Gratitude

It is so easy to walk the negative mile, it is uphill both ways, I get stuck there sometimes. I give myself a challenge when I realize I am on that desolate path, to change directions. How? Right? Practice, if you make it into a goal. Today you are not allowed to say anything negative, the thoughts can be in your head, but do not utter them. Negativity, if you look for it , you will find it. Being positive can be more work and that is why you need to practice.

My husband and a friend of mine planned a day trip, we were off to find a suspension bridge and a waterfall. The day of our adventure it was pouring rain and we set out anyways. The suspension bridge, turns out was in a National park and we had to pay $20 per person to cross a glorified footbridge in the pouring rain. This was during Covid and we were in the boonies, places were not allowing you to use their washrooms and we finally found an information center with portable bathrooms. The stench was unreal, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Meanwhile my friend had gone into the info center and it had a glorious bathroom… you know flushing toilets and running water. When we returnned to our vehicle, my friend up ahead of us, almost got into the wrong truck! We continued our journey and we ended up on a cow path, cringy worthy, listenning to the branches scrap past us. We came out to a large parking area with a little coverred bridge. On the otherside was the road we could of used to get there, but that only meant we were going to have to go back the same way. We did not know which way on the river to follow. A man was on the bridge wearing a swim suit, robe and a large stick and we were able to get the information we needed. The sun was out, but we were still wet, tired and now hungry. The waterfall was beautiful, but we did not stick around, no one wanted to be on the cow path after dark. My husband complainned about food the whole drive back to civilization. Sounds pretty bleak I know. I will tell you, when we tell the story now, we howl with laughter about the time we were on this mission. We talk about how we should of let our friend get in the wrong vehicle, served her right for using the nice washroom. We talk about the man with the robe and a staff as Jesus, who showed us the way to the waterfall. and it was the best day!

Yes things happen and they can be awful, but are they? Is it in your head? I kept a gratitude journal for thirty days. Three things for thirty days, some days I had to dig deep, some days I had to wait until the day after to write things for the previous day. They were there, there is always something, practice. Breathing is a blessing, two feet and a heartbeat, blessing, home, family, love.

When my father passed away, we recieved family and friends into our home afterwards. It was cold that July day, my Momma wanted me and the kids to go to the back deck. Momma yelled, “We will not remember this day with sadness! Let’s go!” We all jumped into the freezing cold pool, fully dressed in our funeral attire. Guests may have thought we were nuts, (we are) but in all those blurry days, that is what stands out.

Life is what you make it, shitty deals and all! You can not change the deck, but you can do the best with what you have. Look for something good, practice, do what it takes. Like I told the kids when they were small, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, play hard, have fun!