G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y

We have certainly had our challenges this past week. Last Saturday our truck wouldn’t start. Jeff researched online and worked at fixing it himself, but finally needed some help. The beginning of the week we had it towed to the shop in Florence (thankfully our insurance paid for the towing.) The mechanic called and said it started up just fine for him. Uhh.. what?! We knew it was in need of a tune up so we had them do one while it was there. They did a tune up and said it ran great. Our generous friend gave us a ride to town to pick up our truck. Jeff started it up and it sounded horrible. They tinkered with it more. Our friend went to run some errands and said to call if we needed her. They got the truck working. We were so happy! It sounded better than ever. We made one stop to run errands and headed home. We planned on going to Eugene the next day, for the once a year sale at a farm store. We look forward to it all year long and stock up on onions, garlic,  beets, cucumbers for pickles, winter squash and so much more, for the most incredible deals.
While we were heading towards home, the truck started “chugging” and barely running. The automotive shop had just closed for the night. We called our friend to meet us there (thankfully she was still in town.) The truck barely made it back there and made for a stressful drive. We parked it out front, for them to work on in the morning, and our friend gave us a ride home (bless her heart again!) It had been a long day and Bracken cried the whole ride home. We were exhausted. The next day we called for updates on the truck, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it, they were stumped. We didn’t know what was wrong or how much it would cost. We missed the farm sale and were really bummed. The next day our neighbor let us borrow his truck. The mechanic thought maybe it was the computer and found one at a salvage place. They were installing it when we were going to head to town, so we said we’d stop by to check on it. When we got there, it was running great! We thought “Awesome! The computer must have been the problem. It’s fixed! Hooray!” We ran our errand, then dropped our neighbor’s truck off and came home. We were so happy to have our truck back. (It’s not so bad being stranded at home, since it’s our favorite place to be, but when we need to go somewhere it’s really frustrating.) The next day we had errands to run in Eugene (an hour drive.) We left early and it ran better than it ever had before. We were feeling so grateful. It was a long day (did I mention Bracken recently decided he doesn’t like car rides?) and as we headed up a steep hill on our way home, the truck stopped working. There was not much of a shoulder, but Jeff pulled over as much as he could. We looked at each other like “you’ve got to be kidding me!” We called a tow truck. Our insurance would only cover for it to be towed 11 miles, to the nearest mechanic, and it wouldn’t cover multiple passengers in the tow truck. It was getting later and we needed to get home. So we paid a pretty penny to be towed home. Going from the stress of being stranded on the side of the road, to the feeling of being safely towed home, I felt it was worth the cost. Our driveway is not an easy one to maneuver in a tow truck, but the driver managed. It was dark when we got home and we unloaded the truck. We were home safe and sound, we breathed a sigh of relief!
Right now, the truck is sitting immobile in our driveway. 
As I think back on our week, it was stressful on our nervous systems. There were moments I felt defeated, discouraged, exhausted, and frustrated. I knew I had a choice. I could whine, complain and feel sorry for myself, which could be so easy to indulge in….. or I could be thankful. When I remembered to count my blessings and be grateful I felt so much better. I became empowered, optimistic, easy going and relaxed. Every moment I had a choice.
I could complain about how tired I was or I could go to bed a little earlier.
I could whine about being so busy or I could s l o w  d o w n and take a deep breath.
I could be frustrated we couldn’t drive to town or be grateful we had a friend to give us a ride.
A choice.
Every night, no matter how tired I was or how challenging the day was, I wrote down things I felt grateful for from that day, in my gratitude journal. And it was what got me through the week! There is no security that life will be smooth sailing. Remembering to be grateful is what gets me through all of life’s challenges. It balances and centers me. It’s my steady rock of reassurance.
Some people have read my Gratitude Sunday posts and think we have the perfect life.
Is our life perfect? No way!
Is it blessed? Absolutely.
It’s blessed when we are grateful for the simple, little things in everyday life.
These are a few things on my list from the week.

Throughout the week I’ve felt grateful for: 

-The colors of fall.
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-The sun being lower in the sky this time of year, which means much more sunlight shining in our home, which I really really love.

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-Knitting and reading. One night after Bracken fell asleep, I had a few rare moments to myself and wondered whether to knit or read. I really wanted to do both. I propped the book up with my knees and happily knit while I read. (Laughing that it took me so long to discover that!)
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-Being in the greenhouse on rainy days. It’s a nice way to be “outdoors” and not get soaked.
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-Setting up the market booth in the middle of our living room. Yes, it’s a little cramped and chaotic in there, but we’ve been able to get so much done on our display, in preparation for Holiday Market, which is great!
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-Sunshine to uplift our spirits! And cozy, rainy days to be productive indoors.
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-Bracken picking his own huckleberries.
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-The colors of the blueberry plants this time of year- oranges, reds, yellows. They are so vibrant and breathtaking.
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-A wonderful dream where the three of us were afraid and a giant Angel showed up on a motorcycle. He helped us and guided us, leading us to safety. I was carrying too much and it was heavier than I could handle. He reached over and helped me carry it and I felt immense relief. Love the symbolism.
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-Our friend giving us a ride to town when we needed one. We appreciated it so much.
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-Deciding it was time (with the car breaking down all the time) to buy a pay-as-you-go cellphone. We’ve happily lived without one for a long time, but I’m glad we trusted our intuitive feeling to get one because it really ended up coming in handy a few days after we bought it!
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-Celery, kale and chard from the garden. Made for some delicious soups.
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-Eating the very last of our homegrown duck. It was enjoyed and appreciated.
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-The way a bath before bedtime can “wash off the day” when it’s been a particularly challenging one. It works wonders.
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-Waking up in the night to the most incredible, crystal clear sky full of twinkling stars. I starred in awe. Something about looking at the night sky seems to put life in perspective, suddenly filling us with a sense of what’s really important. You know what I mean?
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-Quiet time to write in my gratitude journal before bed, to the sound of the rain.
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-Jeff making us a warm breakfast on the propane stove when the power went out.
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-That the electricity wasn’t out for very long, but just long enough to deepen my gratitude for our crock pot, running water, hot water, lights on a dark day, stovetop……
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-Our neighbor letting us borrow his truck for a day, when we were without ours. That meant a lot because it’s his baby. (Made us a little nervous, we didn’t want it to get scratched! A pebble hit it on the way to town and Jeff said “he’ll probably notice that.”)
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-Surprises in the mail! How fun.
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-Buying a composition notebook for my next gratitude journal at the store and seeing one for 50 cents more that was 100% recycled! That made me happy!
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-The warmth and comforts of home.
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-Jeff putting a big pot of water on the woodstove with eucalyptus essential oil in it. Mmm!
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-The smell of Jeff making a new batch of herbal salve on the stovetop. I love that smell.
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-Jeff seeing a Manzanita bush, on the side of the road, that had been chopped down and thrown out. We put it in the back of the truck with a feeling that it will make amazing buttons! Now the hard part is waiting for the wood to cure, in our excitement we want to work with it right now. (Then on the way home, we found a beautiful cedar branch on the ground, that we also saved for buttons!)
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–Thrift store scores! New wood displays for our buttons in our booth, two new pairs of (much-needed) pants for me, more cotton pants for Bracken, other booth displays, a wooden baby gate…….. all for incredible deals! We had a lot of fun treasure hunting.
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-Having a hunch to check out a used children’s clothing shop and finding some inexpensive, warm cotton sweaters for Bracken. He really needed some warmer layers.
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-The inspiration for so many creative projects I want to make.
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-Jeff bringing me to a farm for the first time (he’s been there before.) We got the largest cabbages we’ve ever seen for making sauerkraut. They had reasonable prices and don’t spray!
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-Getting Jeff a new pair of comfy pants. (You can get a glimpse of his previous favorite pair of pants (that were practically rags) in the leaf pile post. Basically, with this colder weather, they weren’t keeping him warm in the least and he really needed a new pair.)
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-A wonderful productive flow going. We’ve been getting so much done in preparation for Holiday Market. That feels so good! 
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–Completing blog posts. I have so many going on inside of me all the time and each one that I write and complete feels satisfying.
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-Watching Jeff and Bracken play together and filling the space up with giggles and laughter. That’s what life is all about!