~A Bitter Swallow~

Today I am grateful for:

1.  The simple act of being able to lay out a blanket and lounge in the sun while reading a book.  One of my favorite things to do.

2.  Gardening.  There is something so deeply satisfying on multiple levels.  I never wear gloves when gardening (heavy gardening, such as pulling blackberry vines I will, but not normal weeding, planting, etc).  The feel of my hands in the dirt, the earth under my nails, is soothing and rewarding.

3.  Taking a walk through the woods.  Breathing that fresh air, even if it's next to a busy road, is healing.  Threading my way through the underbrush and through the moss and trees just has a way of reconnecting to Nature that not much else does. 

4.  Getting rent paid.  One less thing to worry about. 

5.  Cookies.  Pudding cookies.  Because, yum.

6.  Not feeling guilty about eating said cookies, and still feeling relatively good about myself.   I've been good about keeping up on my exercise, and striving to put better food into my body, so when I do eat those cookies, I don't stress over it.

7.  Nail polish.  Sometimes it's hard to get all the dirt out from under my nails, no matter how hard I scrub...

8.  Bird song.  It has much the same effect as walking through the woods.  If I close my eyes and just listen to them, I find their song can lift the tension from my shoulders and allow me to just live in the moment for the time.

9.  The smell of fresh-cut grass. Nothing says "Summertime" quite like the sound of a lawn mower and the smell of a freshly mown lawn.

10.  Cameras.  I love taking photos, especially candid shots and shots of random stuff.