Opening the Gifts
Unwrapping life's wonders
My old shtick about having a birthday very close to Christmas was to gripe (semi-seriously) that I’d often get short-changed in the gifts department.
No more. I’ve come to (finally) understand that my life’s greatest presents do not come tied up with a bow. Instead, they are available to me every day of the year, in the form of things like:
Laughter: From Gary Gulman, a classic comedy routine that ALWAYS makes me laugh.
Friendships Old and New:
From A to Z, I can name a treasured friend for nearly every letter. How lucky am I? Here’s a gem from Red Grammer, dedicated to every one of the special people in my life…
and Coffee :-)
My “mom mug” will be 40 years old in May, and still holds my coffee every morning! Here’s my ode to this special beverage receptacle, in The Chestnut Hill Local
And here’s a great go-with for coffee (or tea):
“Silent Walking” is the new Tik-Tok craze, one of so many that I’ve yet to embrace. HOWEVER, unlike the Tide Pod challenge, I think silent walking is a wonderful idea, and one of these fine days I will exit the house without an iPhone full of podcasts, or a chatty buddy to meet. I do believe it will open me up to more of the gifts nature so freely gives us all, with every step we take…
Photo by Connor McManus on Pexels
POEM:
SAVING GRACE by Rosemary Wahtola Trommer
I didn’t even see
the slender red salamander
curled in the middle
of the country road,
but Brad stopped to kneel
beside it and told us
if you pick them up
by the tail, they will lose
their tail—an attempt
to distract a predator
while the rest
of the body escapes.
So tenderly, he brushed
the small amphibian
into his open palm,
then gently placed it intact
in the wet grass beside the road.
If this day were a novel,
I’d say the morning walk
was foreshadowing.
Everywhere we went
there were hands
that opened in kindness—
to greet, to serve cake,
to hug, to wave—
as if everyone agreed it matters,
the way we treat each other.
How quickly we can fall apart
when threatened.
How easily, sometimes,
we are saved.
MOVIE: Awakenings, starring Robin Williams and directed by Penny Marshall, is a 1990 film, based on Dr. Oliver Sacks’ experiences with patients who awakened after decades in a catatonic state. I could not recommend it more highly!! Another element of this gift of a movie is Randy Newman’s glorious score…
BLOG PREVIEW: The worst of the pandemic has (hopefully) passed. So why am I still using Instacart? Tomorrow over at Working Title, confessions of a shamefully lazy shopper (me)!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
My readers are a gift to me as well. Thank you for walking with me on the journey!!