Monday, June 5, 2017

Ten Things of Thankful

Another week has passed. The weeks just seem to keep going faster and faster the older I get. Is that true for everyone I wonder? There is probably a scientific explanation for this, but I think I'll just let you ponder that one while I write my post for the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Our administrator, Josie Two Shoes, is probably wishing I'd get on the stick and get my post written sooner than later. Be sure to click the link to read the other bloggers' posts.  There are lots of things and situations for which we are grateful, and it really does help to write them down and share them with others.




1. Yearly physicals. There was a time when that didn't seem so important, but again, as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that it isn't something to skip. 

2. My primary care doctor, who has been the best doctor ever for me, is moving out of state. I've been dreading the day when she would retire or move her practice. She has used both a conventional medical approach and an integrative medicine approach with me. It isn't good for me that she is moving, BUT I will still have access to her integrative medicine services via phone, Skype, or email if I choose to do so. She will have an office where she will be moving and just do consulting in the field of integrative medicine. The good thing is that another MD in the clinic I go to will take over my doctor's patients for conventional medical needs, so I don't have to try to find another doctor who takes new patients on medicare. When I had to do that for my mother-in-law quite a few years ago when she moved from one city to another, it proved to be quite a task.

3. Places and people to see and dates with my husband that bring a break in the routine. One day this week we drove to the Portland Zoo. A nice thing happened when we were searching for a place to park. A couple had a two day passes to the zoo and gave them to us because they no longer had a need for them. We drove through the various parking lots, and were not able to find a single parking spot! We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were not going to be able to take any photos at the zoo that day, so we found a couple that gladly accepted our "free passes." Now we just need to find another day when it isn't going to be raining that is a day that is free from appointments, AND we will be there when gates open! A nice visit and conversation with some friends in another city made up for the disappointment we felt at not being able to see the animals at the zoo.

4. Discovery. Sometimes seeing something unexpected is exciting, like seeing vetch with white blossoms instead of the usual purple blossoms. I was walking among some of the weeds on our property and spotted this unusual vetch. Neither one of us had ever seen this kind of vetch, yet the very next day when my husband was at a national wildlife refuge in the area, he spotted some there! What are the changes of that? There is probably a word that describes that kind of a conundrum, but I don't know what it is.

Vetch with while blossoms

5. Anticipation. I love anticipation for good things, but not so much for dreaded things. We have some wild blackberries that are flowering. I can almost taste those berries that will ripen a little later this summer. Yum!

Wild Himalayan Blackberry blossom

6. Knowledge. I'm wishing the little Baird's shrew that made an appearance in one of the bathrooms this week could tell me how he (we will pretend he was a male) got in there. He apparently didn't find any insects to eat (that is their diet and the little bit of knowledge I learned about shrews), because he appeared to be barely alive. I picked him up with a tissue and took him outside and placed him among some leaves on a shaded hillside. A few hours later he was gone, so hopefully he found a more suitable residence.

Baird's shrew

7. A Pollyanna nature. Several times recently, my husband has commented that I always am trying to see the good side of situations. (Just so that you know this has been a work in progress for me, because as people closest to me know, there have been many times, when worry was all mixed together with the Pollyanna side of me, and sometimes worry took over.) As I was considering his comments to me, I remembered a book that I received when I was about 10. Perhaps I wasn't a Pollyanna then and it was given to me to help guide my thinking.  I really enjoyed this book written by Eleanor H. Porter that was first  published in 1913.  Later as a teenager I read The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, first published in 1952. That book also had a great impact on me. A very short scripture in The Book of Mormon hit home with me too."And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." (The Second Book of Nephi, chapter 5, verse 27) Are you a Pollyanna, a worrier, or a mixture of both?

8. Audio books. I just discovered LibriVox, a free public domain audio books site. It has Pollyanna! Do you listen to audio books?

9. Decluttering. A friend has been decluttering her house using a really easy plan. I decided that I can do that! Each day of the month indicates how many things to toss, recycle, give away, or I suppose sell. It is easiest to begin with the first day of the month and work your way through the month. If you find yourself liking this plan, start over again at the beginning of the next month. 

10. Family, faith, and freedom. So many people are separated from their family members, and long to be with them. There are people who hold on to that faith that they someday will be reunited with their family members, because they believe the All Mighty will hear and answer their prayers. Many people are escaping the lands which have been dear to them in the hopes of living in a land where there is freedom from war and terror, from abuse, and where they can work and care for their families, and where there is freedom of religion. I am thankful for my family, my faith, and my freedom.



12 comments:

  1. I really like the way you named your items of thankfulness in bold letters and went on to share information about each one. That little shrew looks so cute in the pile of leaves. If I found him in my bathroom, I don't think he would look so cute to me. I'm glad you rescued him and returned him to his habitat. I loved watching Hayley Mills in Pollyanna when I was a girl. I suppose I'm an adult worrywart, a bit of a curmudgeon as well, but I strive to look at the positive. I always say - when in doubt, look up. Have a good week, Pat.

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    1. Thanks, Val. I sometimes do that just in case someone is in a hurry, but would like to at least get the gist of the post.
      I wasn't glad to see the shrew in the bathroom either. I don't know if I did him a favor or not. He may have become someone's dinner, but I think there are few animals that like to eat them.
      I never saw any of the Pollyanna movies.
      With your beautiful smile, it is hard to imagine that you are a bit of a curmudgeon. Love your saying, "when in doubt, look up."

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  2. A shrew in your bathroom sounds as though a pet brought him in? Is it lucky, like a cricket on your hearth...?

    I am SUCH a Pollyanna! I am always looking for the bright side of a situation. My husband finds it both endearing and annoying!

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    1. We don't have a pet to bring the shrew inside, but if we did it would probably comment, "You try eating this. It tastes terrible."
      Yep! I think my husband does also at times find that my being a Pollyanna is a bit annoying. :-)

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  3. Really liked #3. Not simply for the kindness but for (how it provides) a clear illustration of the ripple effect of our acts (upon) the lives of others.
    #7 resonates, it is not that I necessarily think I have a (naturally) positive outlook on life, but because, the way it is presented here, it is a reminder that the first, most basis benefit is to recognize the fact of another perspective on things. I suspect the natural inclination is to consider ones view of the world as 'reality', which then implies that anything varying from that isn't really real. To know that other perspectives are not defective understanding of a situation is surely the first step to widening our own understanding of the people in our lifes.

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    1. It did feel good to give the passes to others when we were not able to use them.
      Over the years I have benefited from the understanding and perspectives of others who have had to deal with various challenges and came to know that attitude can make a tremendous difference in one's life.
      Always, thanks for your insightful comments.

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  4. You are never late in posting, Pat! And even if you missed the deadline I have the ability to add your post! As you can see, mine was done after yours this week, and here I am on Tuesday night just finally making the rounds to read and comment. I certainly wasn't on top of my game this weekend!!

    I love that you and your husband are getting out to do fun things together. I love visiting zoos that have good habitats for the animals, and I hope you'll get a chance for a return trip soon. How kind of you to give the free passes to a couple that were able to use them, maybe that was meant to be, I love shared blessings!

    I totally enjoy your "nature walks" and seeing the wild flowers and even berry plants too! I must admit the little shrew was cute, but I wouldn't have been delighted to find him in my bathroom either. We will hope he lives long and well in a nice outdoor spot!!

    I am sometimes accused of being a Pollyanna too, although in truth I can also become quite defeated at times. I can say in my own defense though, that I always begin each day with a renewed spirit and a belief that things are going to be ok. I hope I never lose that faith, because the times in my life where I had no hope were dark times indeed.

    I used to borrow audio books from the public library to listen to when I made the 1200 mile trip from New Mexico to visit my parents in South Dakota. They made time go much faster! In recent years I was able to give my niece an audio book subscription which enabled her to listen to many books while she was having scary problems with her vision. Amazon Audible is wonderful! I am an Amazon fan.

    Decluttering, ugh, I have so much of it to do, and often feel tired just thinking about it. I know the secret is just to begin, anywhere, with anything. Now to find the motivation. I don't want my children to have to sort through all of it someday, and the older I get the more I value simplicity and only having possessions that are useful or very important treasures. Really, it is the memories connected with items that we hold dear, and those we carry with us forever!

    I am deeply thankful for faith, family, and freedom, we are far more blessed than we often stop to consider. I pray that many more people in the world will come to share these important reasons to be thankful. I hope you're having a really good week! XOXO

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    1. What a nice thing to do for your niece!
      Decluttering seems to be an ongoing task, but the plan is just not to slack off. I agree that it is the memories connected with the items that we hold dear. I think it is also the memories the makes the task so slow.

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  5. Pat and Josie, I'm just glad I wasn't the last one (again) this week and that anyone came to read mine! :D
    Pat, I don't think I'd like a shrew in my bathroom, but I definitely think I'd prefer it to anything with 6 or 8 legs. *shudders*
    I don't think I've ever seen vetch that wasn't purple...or have I? Now I have to wonder. The blackberry blossom is lovely.
    Decluttering is high on my list of summer projects. Seems no matter how much of it I do, there is always more. I suppose that means I have too many things and it's time to purge again. I have been working toward living more simply for some time now. I'm not where I'd like to be, but I'm a work in progress. Always.
    I am definitely a worrier. My husband tells me I somehow manage to identify the dark side of everything. And yet, I really do believe in the power of positive thinking. Maybe I'm just a realist. I know how powerful a positive attitude and positive efforts can be, but I also try to keep my feet firmly on the ground and make sure I know what possibilities might be in store - good or bad.
    Great post - happy week!

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    1. Isn't funny how when we notice something for the first time, we sometimes discover that we may have been around something all along, and just weren't seeing it. However, I'm pretty sure white vetch isn't something I'd seen in the past.
      I don't care much for large spiders, especially the kind that jump toward you instead of scurrying away!

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  6. I loved Pollyanna as a child! I had forgotten, but relearned recently, that Pollyanna is set in a fictional town in Vermont.

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    1. I think I saw that when I was reading about the author. Glad to see you here!

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