Gratitude

New Year's Day should always fall on a three day weekend. Or maybe I should always take a three day weekend on New Year's. Plenty of time to get over the hangover AND tick a bunch of things off the checklist.This weekend we did all the things. We hosted friends on New Year's. We had a great brunch the next morning staring at each other through squinting eyes while passing the ibuprofen. We went to all my favorite places to run all my favorite errands –Kitchen Window for a new tea kettle, Magers and Quinn for the Lynsey Addario memoir, Home Depot for snow shovels, The Wedge for all the groceries.But somewhere on Friday I hit some major grumpiness. I felt like the day was gone and New Year's to-do list was only getting longer. What about the office upstairs (re: hoarder's retreat)? And when are we going to put in the door stoppers (the hole in the drywall from the doorknob IS ONLY GETTING BIGGER PEOPLE!)? And the first thing I wanted to do was set up our budget for the year so that we could accomplish all of our goals like babies and pottery and quilting and a patio and travel and classes and braces (????) and... and... and... and when am I going to practice wool spinning and WRITE MY ALBUM!So I took a nap.And then the miracle. Somehow I woke up filled with gratitude. I sat straight up with a shock. Why was I so grumpy, I thought. Look around. This place is wonderful. I woke up on the best couch AND THERE WERE KITTENS ON ME! I woke up to an amazing husband WHO WAS CLEANING THE KITCHEN. I danced my way into that kitchen AND I HAVE SICK MOVES. Seriously, what am I getting so worked up about?I am so very lucky. I live in the house of my dreams with the man of my dreams doing the things I dreamed about as a kid.So I wrote down one resolution for 2016. Gratitude. My list of dreams is longer than a lifetime. The tasks ahead aren't a mountain to climb or a long road to walk down. Their just tasks that, like the breaths we breathe, are part of the rhythm of being alive.Something that isn't part of my natural rhythm is gratitude. So, I'm going to practice it. Like right now, I'm grateful for this little internet moment that connected me and you. What a little miracle. I'd love you're help with this, too. Just tell me – What are you grateful for, hmm?