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.