My dad was a minister of a fundamentalist church so he was against dancing. He was against dancing because, during his generation, he felt it would lead to “problems” when dating, although before he became a paster he won dance contests (Charleston etc.) and was a wild guy. This photo captures the love between my parents during their twilight years in privacy. I am so happy I have this photo.
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My sincere thanks to YOU for reading these posts. Today, let’s focus on a “gratitude zero” activity… wearing a mask. There is a lot of conversation these days about “masks”. People are tired of the pandemic, lock downs, separation from friends and families. It is sometimes difficult to remember to bring a mask. I have masks in my purse, my car, in shopping bags, and next to gloves when I put gas in the car. I have extra masks for my family and friends who forget their masks when running out the door to run an errand, or grab something to eat (take out).
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Recently, I camped at the Hollywood RV Park in Los Angeles. An artist painted beautiful tributes to the Wizard of OZ throughout the park. This morning, I wonder where the yellow brick road will take you?
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I always say that whenever people decided to domesticate dogs from the wolf, it was a brilliant idea! People say that “dog” is “God” spelled backwards and I believe it. Dogs are such good companions to us, our children, to the elderly, to persons in prison, individuals who are ill or are physically challenged. Pets, in general, offer such a wonderful addition to our lives, and contribute to us in many different ways.
I found it interesting to learn that approximately 76% of all households own a pet in comparison to 28% of households (married and single-parent) have children, or 85 million have pets and 35 million have children. In 2017, one (1) billion dollars was spent on private health insurance for pets. Trends in pet dogs is the expansion of the family to include dogs within our everyday activities, routines, and lifestyles.
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This morning on the Today Show they featured a woman who had a second face transplant. Her past boyfriend tossed acid on her and burned her face. A terrible story of domestic abuse surviving for anyone. But, not Carmen Tarleton!
She met the donor family of the second face transplant. It was such a joyful event for all, but what impressed me the most was her joy that now she can wear earrings again. And, she can finally wear glasses because now she has ears!
Be grateful for what you have! If Carmen can be happy, so can you!
This is #gratitudelite. See the post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of gratitude categories.
Interesting story today. I have a wonderful son who lives out of State. Whenever he comes to visit his friends, he comes to visit me too. This morning we greeted our neighbor, sitting on a curb and smoking as he always does, as we walked past him. I said my usual “hello” and we exchanged updates about our neighbors, and then my son said to him, “I am taking my mom for a walk”! It sounded so funny. I guess my son views me sometimes as a pet. I walk my dog. He walks his mom!
I am grateful that my son takes me for a walk!
This is #gratitudezero. See the post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of gratitude categories.
The message in this photo is exciting to me. It reminds me of unwrapping presents, or is associated with something that is mysterious, or gives me the feeling of anticipation of a great movie or concert, or a pleasing experience, and a memorable life event.
What is coming?
They say that “less is more”! So, I will be brief… During these days of facing the unknown from the virus, desperation with jobs, food insecurity, school openings, depression, and exhaustion, let’s give energy to this theme… OPENING SOON.
Keep the faith. Something good is about to happen to YOU!
This is #gratitudezero. See post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of categories of gratitude.
You might ask, Why practice gratitude? The disciplined focus on gratitude should not be approached from the perspective of “what’s in it for me?”, but rather, consider what fills your own heart so that you are moved to attend to and appreciate events in your life in new ways.
Continue readingGratitude is a fullness of heart that moves you from limitation and fear to expansion and love. When you’re appreciating something, your ego moves out of the way. You can’t have your attention on ego and gratitude at the same time.
Deepak Chopra
Reflecting on the typical symbols and icons on this day, I wondered why the color “red” became so meaningful and learned (with Siri’s help) that red “creates feelings of excitement and intensity”. I know those strong feelings when in love! Then, I read a little more and found that the color “red” “is also used to warn of danger and can symbolize anger or passion (calling to mind the Flames of Love)”. This statement caused me to pause….. It reminded me of my post from yesterday describing the full range of gratitude (from frivolous to serious). I kept reading…
My next question was to understand the association between the heart and valentine, and/or the heart and love. Siri was wonderfully helpful to explain the rich history of the heart and Valentine’s Day (from the shape of an ancient plant to our actual physical hearts in our chests to jewelry and more). When I read about Venus, the goddess of love, I was struck by the story of her son Cupid, whose darts set hearts on fire! Hence, I began to understand the age-old connections between Flames of Love (red) and Hearts on Fire, and a deeper meaning for this very special day began to take shape …
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Silly concept we begin with today, but I feel very playful this morning as I dig deeper into all the blog posts, magazines, newsletters, and books on gratitude. Mainly, I hope you are learning that to experience gratitude does not mean that your world may not be crazy around you on some days, but (instead) you are finding moments within all the terrible that are happy, precious, memorable, and meaningful in spite of all the other life’s stuff. Living in a spirit of gratitude does not mean you are serious, or dull, or out of touch with your life. Living in a spirit of gratitude will uplift you, give you joy, send you peace, and, on some days, make you want to jump with joy!
Be playful today….
This is #gratitudezero. See post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of categories of gratitude.
Gratitude Squared 