Thanksgiving...

 I started this entry as a bulleted list of things for which I am thankful....and there are many. After all, it IS Thanksgiving, the time when most of us do reflect on those kinds of things, perhaps one of the few occasions left when some of us stop long enough to do so.

But, I hit the "delete" key after the first item. It doesn't feel right, all those lists so many of us carry with us, either wrinkled scraps of paper stuffed in our pockets or neatly filed in our electronics. It isn't enough to jot down a few words, sigh and be pleased with ourselves, and then hit the door again as we rush off to wherever is so important. Such a list is just another thing ON that list. 

Perhaps the space I live in today is unattainable without a collection of decades as a foundation, a layer of experiences  that have molded who I am. And, let's be honest, I am no longer on the upside of those decades. But that's the point. My space today is one of peace about who I am as a woman, a mother, a conscious being residing here.

Maybe that's why a list is not necessary for me. I am grateful to be here in this spot, right now. My attention to the present has given me everything I need, right now. My cat is curled up here next to my left hand as I type. The fountain outside is hosting a few bright red cardinals, while the early morning fog is lifting above the wooden fence around my garden. Soft music accompanies it all, meandering out the open window behind my desk.

I have learned that everything that needs to be done today will get done. I am simply thankful I am here to see it happen, with family and friends.

My list is complete.

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.  ~Emily Dickinson