Appreciating What You’ve Got
I preach appreciation, much to the dismay of those who politely endure my rambling about how they should acknowledge the positive aspects of their lives even when negative things are swirling around them like a tornado.
Do I practice what I preach? Not always.
That occurred to me as I was walking around my back yard today. Note to self: yes, my commute sucks but I should try to appreciate what is at the finish line.
So here are a few things I observed this morning … and appreciate:
- The dog who accompanied me on my walk loves me unconditionally.
- Sunday mornings in this combination neighborhood/farm land are very quiet; the dominant sounds were the rustling of squirrels, the flapping of blue jay wings and the panting of a happy Border Collie.
- My acre-and-a-half is a pleasant balance of manicured and natural. My wife gets most of the credit for that; I appreciate her efforts and I know I don’t tell her that enough. For all the things that are wrong between us, landscaping is not one of them.
- Connecting with nature is healthy for most humans and I get more of that here than just about any other place I’ve ever lived.
- Living here takes the edge off my obsessive behavior by slowing me down.
- There is something for each of the senses here: woody textures to touch, intricate natural sounds to hear, clear well water to taste, foliage and fields to see and cow manure fertilizer to smell. (OK, so 4 out of 5 ain’t bad).
Appreciating what you have doesn’t mean you should ever stop dreaming of things you don’t have or don’t have yet. But isn’t it nice to regularly stop for a moment to just soak in what you do have? To spend a moment in the present moment?
Do I practice what I preach? Not always.
That occurred to me as I was walking around my back yard today. Note to self: yes, my commute sucks but I should try to appreciate what is at the finish line.
So here are a few things I observed this morning … and appreciate:
- The dog who accompanied me on my walk loves me unconditionally.
- Sunday mornings in this combination neighborhood/farm land are very quiet; the dominant sounds were the rustling of squirrels, the flapping of blue jay wings and the panting of a happy Border Collie.
- My acre-and-a-half is a pleasant balance of manicured and natural. My wife gets most of the credit for that; I appreciate her efforts and I know I don’t tell her that enough. For all the things that are wrong between us, landscaping is not one of them.
- Connecting with nature is healthy for most humans and I get more of that here than just about any other place I’ve ever lived.
- Living here takes the edge off my obsessive behavior by slowing me down.
- There is something for each of the senses here: woody textures to touch, intricate natural sounds to hear, clear well water to taste, foliage and fields to see and cow manure fertilizer to smell. (OK, so 4 out of 5 ain’t bad).
Appreciating what you have doesn’t mean you should ever stop dreaming of things you don’t have or don’t have yet. But isn’t it nice to regularly stop for a moment to just soak in what you do have? To spend a moment in the present moment?
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