.
I came home, sat in the garden for a while, and threw Luke a ball. As I settled in, I realized how much had been going on over the past few days, but instead of trying to figure out what was wrong, I thought, “I am going to choose one thing that is good in my life right now.” I started thinking about the food that I’d had for lunch.
A friend and I met at a local restaurant and had the most delicious meal (we asked for the recipe but were told it was a secret), so she found it on-line, sent it to me, and this led to me thinking I’d go to the store tomorrow, buy the ingredients, and try to recreate it.
And then it dawned on me; I get to go to the store and buy whatever I need to make this dish. I can decide what to make for dinner. I can choose what I want to eat. This is something that I’ve always taken for granted, or even looked upon as a chore, and suddenly it was feeling like a profound gift.
.. the thoughts expanded out from there. I no longer felt irritated at the river people, I even hoped that they had a good time and all went well for everyone. I was grateful that I had the choice to come home, grateful that I had a home.
“I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have, than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” Elbert Hubbard
If you would like a weekend assignment, how about picking one thing in your life that you are happy to have, but don’t usually give much thought to; like running water, clean sheets, your grocery store, or even a comfortable pair of shoes, and sit for 5 minutes with your only intention being to appreciate that one thing…and get ready to be surprised at what this will open up for you! (and feel free to share your experiences over the weekend with us)
