No Purchase Necessary, A Heat Wave, Farm Girl Stuff

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for the warmer weather, a shovel, and a scraper. I appreciate my aching neck and back, reminding me of both my physical capabilities and limitations.

I have always enjoyed shoveling snow. I like a job that puts me out in fresh air and where I can see my progress. My upbringing as a farm girl may have created this in me, or just may have given it ample opportunity to emerge. Mowing lawn, unloading hay bales, pulling weeds in a row of vegetables; all these and more jobs are remembered with more fondness than distaste today.

Back to the driveway. Several rounds of snow and then frigid temperatures left our driveway with a layer of hard-packed ice and snow. Not the end of the world, but my goal is a clear driveway. I achieved that over a couple of days, with some help from our grandson Leo too. Does it really matter? To me it does. To our garage floor and to taking safer steps, it does matter. I do some good thinking while engaged in such a task. This morning, there is a light dusting of snow on that clear driveway. I smile. Not all is lost. The farm girl had her time outdoors with a task meaningful to her. The writer and thinker within, also had her time. It’s all good.

The “heat wave” has been nice. I ran outside for the first time in over a week. We have had to take layers off as walked. Neighbors and others on the trail joked about this heat wave. We are hearty winter people. After it has been below zero with bitterly cold wind chills, that 40-50 degree temperature increase does indeed reach thawing and feels mild to us. It’s all relative.

Like so many other things in life, including our thoughts and emotions, air temperature is related to our experience and where we choose to put our focus.

Actions like running and clearing the driveway, taking walks and having light banter with others, have all been sources of gratefulness to me in recent days. Actions required. Results guaranteed. As promised, here are some links to some resources that provide many ideas and opportunities for us all to expand our repertoire of grateful living practices. No purchase necessary for any of these, beyond the device that you are also reading this post with. Though you can add to the experience with minor financial investments.

One Billion Happier People (A Mighty Networks platform created by my friend Steve Foran to give a space and place to share our own gratitudes and read those from others. Proof positive that gratitude is generative.)

Grateful Living (formerly A Network for Grateful Living) (My go-to source for over ten years, for Word for the Day, free practices, and much more.)

Insight Timer (This free app has tens of thousands of meditation tracks, poems, talks. For $60 a year you are supporting a good cause, and get access to more classes and nice features like pause and rewind.)

Healthy Minds Meditation App (I have been through this free app twice and have to say it has helped bring my other practices together in ways I never anticipated.)

Rivertown Gratefulness Gatherings (I host these via Zoom monthly. All are welcome!)

Greater Good Science Center (Gratitude is just one of several topics that they provide scientific research, suggestions, and discussion to support.)

Habitual Gratitude (My previous blog where I amassed over 2,800 posts over ten years.)

Holstee Reflections App (This overall website is described as “Inspiration and tools to help you live a more meaningful life.” I have just started using their free “Reflections” app.)

I would love to hear about some of your go-tos and practices that you find meaningful. Have a good day! See you in 2023!