November is one of my favorite months by far. By this time of the year, fall is in full swing, and I cannot get enough of it. The brilliantly colored leaves. The cooler temperatures. The calm before the proverbial storm, also known as the holiday season. I love it. All of it.
The crown jewel of November is the celebration of Thanksgiving. Retailers and Christmas tree huggers have all but obscured this holiday, but I await its arrival with great anticipation. This particular holiday revolves around the act of giving thanks. This is such a simplistic, yet powerful and meaningful, concept brought to life, even if just for one day.
To kick off this countdown to Thanksgiving, I am reigniting a practice that I have used previously to remind myself what this month, this holiday, and this life really are all about, or what they should be about actually. Over the course of this month, I am going to share some of the things that I am grateful for in my daily life, and I invite you to do the same.
I am going to push myself to go beyond the usual people and things that make my perpetual gratitude lists. My family and friends. My home. My health. It is not that I am not grateful for these people and things, as I am, but too often, I gloss over the seemingly ordinary moments of gratitude. So, I am going to focus on being present enough to put those moments in the spotlight.
After over a week of coughing and being congested, despite copious amounts of water, hot tea, and cold medicine, I headed to the health clinic located inside of a nearby grocery store after work. I expected to receive good medical care and a cure for what ails me, and while I did receive both, I ended up getting much more, in terms of moments of unexpected gratitude.
When I arrived at the health clinic, there was no wait. I did not have an appointment, and it is the beginning of cold and flu season. So, I prepared myself for a long wait, and I was thrilled to be seen immediately.
I have access to affordable and readily available healthcare. I drove less than 5 minutes to reach the clinic, and I have health insurance coverage to cover my visit. I do not take my healthcare for granted ever, and I know that I am fortunate.
The nurse practitioner detected some crackling in the lower lobes of my lungs. Okay, crackling lungs may not sound like anything to be thankful for, but I am. She explained that I came in early enough to prevent this from turning into full-blown pneumonia and was able to prescribe medications to help me feel better soon. Also, after some of the diagnoses I have received, trust and believe, I was relieved and grateful for crackling lungs.
As I waited for my prescriptions to be filled, I went grocery shopping. I was able to get this task out-of-the-way today, instead of having to make another trip back out in the rain tomorrow. I may not have felt good physically, but it felt good to check this off of my list. I also was grateful that, like healthcare, I can afford groceries for my family and live in an area that has an abundance of grocery stores.
The rain subsided long enough for me to load my groceries in the car and then unload them once I returned home without getting drenched. I actually was grateful for a quiet, rainy start to the month, but that does not mean that I was looking forward to being out and about in it, especially when I feel under the weather. That brief reprieve from the rain showers was very much appreciated.
While this may be somewhat of a mundane list, it feels like a great start to a month dedicated to gratitude. I am looking forward to what other moments await me and to the end of crackling lungs.
Just one thing each day. . .
Categories: Just One Thing Each Day
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