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I'm thankful for air conditioning! I hate extreme heat, of which we have plenty! When I was a kid we played outside all summer and didn't really mind the heat. I remember popping bubbles in the black tar on wooden electrical poles. It must have been pretty hot to melt the tar. Every afternoon for an hour my mom would make us lie down on a sheet in front of the window air conditioner in our living room. It was the only air conditioner in the entire house and I'm sure wasn't helpful in other rooms but I don't recall being too hot in my bed at night. I guess age makes it harder to tolerate the heat, or more likely I'm just spoiled. Most of the world doesn't have the luxury of air conditioning and billions of people suffer in the summer while I sit comfortably in my house. Even here in the U.S. elderly people die because of the heat. I should be more thankful for this blessing. --Terese
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I keep talking about trying to be more mindful in my life and not living on auto-drive all the time. Y'all know I'm so easily distracted I can forget what I'm doing in mid-stride, so even trying to be mindful is a stretch for me. So I thought and thought about what needs more of my attention. And the answer is: my CAR. I've always said I just want a key that turns, tires that roll and a working steering wheel. But the driver's seat that adjusts for me automatically is lovely. Mirrors that can be turned with the push of a button! Great. Air conditioning for comfort, I remember summer trips without cool air! Cool is the best! And having lived with a Ford Pinto for a few years, the space in the Envision is super, especially for moving stuff to the casita. Oh, and the sun roof! We can't use it right now because of the really hot summer (would you believe 110 - 115 all this week) but come fall it will be open again. Then there is the back tailgate! Opens with the push of a button and shuts itself when I've finished loading the groceries or whatever. The gas tank fill-up spot does not have a cap! One less thing for me to lose! What a marvel of modern life! It does make me happy! --donna As a child on hot summer nights I pulled my bed to the window to be able to catch the breeze. We couldn’t afford fans. I loved staying overnight at my best friend’s house, because she had a giant fan in her room, and that seemed a wonderful luxury. Now I have air conditioning that I can set cool at night and warmer in daytime, that absorbs the summer humidity and allows me to stay cool and dry. Add to that heat in the winter, perfectly reliable, not like the cheap oil heat in Minnesota that froze up on the coldest days. A constant temperature is a blessing I take for granted most days, and it is truly a wonder. That same air I had as a child was full of cigarette smoke from my dad, and later from my mom. It was full of mold from damp summers, and dust from dry ones. There were no alternatives then, and I breathed in the polluted air. Now I have filters to deal with that, and neither of us have ever smoked. But these last few months have us all concentrating on the air again, this time because it contains Co-Vid 19 droplets. When I’m in the house I can still take clean air for granted, but outside I must hide my face beneath a mask to breathe the air. When I bike I can still breathe in wind and air unless there are walkers on the path, and then once again I have to think about this precious air, and aim my bike 6 feet away from them, and hold my breathe until I am at a safe distance. Aaah. --Cynthia On Monday our group decided on a topic, and then on Tuesday, I listened to a podcast that addressed that very issue - that whatever we have, we tend to get used to it. And so, the pleasure these things provide, decreases over time. The solution to this seems to be to deprive ourselves temporarily of the things that are part of our daily lives, so that they once again become pleasurable. I’m not sure that I’m ready to give up my coffee for weeks (or even days) just so that it will taste even better at a later time! And I don’t think it was referring to living in a tent so that you appreciate your house. But, it did make me think about the people and experiences that I now enjoy even more because of living this sheltered life. I hope and pray that these things do not again become so commonplace in my life that I loose this heightened sense of happiness and joy. --Jeanette When the question came up, I began to think about very basic things I am thankful for and that begins with food, shelter, clothing, and relatively clean air. I see homeless people if I walk toward Admiral and that makes me grateful for the basics. I am so thankful I don't have to find a reasonably safe place to spend the night. I know I would look like an easy target. Recently, I have stayed away from where I used to walk, in part because of that. I have to acknowledge that I am glad I am white. Life is so easy for me compared to People of Color. I just started re-reading “The Cross and the Lynching Tree.” I have never had to struggle like that. It was brought home also when we visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. It reminds us that between four and five thousand people, very young to very old, were lynched and not just in the south. Now for some smaller things, but not less important. I wake up every morning! So far! There is plenty of food and sometimes too much. I am healthy and able to stay in. I can still be involved in things I want to do, just in a different format. I have a loving spouse and child who want to spend time with me. I have good friends to call or call on and share thoughts, struggles and opinions. I have lots of opinions!! I am blessed. I wish all of you a blessed day as well! --Carolyn The women's Bible study class at the church we attend, Round Rock Presbyterian, is about to embark on a new study, based on the book Grateful by Diana Butler Bass. This group consists of women mostly about my age (old!) and very open-minded. It's no lily-livered, shallow, or platitudinous study group! I expect we'll have opportunity to discuss radical gratitude in a time of pandemic. In advance of the study's beginning on August 20, I'm reading the introductory material and thinking a good bit about gratitude. I confess to taking a good bit in my life for granted. I tend to look forward in life to what will happen next so I can prepare for it. That leaves little time for thoughts of what I've already experienced or what I already have, and yet gratitude can be my saving grace when I most need it. I've gone through periods of my life when I cannot pray, cannot worship, and cannot even confirm that God exists. But even in the worst of times, I can cultivate gratitude. I can pray my thanks to whatever deity may exist for my many blessings. That much is always possible. One blessing that I often take for granted is good health. While my body is beginning to feel its age and experiencing minor deficiencies, I rarely experience illness. When I do, it tends to be temporary or not very serious. I can be tempted to give myself credit for this healthy body (good eating habits, exercise, no smoking, etc.), but I don't really deserve the credit. I was born with healthy genes, and that's a wonderful gift. I know my good health won't last forever, and I want to be fully aware of my good fortune and appreciate each day the ability to physically do pretty much everything I want to. I intend to make this a part of my daily gratitude prayers! --Janice The first thing that entered my mind when our group decided on this topic was that I am thrilled that I don’t have to go to work during this time. I spent most of my 43 year career in hospitals as a physical therapist. Under the best of circumstances, that can be a dangerous place of employment due to the threat of acquiring an infection, but COVID-19 has upped the ante. Even though therapists are not at as high a risk as nurses caring directly for these patients, and hospitals are taking extraordinary measures to prevent infection of their staff, I am quite certain that working would add a high level of anxiety in my every day life. Blessings to all the medical and ancillary staff that are working diligently to heal those who are sick, even at a high mental and physical cost. We owe it to them to make the small sacrifices that have been recommended by the medical experts to lessen the stress that they face every day. --Jeanette In no particular order, I’m so glad I no longer have to:
The first things that came to mind were all domestic: Laundry in tubs with a hand cranked wringer on top. Pumping water from the well on the back stoop in the heat or the cold Having to cook everything from "scratch" because there were no convenience foods Diaper pails & hanging diapers out to dry Then there were the Personal Comfort things: Wear a girdle or a garter belt to hold up hose High Heels and panty hose Worry about fashion - never was on the right side of that Dress up for people I don't care about Then the list went to more general pet peeves: No more rah-rah company meetings No more pulpit pounding sermons or long altar calls No more laugh track sit-coms on TV - or any TV if I choose Fighting traffic to get to work on time, and 6:45am clock in times And then, knowing me as you do, I go to the Darker side: Not being responsible for every breath my children breathe, or decision they make Don't have to try to make unpleasant people happy, or at least happier Don't have to try to satisfy my parents, Rest in Peace both of you & get out of my head Be afraid of the unknown, lurking around every corner I don't have to be angry all the time, to hide my fears Don't worry about money, time or relationships I don't live a Pollyanna Life. But I do, upon reflection, live a life of ease and peace. Two things I never thought would happen: I would live this long, or that I would live in Peace. --donna
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January 2022
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