31 years, 31 things to be grateful for~

Something of a birthday tradition for me, in no particular order.....


*french toast and good coffee
*a week at the beach with my loves
*and all the other time I get to spend with them, as well
*a birthday dinner of fresh scallops (which I wonder, every time I eat them, if there is possibly another single food flavor that I enjoy more...) and clams dug hours ago by my main squeeze and I
*that we had an hour and half or so to ourselves this afternoon to run together down a mosquito infested path out to the sound, where we happily dug for the little bottom feeders in knee deep water and talked about things big and small
*our home
*our health
*the occasional treat of losing myself in a good book
*having those moments to myself in which to do so
*that I live in a place where each season is distinct and wonderful
*having found a job that allows me to be a mother and work simultaneously, except for the days Claire stays at home with Mike when he's off~  (and that's great, too)
*living in a town that I feel has a real sense of community
*the learning experiences that have come in the past year from tending bees and hens (and a growing toddler)
*the way Claire and I can now communicate.... really and truly
*music, sweet music
*salty ocean air
*our many wonderful local farms, and being able to support them
*same goes for the local breweries
*that my girl likes broccoli, kale, tofu and other things of that nature (but no doubt she can put a cookie in it's place)
*that she calls cow's milk "cow's milk" and my milk "milk"
*speaking of milk, let's add cheese to this list~ maybe dairy products in general....
*CHOCOLATE MALTS
*receiving real mail, by which I mean a hand written letter  (it happens occasionally)
*the USPS, for making it possible to send such things to loved ones for less than 2 quarters
*my families, by which I mean the one I was born into, the one I married into, and the ones I've created through lasting friendships
*the huge pile(s) of wood ready to warm our home this season (and next)
*and, um, the heat pump...... for picking up the slack in the cold early morning hours when we can't coax ourselves out of bed to feed the fire
*and other convenient modern marvels, like running water and electricity and such- things I sometimes like to think I could do without and would maybe even enjoy doing without, but really, honestly? Probably not so much.
*the sun, for peeking out this afternoon so that our sweet little walk on the beach was a bit more enjoyable than it'd have been otherwise (and of course for all the other, way more important things we have to be grateful to the sun for)
*and also for the rain
*the full (and much appreciated) use of all of my senses and that they allow me to deeply enjoy so many of the wonderful things offered up in this beautiful, beautiful world


Last year I made a similar list and I intend to do so every year from here on out.  I'm hoping, of course, to have many, many more years of making these lists and I like to think that instead of it becoming increasingly difficult to create them, it will become easier and easier because I will continue to be  surrounded by great things and will learn how to see and appreciate them all more fully as I age.