A Dose of Gratitude

November 24, 2024

Sunrise, November 16, 2024 looking north. The pinks of winter are starting to appear.

Walking on a cold, still morning, I’m grateful for the strength in my legs and health of my body that allows me to walk a half mile or more from where I can park to the water’s edge. I’m grateful for the rising sun that lights up the mist and soon will warm my hands and nose. I’m grateful for the peace of the lake that slows my mind and connects me to something deeper.

My oak friends still holding many of their leaves…for now…

I am grateful for the trees who whisper wisdom in my ears and provide so richly for my bird friends. I feel as if I know them and yet, like any friend, there is always more to learn. Their presence helps me feel grounded and held and I’m often grateful for the wind protection they bring.

This sentinel is one of my favorite tree friends. She has lost her leaves for winter now. She surely is a grandmother tree.

I’m grateful for the grebes who silently sail through the morning cove, diving, disappearing, and coming up again. I’m grateful such a thing as a pied-billed grebe exists in this wonder-filled world and that I live in a place where they like to spend the winter.

Pied-billed grebe floating through in her winter plumage.

I’m grateful for my friends on Substack who read these posts and strengthen my faith in a humanity that connects to and cares about all beings on this Earth. I’m grateful I have this place to share beauty and connect with the hearts of others of like mind. I’m grateful for the love and support I receive here every week, emotional and financial.

It’s good to be part of a flock. (Franklin’s gulls)

I’m grateful for my friends and family, those closest to me in my flock who sustain, support, and accept me just as I am. With each passing day, I realize more and more just how lucky I am and just how much I am loved. Whether your flock is genetic or chosen, everyone deserves to feel held in love.

Eagle scouting out the duck hunting locations.

I’m grateful for the eagles who remind me that I am just a visitor at this lake, while they are the real residents. Eagles remind me that power must be used wisely, that survival is also part of life, and that big wings are utterly majestic in flight.

Killdeer showing off her wings at full stretch.

I’m grateful for the killdeer, running to and fro and reminding me that even small, anxious beings have wings bigger than they realize. Killdeer reminds me of the power of voice and the need to both speak up in my own defense while also knowing when to lay low.

Just look at that color!

I’m grateful to the leaves who remind me that hidden inside each of us are blazing colors just waiting to be released. The leaves remind me that there’s a season for everything and even as something is dying, something else is being born.

Coots and gulls in the fog.

I’m grateful that in a world where everything moves way too fast and we often expect immediate results, I am allowed to proceed at my own pace here. I’m ten days behind in processing photos and further than that with videos. Not too long ago that would have seemed normal, but now I realize it’s a blessing to allow myself to move at a slower, more sustainable pace that suits my whole being.

Dark-eyed junco posing in the morning light.

I’m grateful that dark-eyed juncos come to visit in the winter. Watching them play with their friends in the grass while going about the daily chore of eating is a reminder not to take my own chores so seriously. Up and down they go from the branches to the ground and back again, reminding me that balance doesn’t always mean “even keel” but rather the ability to move up and down and go with what the conditions bring.

The yellow in flicker wings!

I have said many times and I will say many times again, I am grateful for the yellow in flicker’s wings. Flicker reminds me that we all have gold within us and when we flash that gold in the world, we make everyone smile.

Hello cootie friends!

I am grateful for cooties. Does any more really need to be said? A world without cooties would surely be a sadder place.

Bonaparte’s gull flying in just the right spot.

I am grateful for Bonaparte’s gulls who remind me that grace is always present and that grace may look soft and sweet, but really it is fierceness wrapped in soft feathers.

Look at those pink feet! (Bonaparte’s gull)

Sometimes gratitude comes easily and other times it’s hard. On the days when it’s hard, I’m learning to remember that it’s ok to feel whatever has come up to be felt. I try to remember that sometimes gifts come wrapped in porcupine quills and they don’t feel good in the moment. I’m learning to simply be gentle with myself and wrap myself in a blanket of love, knowing that one day soon gratitude will flow again.

Golden-crowned kinglet in the bushes.

Sometimes the rains come and the winds blow and then, eventually, the sun reappears. If I’m really lucky, on those gentle days, a surprise may pop up to delight me, like a golden-crowned kinglet quickly flitting through the branches. I’m grateful for whatever it is in me that tells me every morning, “get up, let’s go, there’s a grand adventure ahead!”

Bluebirds and fall leaves warm my heart.

How are you feeling today? Full of gratitude, needing a warm blanket of love, or maybe a little of both?