G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y
{Sunday’s heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}
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If you would like to join us, share your gratitudes by leaving your link (or simply sharing your list, whether one or many) in the comments below for all of us to enjoy. Our gratefulness feeds one another.
If you would like to join us, share your gratitudes by leaving your link (or simply sharing your list, whether one or many) in the comments below for all of us to enjoy. Our gratefulness feeds one another.
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Throughout the week I’ve felt grateful for:
-The delicious smell of plums, peaches and figs drying in the dehydrator and filling the whole house. Mmm.
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-Watching Bracken’s delight at feeding himself. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, more of it gets on the floor and on his face than in his mouth. But what fun he has doing it! (And with everything I am always pulling away from him and saying he can’t put it in his mouth, it’s so nice to say yes to something he can.)
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-Baths. To refresh. To renew. To warm on a chilly day. To clear.
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-Knowing in my heart that we are walking our soul path. The feeling of fulfilling our purpose is so deeply satisfying. And what is our purpose, you might ask? Why, doing what we love, of course!
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-Being home again after a town day, where I felt overwhelmed by the loud-ness and busy-ness of the city. It feels good to know my place in the world. I belong in the quiet country, where my Spirit thrives. Some love the excitement of the city. I’m glad I’ve figured out that I don’t.
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-Feeling so proud of all the food we’ve been getting put away for the winter. We’ve been working so hard and it feels satisfying. Preserving food excites us.
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-Reading positive feedback on our Etsy Shop that makes me so happy!
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-A feeling of completion and bringing a lot of things “together” this week. Everything was scattered and all over the place. We worked, we cleared, we organized, we accomplished. With action and movement, we finished up projects. Yay!
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-Remembering to take my cod liver oil all week. (Forgot the sit-ups. Now if I could remember both this week, that would be awesome!)
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-A powerful dream affirming the importance of having a strong aura for protecting ourselves from the “muck” energies in the world. What builds a strong aura? Caring for our Spirit and our bodies. I feel what is empowering and brings us joy, strengthens our auras. I love discovering how to strengthen mine.
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-Bracken’s changes. Seeing him wave. His wave is so cute. His whole body moves along with his fisted little hand. He’s been able to stand for awhile now, while we hold onto him. Last week he pulled himself up to his knees while holding onto things and then on Friday, pulled himself up to standing. He was so proud!
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-Getting an early birthday card in the mail with money, from my stepsister. I used the money to buy a fishing license and a salmon tag! Now we can go fishing in the river by our house! Hooray!
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-Dreams lately where I’ve been standing up to a childhood bully that I felt intimidated by my whole life, and taking my power back. That feels good.
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-Remembering to take my cod liver oil all week. (Forgot the sit-ups. Now if I could remember both this week, that would be awesome!)
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-A powerful dream affirming the importance of having a strong aura for protecting ourselves from the “muck” energies in the world. What builds a strong aura? Caring for our Spirit and our bodies. I feel what is empowering and brings us joy, strengthens our auras. I love discovering how to strengthen mine.
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-Bracken’s changes. Seeing him wave. His wave is so cute. His whole body moves along with his fisted little hand. He’s been able to stand for awhile now, while we hold onto him. Last week he pulled himself up to his knees while holding onto things and then on Friday, pulled himself up to standing. He was so proud!
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-Getting an early birthday card in the mail with money, from my stepsister. I used the money to buy a fishing license and a salmon tag! Now we can go fishing in the river by our house! Hooray!
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-Dreams lately where I’ve been standing up to a childhood bully that I felt intimidated by my whole life, and taking my power back. That feels good.
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Those were all things on my list from my Gratitude Journal, throughout the week. Then, I wanted to add some things I was grateful for from yesterday. This is what came through:
It’s so easy to be filled with gratitude when life is “smooth sailing”, isn’t it? On the days that challenge us though, things to be grateful for can seem a little more hidden at first glance. Yesterday was one of those days. Jeff accidentally burnt breakfast. I ate what I could, which wasn’t much. There wasn’t time to make anything else. By the time we got to market, set up the booth, I nursed Bracken to sleep in the pack and brought him potty numerous times, Jeff picked up our CSA………. I was beyond needing food. I got a headache. I started munching on some snacks I packed. We helped customers. We bought some lunch. By the time I actually had a moment to eat it, a crippling migraine had set in. Migraines are very rare for me to get, but if I go too long without eating something substantial while nursing Bracken all the while, my body sends me the message loud and clear. I tried my best to be friendly to everyone who came, but I really felt like going home.
My great idea of taking pictures of people wearing Mystic Orb? I took a few. Then our camera broke. For good. There was a football game and a festival, so market seemed practically empty. With filling up the gas tank and buying lunch, we spent more money going than we made. My body was in pain and my thoughts started plummeting. Cigarette smoke was blowing in our booth from inconsiderate smokers, which made it hurt worse. I felt weakened, vulnerable, drained and somewhat defeated.
We had just been talking about wanting to buy a new oven. We’d been making due without one, but with the colder nights, we were really craving roasted meals and were really wanting one again. Then our computer died. Then our washer broke (we’ve been washing our clothes at the laundromat.) Then we found out our car needed expensive repairs. Then our camera broke. In the midst of my negative frame of mind I thought “Seriously?!” So many things were breaking down all at once. We vowed to not use credit cards, except in emergencies, but we needed to be flexible with our situation and used ours for a few things we needed most (essential for our business and making a living), since we couldn’t replace all at once. I’d been so adamant against using credit cards because I wanted to live completely debt-free someday, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Using them made us feel discouraged.
By the end of the day, we were so glad to leave market. We got a camera on the way home, since we needed it for our online store. We came home. I was still in so much pain. I took a bath with Bracken while Jeff made dinner. My nightly ritual is to write 10 things I’m grateful for from that day, before going to sleep. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling very grateful. Yet, on the rough days, remembering to be grateful is what gets me through, and what comforts me.
So I looked at the day again.
I remembered the little girl that came by our booth, so excited because of her tiny wooden spoon, holding it proudly for everyone at market to see. I thought about the people whose eyes lit up when they looked at the joyful sayings on our magnets. I thought about the friends that visited us. I thought about the sweetness I watched between Jeff and Bracken. I thought about our CSA box filled with nourishing food. I thought about the treat we bought ourselves, a lamb roast, because the package hadn’t sealed properly, so it was 50% off. I thought about the fact that we even had money on our credit card, which was something to be grateful for. I thought about the trade with our farmer’s market friends at the end of the day that made them happy and us happy. I thought about the treats we brought home- butternut squash, broccoli, onions, garlic, beets, and putting another bag of raspberries in the freezer. I thought about the snacks I packed that were so appreciated. I thought about being able to come home to a place I love and cherish. I thought about having a husband that was so sweet and caring, rubbing my neck to help me feel better.
I thought about my migraine, about what my body was telling me. Could there be a blessing in it? Perhaps my body was telling me I over-did it a little last week. Maybe having a headache was the only way I would slow down. It was a wake-up call, showing me the ways I needed to care for myself and how hard that was when I was trying to do too much. Funny, the times I lectured my mom for giving too much to everyone and everything else and not enough to herself. Yet, I was doing the same thing.
Challenges can bring reflection. While talking with Jeff about that, I admitted that I felt guilty whenever I was not “doing something” because I based my worth on how much I accomplished. I was afraid to relax, since I felt I had so very much to do, my ego viewed it as “lazy.” Yet, my Spirit needed me to relax. Jeff said he was the same way and that he felt terrible about himself whenever he didn’t have much money. Wow, what a discovery. Why were we basing our worth on something outside ourselves?
We are all worthy!
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There are many things to be grateful for, even through challenges. Sometimes we can look at each other and think life is so much easier for someone else. I guess I wrote this to say- we all face challenges in our lives, whether they be related to health, money, relationships, etc. Challenges are how we grow and learn. Focusing on what we’re grateful for, helps us through all of life’s challenges.
I don’t know about you, but today, I really needed Gratitude Sunday.
Thank you for reading.
Taryn Kae Wilson says
Thank you all for your supportive, loving comments!! You brighten my days right up!
Trish says
A lovely list Taryn. Yes, it isn’t always easy to be grateful when life isn’t plain sailing, but it sure helps doesn’t it.
Today I had a difficult day at work ( distasteful actually ), but a beautiful colleague wrote a note and slipped it in my uniform pocket to say to me that I am a lovely person and that I work really hard and do a great job. I felt so grateful. How lucky am I!
Much love Taryn.
p.s I am also grateful to you for writing your blog. Even though I have never met you I feel you are a friend.
Patty says
Good stuff, love that about facing your bullies, thank you for posting.
Jeff says
I’m thankful that I’m married to the most awesome woman on the planet, and have the sweetest baby boy, and a Life I choose.
Mama Forestdweller says
Thank you for this post! I am sorry you had such a hard day and I really admire your approach of looking through the difficult stuff to find the nuggets of truth. We have definitely had some of ‘those days’ recently and the money issues are always so rife with stress! Thanks for the reminder to keep my perspective.
Here’s my post…
http://appleoftheforest.blogspot.com/2011/09/gratitude-sunday_18.html
And congrats on your fishing lisence! How exciting! 🙂
Joleen says
Thank you for writing to us. I hope you have a much better week this week and you’re feeling well again. Peace and Love to your family.
carlanda brown williamson says
i so love your blog! but, you already know that! i am grateful for so many things. don’t know where to start. i will say more next week! stop and visit my blog if you get time, would love some feedback. http://lolliemagpiedesigns,blogspot.com
Lindsey @ The Herbangardener says
This is so well written Taryn, and THANK YOU for sharing it. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who has “those kinds of days.”
I can’t believe all your appliances and stuff broke at the same time. My heart ached when I read that, because it just added insult to injury, I’m sure. I know how that feels. 🙁
And it brings you even lower in your energy, even though you know you shouldn’t dip down into that low-ness…it’s hard not to sometimes. Especially when your head is pounding and you just are “over it” in general!
And I know what you mean about measuring ourselves by what we accomplish. I’m a work in progress on that one, too! Good grief. 🙂
And yet look at all your gratitudes! WOW. It’s a beautiful list! I’m so glad you have your respite in the country for your soul to come home to. That is oh so important. And I am just amazed at all the food you guys have been preserving! No wonder you got worn out!!
It’s so sweet to hear of Bracken’s new things. Wow, standing up! I can’t believe he’s 11 months old. Where has this year gone!
So many blessings to you, and thanks — again — for sharing your gratitudes and challenges.
You’re a beautiful spirit, and I’m so privileged to know you.
Love,
Lindsey