An Awareness of Smaller Moments – #10Thankful
I always think it’s interesting how – or when – certain moments strike my awareness.
I spent all weekend half-thinking about writing this TToT in the back of my mind, but never quite sat to do it. It’s not that I don’t have much for which I’m thankful, it’s that every time I tried to come up with a list or a theme, the grander ideas eluded me.
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But I did notice small items of gladness and gratitude here and there – just nothing that I could really spin into a larger, more profound thought. Sometimes life is really just about the little moments, though, not the profound ones. Sometimes it’s about simply being in the right place at the right time to become aware of these moments that matters and leads us to gratitude.
For example…
Right now I am very thankful that Cat Three opted to puke on the hardwood floor, rather than the carpet. It’s usually the carpet that gets hit. We have carpet in exactly two places in our house – the stairways – and somehow the cats always find their way to the carpet when they get sick. So while I’m not happy to be cleaning up cat yerf, I’m pretty glad it’s not a carpet job.
It is fall – finally and for real this time, I believe. I am never more at peace than during the autumn of the year. I saw a line go by somewhere over the weekend that sums it up for me. It’s a half-line, really, and taken quite out of context, but still it shows up all over the place at this time of year. “Are we not better and at home In dreamful Autumn…?” is the often-quoted snippet, but there’s much more to the poem (“Autumnal” by Ernest Dowson). I love how well that expresses my feelings about this time of year, but am also glad it sent me digging for some long-forgotten words of poetry to enjoy again.
I have a friend (actually more than one, now that I think about it_ who is having a tough time with some things right now. I can’t begin to ease the pain in this person’s life. I can’t find words that will comfort that won’t sound completely trite. But I can stay in touch, ask how things are, lend an ear, send a card…small gestures to say the least, but I know that they matter. So that’s something.
I’m bursting at the seams this morning over Zilla’s successes of late. She’s working hard, putting tools and strategies to use, and seeing very positive results. She revels in her successes and feels confident about herself – and it shows. This morning we discovered an unfinished homework assignment that a year ago would have been a huge setback for the rest of the day. Today? I saw so much resilience in her and it made me so happy. She accepted responsibility, handled it, and marched into school with the work finished. No meltdown. No upset. No kidding.
I was struck the other night by just how wise my Husband is. I can’t quite remember what the discussion was, but he offered such calm and rational wisdom that I couldn’t help but see things more clearly after the conversation. He grounds me and reminds me to keep my eye on the big picture, and not over-focus on minute details. On the flip side, though, sometimes when I get overwhelmed it’s because I’m worried too much about the big picture. In those moments he reminds me that the way to get it done is to focus on one thing at a time. Why he’s so much better at sorting out which approach is the right one, I’ll never tell you. It’s just one of the mysteries of our relationship that I’ve come to accept and treasure.
I’m delighted to have a huge pile of books that I’m working my way through right now – some lovely fall reads, some new books by friends and acquaintances, some old favorites. I’m also glad to be able to make time to sit and enjoy them, even if I’m not getting through them as quickly as I’d like.
I’m happy to have a plan right now. I’ve been working on some projects – slowly and distractedly without a doubt, but nonetheless surely – and after quite a few days of thinking, I believe I have a good plan in mind to really make some progress. More on that as we move forward, I suppose.
And at this very second I’m very grateful for alarm clocks that tell me it’s time to move to the next task of my day. So, friends, I’m out of here for now. I don’t have a link-up thing to share this week, but drop your TToT (or other post) link in the comments and I’ll get around to visit.
Have a wonderful week!
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I enjoyed reading this post. Sometimes it really is the little things isn’t it? I admit I laughed a bit at the cat puke one (with sympathy) as I just recently had a conversation about how much easier it is to clean up cat puke off hard wood floors. Hope you have a great week filled with without any more cat puke!
Hi, Jean! Yup, some days we’re thankful that the cat puke is on the floor. That’s how we roll. 😀
(imo) the beauty of the TToT is that, through design or deviance, the scale of a list is very, totally left un-defined, or quantified or whatever. For me, the participation in the exercise of the intent to feel grateful is the whole exercise.
(no! really! I mean, seriously, have you read what passes for a TToT post over at the Doctrine? lol…. I’m not apologizing or anything, ’cause I get as much as anyone out of the well-written, subtly expressed list of the things in one’s life that engender the feeling of gratitude…. and turning as many laptops in my local Staples to my blog… lol)
Good TToT post, yo
Oh, Clark, that cracked me up – have you read what passes over at the Doctrine? LOL. But so very true. And I have to say that I love the phrase “through design or deviance” so much that I kinda want to beg/borrow/steal it to use at will. (Giving you full credit for having thunk it up, of course.) Cool wordage indeed.
Love, love, love having a stack of books to read—especially when it is nippy outside and you can light a fire inside. Ahhhhh
How great to hear that the hard work on Zilla’s behalf and the hard work she has done is paying dividends now. Yippee!!!
Me, too, May. And I have a stack of some really good reads right now. The weather is finally cooler, the evening falls earlier…ahhhhh indeed!
Zilla gets many cheers for her hard work. We are just so proud of her efforts. <3
Thanks for the link to the poem. It is beautiful and inspiring. I am soaking up the beautiful colors of autumn and snapping photos as well. I hope to post my gratefuls next week.
Isn’t it a beautiful poem? Looking forward to seeing your photos.
I love this entire list right down to cat puke not on the carpet… I can relate! 🙂 I truly believe that it is in the little things we find our sanity and salvation. Zilla handling school so well this year is a big, big plus, enough for a hundred gratitudes in itself. Consciously raising a child to cope with school and life in general is something the world needs so much more of. You should be writing a book about your experiences with it so others can learn from you!
LOL You get me. Puke on hardwood is a win for cat owners. 😀
A book about raising my kid? Hmm. I’m flattered that you think I have something to say, but pretty sure that market has been more than covered, no? That said, I actually do have something in the (very slow) works. Talk later.
Well cat puking on the hardwood versus the carpet is always a bonus. That always pisses me off when Champ gets it on the carpet but he’s blind so he has no idea what he’s doing so I can’t really get mad…plus he’s drinking out of the toilet now because it’s more convenient than walking down the stairs. What an old bastard.
That last part has nothing to do with anything other than I’ve been blaming my boys for peeing on the seat for the last couple of weeks when really it was just the dog —
Books and fall colours and reading by the window sounds so heavenly right now.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many things. Fall is a good time to just chill and be good to your soul 🙂
Oh, poor Champ! Pretty sad state of affairs when you decide drinking from the toilet is the best option. 🙁 Getting the boys in trouble is a little funny, though…
Today I am taking care of my not-going-to-be-a-cold, and getting some reading done by the window while it rains beautifully outside.
Seeing the strengths of one’s spouse is so important. It is amazing that one is able to still discover additional strengths the longer one is married. I’ve used my timer on my stove at times to help with my tasks. There is something about having only so many minutes to get something done that makes me work faster. Easing the pain in someone’s life is a challenge I think because we’d really like to somehow fix the cause and quite often that just can’t be done. Visits, phone calls or texts, cards, an invitation to lunch, a hug, and prayers can be ways to help, but I know sometimes one wonders if it is enough.
Kristi inspires me so much with her ever-present thankful about John. It has reminded me to look for and appreciate all that my Hub is and does. He is truly a great man and I often think I don’t tell him that enough.
Timers are great for me – I have alarms set on my phone to remind me to do all sorts of things. And I definitely like it for timing a task. Like you said, it does sort of push you to work faster, but I also like the idea of “only ten minutes” for a chore that is less than fun or one that can easily suck you in for hours – like decluttering. 😀
Oh yes, I get that about being thankful for the cat choosing the hardwood floor rather than the carpet. I have those moments too, also with the dogs…
I agree, there are many little things in life we can be grateful for. I have a weekly blog event in which I encourage readers to share something good with me. It’s up on Monday mornings (Australia time). Maybe you’d like to join in? https://amommasview.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/tell-me-something-good-28/
Something pet owners learn to appreciate, right? Instead of “oh no my beautiful floors!” it’s “oh thank goodness it’s not the carpet!” Because carpet is a pain to clean. Truly.
Well, it’s Thursday here, but I will definitely check out your Monday thing – thanks for the invite!