Gratitude * Sunday
Quote of the Week
“Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.” Thomas Carlyle
Sunday Haiku
Unrelenting sun doesn't warm my bones, instead the cold orb teases.
Sunday Musings
How do we define wealth? Luxury? Enough?
In my life, wealth is not defined by cash, because there is little of it, along with a limited cash flow. Being the most excellent consumer that I am, there are many things to desire, some of which go on the delayed gratification list to make the budget work without massive debt. Debt is an undeniable burden for low-income people.
I have more than some and less than others. At this point, comfort is of extreme concern to me. Since money is a tool, I had to learn how to use that tool to my advantage. I like being grateful for what I have while I wait for what I want. I’m probably redundant and have said this many times before; it bears repeating.
I feel wealthy in many ways. I have a home with doors, windows, and a new solid roof. I can lock the doors and windows if I want.
I am able to pay for electricity and air conditioning.
I have the luxury of water in my home, hot and cold at the touch of a tap; at my aquatic center; and coming freely from the sky.
I have my own bed protected from the outside elements. The room is the temperature in which I want to sleep, and I have the luxury of being swaddled in cotton sheets and handmade cotton quilts.
I have food I am able to eat when I want it. Eating issues are hard.
I have all the entertainment I can ask for: books and movies from the library, access to a computer, a small amount of the budget spent on streaming services, a yard in which to go outside, money budgeted for a pool membership and a pool that is mere blocks away.
I have a modicum of wit left and am still able to read and write a bit. This required some luck and much education, formally and informally, which has cost me plenty of tools.
Above all these examples of how I used my cash tools (and they took many years to gather), I have the privilege of family. I have the son and his girlfriend, and my granddaughter. My sis and brothers are still living and not estranged. I have nieces and nephews who talk to me, and cousins who stay in touch.
We are having smaller families these days. My mom’s sibling group was six, mine was four, and I had only one child. Two of my siblings had two children, one had three. Our gatherings grow smaller each year it seems as families grow through marriage and holidays have to be shared amongst the many. There are fewer hands to help cook the food and clean it up.
The size of the group doesn’t matter. What matters is we make an effort to celebrate time together. Sometimes that is enough.
Color Watch – colorful attractions in my neighborhoods this week – Crisp white frost on my hardy coral bells. We’ve had some cold mornings.
Current View – {These are only my opinions about movies and books, but don’t let me stop you from trying these reviewed items yourself; your opinion may differ.} 1899 (2022, rated TV – MA). I thought I was getting a period piece mystery about an adventure at sea. I was disappointed by my preconceptions when I realized it was a kobayashi maru plot (see: Star Trek): a repeated simulation until the viewer finds oneself in the reality of 2099. * Alias Grace (2017, rated TV – MA), a Margaret Atwood story about a housemaid imprisoned for the murder of her employer. Much more the period piece I was wanting, but Atwood’s stories are always disturbing, and again with the ambiguous ending: did she or didn’t she?
Currently Reading – Bah. I cannot find the right book for my attention span right now. This happens to me occasionally and in the past, I’ve always been grateful for when my reading begins again.
This week I have been grateful for:
- Surviving another ER adventure for the hubs. No answers for his pain.
- The aquatic center I have used for the last sixteen years accommodating me on the night before Thanksgiving, one of the odd nights on their schedule.
- The pool being closed Thursday and Friday for this holiday. They get two days off once a year, depending on when Christmas falls. They never get three-day holidays. They deserve this time off to recover from all of us demanding customers, meaning moi.
- My younger sis and her hubs becoming great-grandparents amidst the heart wrenching drama of this child’s birth.
- Every baby being a miracle.
- Sorrow to grieve miracles who’ve been lost.
- A few beautiful cold, sunny days this late November.
- Being able to recognize the wealth we have.
- Feet, shins, knees, thighs, hips, butts, backs, shoulders, and elbows when hands aren’t enough.
- Water.
Hoping you have a lovely week.
Namaste. Peace. Blessings.
Floral ribbon border by Laurel Burch
Sassy Kas 