Gratitude Part 2

 

Day 16: Thankful to have a warm jacket so I can get an early morning walk when it's 36°F (2°C). Beautifully sunny, though.

Day 17: Thankful to be able to spend the evening listening to At Home... mid-November, a virtual concert by musician Robert C Fullerton "with" my grandmother.  We use technology - I call her, then turn up all the volume controls on my computer so she can hear.

Day 18: Thankful for telehealth, which makes looking after my uncle so much easier.

Day 19: Thankful for the guidance and vision of The Gettysburg Address, which President Abraham Lincoln delivered as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of that name in Pennsylvania 158 years ago today.

Day 21: Thankful for live (and virtual) theatre that challenges me to think and presents me with different perspectives.

Day 22: Thankful for colleagues willing to jump into the fray and who work hours just as crazy as mine.

Day 23: As always on November 23rd, I am thankful for my baby brother. He came out all right.

Day 24: Thankful that today I was able to utilize the Early Dismissal at work, and that I got in a bit of a walk on a brilliantly blue-sky (albeit chilly) fall day. Usually it's well after dark when I am done with work. I am also thankful that I have a job I (mostly) enjoy, at a company that appreciates me, and a really good boss - and I know how rare the last item can be.

Day 25: Thankful to all the farmers who work so I can eat. And for the people who drive and pack the food that I don't pick up at a local farmstand, and the ones who do the cooked foods (jams, pickles, cheese, ice-cream, etc.) that I pick up in addition to the vegetables and fruit and eggs. And also for the animals who make edible things or turn into edible things.

Day 26: Glad to have a day off from work, and able to actually take it off from work.

Day 27: Glad to be able to do so many things from home - yoga class, Torah study, and a hangout with people from all over the world "in" an artist's Parisian flat - then make some charitable donations and play Cooky Monster for some friends. Yes, I didn't support Small Business Saturday except with some online orders, and I am OK with that.

Day 28: On the First Night of Hannukah, thankful that I live in a country that permits people to follow their own belief systems and worship as they choose, at least officially.

Day 29: Thankful for autonomy and the ability to make decisions for myself. Also thankful that I am able to help those who cannot.

Day 30: It's #GivingTuesday2021 so I am thankful that I can support nonprofit organizations which do so much to help the world, help people, and spread joy. I am also appreciative of the persons I know who work at nonprofit organizations and sit on their boards and otherwise support nonprofits and their missions.

I am also thankful today for modern medicine and surgery, as my ophthalmologist reminded me that it was nine years and two days ago that he removed my second cataract.  We get them young in my family, so we get them removed at a younger-than-people-expect age.  I'm still awed by how well I see now.  And I received the lovely edict "see you in a year" at the end of the exam.

The first fifteen

Many people I know post Things For Which I Am Thankful in November, because of the USA Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday.  I started doing it, and while some people follow a pattern, at least for the first few days, mine tend to be more random:

Day 1: I am very thankful for my family, and that they keep me.

Day 2: I am thankful that I am able to VOTE!!!

Day 3: Glad that I have gas heat and cooking, when the electricity for my neighborhood suddenly went out this morning. Also that the utility company had things repaired in a couple of hours.

Day 4: Given that our world is mostly virtual these days, I am thankful that I can attend a gala even though work is eating my evening.

Day 5: Thankful that I can ignore the "Black Friday Starts NOW" ads filling my inbox.

Day 6: Glad for a beautiful fall day when I could be outside for a bit. (No photos - I was enjoying, not recording.)

Day 7: Thankful for my online knitting/crocheting/fiberarts community.

Day 8: I am thankful/glad to have a very good and supportive boss.

Day 9: Thankful to have enough of a break for a walk outside - two days in a row!

Day 10: Thankful for the telephone, which allows me to speak to my grandmother and keep up with her even if visiting is still problematic.

Day 11: Thankful to all whom I know, and those I don't, who serve in our country's military. Thank you for your service and your sacrifices. I don't have photos of my relatives who served in their uniforms, but I have a couple letters from WWII.

Day 12: On a stormy morning, thankful to have a solid house with a solid roof.

Day 13: Thankful for technology that allows me to attend the Knitting History Forum Conference 2021: HEADS, HANDS & FEET, then spend an hour in Paris watching an artist work, then sneak in a walk before viewing a film for tomorrow's class on Neo-Noir, which is taught by an Australian living in Scotland.

Day 14: Thankful that my Russian ancestors were able and willing to flee the pogroms in the 19th Century and settle in America.  (Yes, I had ancestors from other places that fled for similar reasons, or other ones, but I attended a program on "Jews of Russia" today.)

Day 15: Thankful that Blue Earth Compost picks up a bucket of kitchen scraps every other Monday and turns them into useful compost for the community.

Mid-Month Resolutions Report

I haven't made progress on finishing UFOs or books.  I'm back to The Agony and The Ecstacy, which is very long and detailed.  So I am reading a lot, but there is a lot left to read.  I did make a shawl for my grandmother for Channukah, and will get a photo before I mail it to her this weekend.  It went quickly, in three days, due to simple pattern, thick yarn, and large hook.  I've also made things for charity, of course - I feel as though I need to fill the box, then once it's mailed I can turn to other things.

Including some more mittens for myself, to wear while I take my walks outside.  It's getting cold, especially in the mornings.  I found my favourite pair but one has a hole that needs darning.  😟

Those who came before.

I voted early this morning.  They were giving out great stickers at my polling location; after I read the fine print at the bottom to the poll watcher at the exit, she said I could take as many as I wanted.  I decided to be polite and just took the biographical ones:

As I left one of the candidate representatives outside called out "Thank you for voting!"  It always surprises me to hear it because I know what a privilege this is.  As the great-great-granddaughter of people who fled their country (think Fiddler on the Roof without the production values) to come here, I cannot imagine why I wouldn't vote.  Especially because these women had to fight for it on my behalf, even though they were fighting before I was born, and gained the right 101 years ago.

For me.  For us.