Gratitude: Today, I'm grateful for...

Posted by Zebra @californiazebra, Jul 2, 2023

Studies have found that expressing daily gratitude improves both physical and emotional well-being. It helps us focus on what is good in our lives, the world and others. It also helps us find the silver lining in our challenges. Gratitude turns what we already have into enough. Gratitude brings us joy. I’d love it if you can share something you’re grateful for today. I’ll start.

I’m grateful I have both the ability and luxury of taking long daily gratitude walks through the beautiful nature that surrounds my home.

I’ll take you through my typical walk:

When I open my front door to leave, I’m usually greeted by a few adorable squirrels, three crow friends, juncos and wrens who all hope for a walnut treat before I go. My walk along the creek down the street brings me peace with a variety of 100-foot trees, flowers of every shape and color, grass, fascinating wildlife, sounds of a babbling brook, birds calling, squirrels chasing, etc. Each day, I also see bunnies, ducks with ducklings, egrets, lizards, turtles, a variety of small birds, butterflies, and sometimes coyotes and hawks.

I meet new people along the way as we share our love of nature. I am also greeted by their happy, adorable dogs. Sometimes I learn something new. Sometimes I feel like I was able to bring joy to someone by letting them know they are worth a few minutes of my time. That brings me joy. Half the people in my large retirement community live alone as I do. Today, I met a lovely 96-year-old woman who walks a half mile with her cane and sweet rescue poodle every day. Impressive! She didn’t look a day over 80. I never miss an opportunity to smile and say hello to everyone who passes by. When I arrive home after an hour or so, some of my wildlife buddies are usually there to welcome me back with the enthusiasm of a dog.

When my last dog went to Heaven a few months ago, my camera became my new walking companion. Once I’m home, it’s time to upload my latest nature photos. I relive my walk all over again through the eyes of a zoom lens and a 32” monitor that together reveal extraordinary colors, patterns, textures and wildlife expressions the naked eye can’t see. I’m sharing a few pix from today. Can’t wait to go again tomorrow! 🙂

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samcal9977zz | @samcal9977zz | Jul 19 9:09am

In reply to @adr "Rabbits on my lawn always make me happy!" + (show)

We have them too! Always adorable!

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 19 9:11am

In reply to @adr "Rabbits on my lawn always make me happy!" + (show)

GRrr... Not me! Between them and the deer, I am lucky to have a garden. They especially seem to love the youngest, tenderest plants.
I'm grateful for non-lethal repellant.

baa | @baa | Jul 19 9:33am

Everyday I am grateful for the little feral kitty that comes for breakfast and now “talks” to me. I am grateful for my squirrels who sit outside my door and wait for their snacks!
I am grateful to wake up each day. And always surprised🌺

Zebra | @californiazebra | Jul 19 10:38am

I am grateful for all of nature’s beauty and wonder. I still love the squirrels, crows and juncos that come to my home for treats every day. I also just went kayaking in the Elkhorn Slough and was surrounded by playful sea otters with babies, sea lions, yellow jellyfish and thousands of various birds. The beauty of the Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, etc. coastline with wildlife and crashing waves onto the beautiful rock formations was also amazing and filled our hikes along the shoreline with peace and joy!!! What a treat!!!

Scott R L | @scottrl | Jul 19 12:34pm

In reply to @sueinmn "I get it Scott! Technology is great - until it's not. Those niggling problems can take..." + (show)

@sueinmn, the bad cards will be boiled in salt water, melted, and buried. I'm not going through all this twice.

And I've ordered new SD/micro SD card readers as well. Fool me once...

For me, part of the problem is my pride. I used to make my living programming on PCs, back in the early 80s. I could do a lot of complex stuff, like hand-coding software interrupts to control external devices. (See Chapter Six of "Intelligent Instruction by Computer" for one example.) To be stymied by a simple operation was maddening.

Nowadays, I can barely manipulate a Micro SD card. Sic transit gloria mundi.

adr | @adr | Jul 19 1:02pm

In reply to @sueinmn "GRrr... Not me! Between them and the deer, I am lucky to have a garden. They..." + (show)

the rabbits only nibble on the grass and no deer problem close to home. i get it though. Funny how selective they are. too bad they don't eat the weeds.

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 19 3:01pm

In reply to @scottrl "@sueinmn, the bad cards will be boiled in salt water, melted, and buried. I'm not going..." + (show)

You're talking to two old geeks here - we've built, upgraded, repaired, programmed...me since the 1960's, my spouse since about 1980.
But now, with tremors and old eyes, these teeny, tiny parts can almost defeat me.

And the "techies" these days usually only know how to "do a factory reset" - when this little old lady tells them she still opens devices to swap or repair parts, they almost faint.
One T-Mobile kid actually tried to tell me that when they do updates "they never have bugs" - and I laughed in his face.
When the software contractor told my daughter it's "impossible to auto-populate one field from another" in the schools' student management application and she tells them "my Mom says there's a switch you can set in your software to do it" they get very embarrassed.

Scott R L | @scottrl | Jul 19 4:29pm

In reply to @sueinmn "You're talking to two old geeks here - we've built, upgraded, repaired, programmed...me since the 1960's,..." + (show)

It reminds me of the old joke:

What's the difference between a car salesman and a computer salesman?

A car salesman *knows* he's lying.

litha | @litha | Jul 19 4:58pm

In response to I am Grateful for... I am grateful for another day, days, months and years to try to learn God's will. At 79 years old it is sometime difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. But with conversations with the Lord and observation of my fellow human beings I continue to know that their is more good in this world than there is evil.