31 Days of Gratitude

I keep a daily journal, and part of that is finding something each day to be grateful for. Some days are easier than others. Here are 31 days of gratitude:

1. I am grateful for back roads and red-tailed hawks on top of power poles.
2. I am grateful for Belted Kingfishers and interesting neighbors.
3. I am grateful for hummingbirds and my favorite coffee mug with my name on it.
4. I am grateful for the yellow roses that are blooming now, for the fall acorn crop and a quiet weekend morning.
5. I am grateful for my husband who is a pretty darn good listener.
6. I am grateful for breathing in, breathing out.
7. I am grateful for Emmy Lou Harris's phenomenal CD Wrecking Ball, what a balm for the soul.
8. I am grateful for my husband, my son, my parents, my sister, the ranch. I am grateful for my health and the fact that I have been able to cooperate with my body (and vice versa) to bring myself to health and fitness. I am grateful for my senses and the feel of cool fall breeze as I walked out to my car this morning. I am grateful for a boss that lets me talk to her about my frustrations at work. I am grateful for my copper tea kettle that whistles to me in the morning that soon my yummy coffee will be ready.
9. I am grateful for a celebration of women.
10. I am grateful for the tang of a changing season, a bit of crispness in the air.
11. I am grateful for washing machines, I just can't imagine how much work it must have been before.
12. I am grateful for this cozy house, even though it desperately needs cleaning. I am grateful for the back patio, even though it's looking a tad scruffy right now. I am once again grateful for almond butter and raisin toast, yum.
13. I am grateful for the musical genius of Frank Zappa, Dick Dale and Jimi Hendrix, and of course, that of my son Will. I am grateful for my son and I'm remembering that day 24 years ago when he joined us on this planet. I am grateful for silly birthday cards and ridiculous song lyrics.
14. I am grateful for my treadmill, it has steadfastly carried me through mile after mile, calorie after calorie.
15. I am grateful for the gardens at the ranch, the quince and pomegranate trees, and all the roses.
16. I am grateful for having this extra day off to enjoy here at the ranch.
17. I'm grateful for almond butter. I came to the conclusion yesterday that almond butter was my second favorite food now, after asparagus, which still rules my heart. So, I'm grateful for almonds, almond trees and the bees which do the work of pollination.
18. I could be typing for hours this morning listing gratitudes, I'm pretty much grateful for everything this morning. I'm grateful that scorpion didn't sting me. I'm grateful that the second thing I saw this morning (after first seeing my sweet husband's sleepy face, for which I am also grateful) was a cloud of hummingbirds sipping nectar. What the heck, I'm grateful that the New Scientist magazine showed up in the mailbox along with the Audubon Society's journal and Birder's World.
19. I am grateful for the prospect of a long weekend and enjoying the ranch getaway.
20. I am grateful for the beautiful home-grown pear that is sitting on my desk waiting for my afternoon snack.
21. I am grateful for the sweet (sorta) memories from my youth.
22. I am grateful for my women's group. I am grateful that my husband is doing so well with his exercise program and is enjoying it. I am grateful for the heat that actually feels really good right now. I am grateful that my company stocks Peppermint herb tea in the lunchroom and I get to have as much of it as I want for free. I am grateful that the rabbit hole goes up as well as down.
23. I am grateful for our spot in the middle of nowhere and all of our furred and feathered friends.
24. I am grateful for echinacea and zinc lozenges, and the prospect of going to the ranch this weekend for some artful rest.
25. I'm glad that I still am on the payroll, seein' as how I have to go grocery shopping tonight.
26. I am grateful for muscles. Or mus-kels as my Dad always call them.
27. I am grateful for my family and friends.
28. I am grateful for my Mom and Dad.
29. I am grateful for questions, mysteries, conundrums and bits of circular logic.
30. I am grateful for this season's fresh peaches, which I had such cravings for through the winter.
31. I am grateful for lentils and all that protein and fiber and I'm also grateful for the folks who grow lentils. I'm going to be even more grateful for them when I'm having my lunch leftovers later on.