Nox Amicus

Today, on the last day of these posts, I’m grateful for:

1. Honesty. Be it with ourselves or with others, honesty truly is the best policy. Sometimes we might not see our truths immediately, and there is always room for personal growth – but my life has been profoundly better since I expressed that “I’d rather go down in flames wrapped in the truth than last a little longer in a lie.” Risk. Be vulnerable. Have twenty seconds of courage. Be whole in this moment.
2. Compassion. Again, with ourselves and with others. Looking at the world with deliberate eyes of compassion has formalized an aspiration I’ve had for a long time. We’re human, we react, and sometimes in not-so-nice ways – but if we ask ourselves ‘am I showing compassion in this moment?’ we can shake off a lot of the unnecessary spikiness and be more at peace with the Universe.
3. Gratitude. I didn’t realize how powerful it was – and that all good things stem from our ability to be grateful. I’m grateful to my sister who set me on this path when I didn’t think I had anything left to be grateful for. I thank my chosen family for helping to keep me true to it. I thank Sandra Clark for tagging me to take part in this week of public gratitude – it felt good to spend a week putting all these things into perspective.

Today I’m grateful for:

1. Teachers and mentors. No matter where we are in our lives there are those who we look to for guidance, wisdom, and insight. I’m very grateful for those you guide me on my paths, and I am blessed for the opportunities to be that for others.
2. My health. Yes – the ongoing dental issues are a fact of life, the the anxiety is something that needs to be watched – but I am very grateful that I am in good physical and (finally) mental health.
3. Landlords. This morning a broken hot water faucet in the kitchen, this evening – brand new kitchen faucet. Free but for the cost of a phone call. Sure I wish I had the investment a house could bring – but I traded that for grad school. There are still advantages to apartment living.