But let's be honest. In the best of times, it can be difficult to be watchful for gratitude. In a pandemic? It can feel like another "to do" item on a list that seems insurmountable. All the more reason to develop it like a muscle. Yesterday was difficult for me. No good reason beyond the current state of affairs. Well, perhaps the added discouragement of temps in the thirties with rain to close out March. And that sun? Mr. Golden Sun? Yeah, he wasn't around. I gave myself permission to hunker down, read a book, chat with my brother. But I didn't intentionally focus on gratitude.
Today loomed in the much the same gloomy manner. But I began my day with meditation, devotions and a workout. Made it to the office in time (that dining room table can be a long walk!) and dressed in a blouse and real pants! Determined to put my best foot forward. As the day wore on, the gray skies outside were feeling like they were inside. It is difficult to not be focused on the many negative realities (increased infection rate and deaths, very real possibility of social isolating being months, not weeks). Closing the computer early evening, I knew I needed outdoor time for my body and soul. Noelle and I headed to our local loop to catch a couple of trail miles.
The sun, trying to peek out, seemed as discourage as I felt. As Noelle and I made our way around the loop, I suddenly remembered the social media post from this morning. The power is in the looking. As these thoughts were coming, I rounded a corner to a very low, marshy area of the trail, to an eruption of chorus from spring peepers. The combined voices create a vibrating hum in the air, not dissimilar to locusts on a hot summer day. As I soaked up the song, I thought about the other sounds I had heard on the trail. The loud, raspy cry of the kingfisher. The water gurgling along drainage paths to the river. This week I had been focusing on the absence of the sun. The visual signs of spring. In my quest for gratitude I encountered the sounds of spring. All it took was this intentional looking. to see a connection to signs that the world is moving forward, life is continuing.
Today I am grateful for:
- Peepers in their glorious spring, mating chorus.
- The squish of mud on spring trails that keeps the less than hardy from making them a crowded space.
- Social media posts that inspire. (Don't be afraid to scroll, scroll, scroll, past those that don't!)
