August 2020: Quick List Of Fifteen Gratitudes

I have been invited to submit a week’s worth of Gratitudes to Steve Foran for his company blog. Three grats per day for five days. Since my listing of Gratitudes is solidly based on the people and places and events in my home corner, I thought I should share them with you first.

I am grateful that:

1. This week’s thunder storm boiled and fried the sky with passion, wind and fury and dropped some much needed water and no fire.
2. The morning sky that starts blue and soft and the promise of a new summer day with no traces of smoke or smoulder.
3. A friend named Karen sent me a sweet note with a quote that she said reminds her of me. I say – YES! I love this quote, too: “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” Desmond Tutu
4. Another friend Karen who happens to be our Mayor sent a note of thanks and saying how touched she felt by the community gratitude letter. I helped to collect some words and expressions of gratitude for her authenticity, brave leadership and commitment to action in opposition to a public letter hurling words of doubt, anger and negativity against her team and behaviours.
5. Someone invented multi-coloured Post-it notes. Love those things.

I am grateful that:

1. My dishwasher is broken. I had to take time to wash the dishes by hand this morning, and now I have the honest smell of dish detergent on my hands and memories of ‘Marge’ soaking her customer’s hands in the Palmolive Dish Detergent advertisement. When was that – do you remember?
2. The Post-it paper idea grew into portable Post-it Flip Chart paper and I can create a colourful quilt of paper Post-it note squares – yes, I am working on a book.
3. Twenty women responded to our recent Call to Action. The seeds of anger and mistrust and deep disconnection can be stifled best if we use my Mathematical Kindness Formula: At least 5 positives for every single negative.
4. My friend Colleen who sent an email titled: ‘Your blog postings are awesome’. She goes on to say, ‘obviously I love your writing’, but if she hadn’t told me, how could that be obvious? Reminds me of another quote: “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” Gertrude Stein
5. The china demi-tasse cups and saucers that were given to me years ago, by my Mom and Aunt Ruth. Yesterday, Evia solemnly told me that the rose bud one is “for when I am feeling sick” and the dainty blue-green one (pictured above) is for “having fun.”

Next five… I am grateful for:

1. The privilege of feeling secure. I may also be anxious about many future ‘what ifs’ holding so much uncertainty, but I am grateful for the security of this moment. Right here. Right now. 
2. The gift of reading an article that gave me two words that I am still mulling over: Sacred Activism.
3. The backyard trampoline and garden hose spraying and soaking two naked little girls, bouncing and squealing with hot summer delight.
4. The ladies who were part of my ‘work for pay days’ who laughed with me on the balcony in the brisk evening air that generated a warm glow, even though we had to put on our jackets.
5. Erwin, my husband who revels in the beauty of Lake Minnewanka and reminds me to look at the colours, the shapes, the mountains, the sky and the sounds of dozens of families gathered for Sunday picnics, escaping the city and eager to share pita bread, kebabs, mint-cucumber-parsley salad, foil wraped potatoes and hummus.
6. Yep Gratitude – now it’s your turn!

Final thanks to Steve Foran for the motivation and invitation to say it out loud – see Gertrude Stein quote above.

To learn more about Steve and Gratitude at Work Limited, click here.