Today my story is about gratitude, particularly gratitude for honesty and vulnerability. I went to hear a band called the Sea Stars play last might. This husband wife duo play, what I would call, ethereal folk music. That alone is not profound or moving enough to make it into my gratitude writings. What is worthy however, is the way in which they infuse their music with the sheer rawness, honesty and vulnerability of being human. I sat through almost three hours of music totally mesmerized and occasionally moved to tears (and I generally get bored or antsy easily).

Part of what I love so much about art/music/creative expression is its ability to help me touch into or connect with another’s experience; and to feel someone else’s hope, joy, despair, worry, or gratitude is an incredibly valuable gift as it reminds me that I am indeed not alone in my experience of these feelings. And don’t we all want to feel connected?

The Simple Things

This story feels so Boulder, so if you're reading this and you're not in Boulder well, I'm not sure what to tell you...

I made a peach pie the other night to take to a friend's house for dinner. With fresh local peaches, of course. Now I would usually put the pie in my bike trailer (I don't have a car and my bike is my primary transportation) and take it to dinner that way. However, since most of my belongings are in storage I didn't have access to the bike trailer, or the spare bike inner tubes I keep laying around to use as bungees. So I walked the 7 minutes to my local bike shop and inquired about any old tubes they might have laying around. As he rummages through the barrel of old tubes he says, "how many do you need". I reply that I just need a couple so that I can strap a pie to the rack on the back of my bike. He doesn't even smile or bat an eyelash at this response.

I go on my merry little way, take the tubes home, cut them up, and tie down the pie. It made it unscathed to dinner and I felt so happily resourceful.

As I write this, I realize that I'm not quite sure why this experience made me so incredibly happy, but it did. Perhaps it's because I really enjoy transporting unusual items around on my bike, or perhaps it's that I was able to rescue something from the trash that was immediately useful. Whatever it was left a big goofy grin on my face.

Starting again

So it's been awhile, years actually, since I've posted anything here. 

But it seems like time to start again.

I'm interested in trying a bit of an experiment. I was struck yesterday by an overwhelming response to a Facebook status update about the great things that happened during my day. I became inspired to write about the amazing, exciting, surprising, simply delightful happenings each day. I'm also so curious to see what will happen as this becomes a regular practice.

I tend to be one of those people who have a much, much easier time focusing on the negative - what sucked during my day, what's wrong with the world, society, culture we live in. And while I'm beginning to see that this lens of critique and criticism is an important gift I have to offer the world, it can also be a really easy trap to fall into. When I fall, I fall hard, and end up walking around like that comic strip character who has the storm cloud above their head while everyone else is enjoying the sunshine.

So, in an effort to enjoy the sunshine a little more, starting today, for one month, I'm going to write daily about the positive, interesting, delightful, surprising happenings that occur.

For today: I'm staying with a friend while I'm in between houses. She came home this morning all energized and excited to go on a bike ride and trail run combined. I was still sitting sleepily at the dining room table when she asked if I wanted to join her. Saying yes, I expected her to leave me in the dust as she works out way more than I do. Miraculously though, I was able to keep up and started my day enjoying the landscape of these amazing foothills identifying edible and medicinal plants along the way.