#365Gratitude Day 284: Rachel

Our girl Rachel is a very generous person.  She's really very good to us.  While we were away, she watched the cats for us, which she always does.  She really thinks of herself as Yin and Yang's aunt.  They love her, too.

Rachel can be thoughtful and kind in lots of little ways.  She did one of those in a big way yesterday.  We got home from the airport around mid-day, pretty worn out.  We got up at 3:20 in the morning, to get packed up, and on the road.  It was about an hour to Tampa, and there were rental cars to return, and flights to make.  By the time we got home, we were pretty tuckered out.

Not only was Rachel there waiting to greet us, but she stayed over and made us a delicious dinner, of home made meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and even wine.  

(Okay, she didn't make the wine, she just bought it.  Geez what a critical reader you are - what, you expect she's going to put a grape stomping tub in the garage or something?) 

Man this was good.

This whole vacation was really about family for me.  First I got to get to know the newest member of it, my great-nephew K., and his other grandmother from Japan, and then when I come home, I get this lovely treatment by Rachel, who is, in a different but no less important way, also family to me.

I'm really very fortunate.

#365Gratitude Day 283: Provisions aplenty

So this morning, I went for another long walk for a workout.​ Missy left the house with me. We got to the beach and I realized I had forgotten to put on sunscreen. 

No problem. She had some cash, and we bought sunscreen at the beach, and she sprayed me up real good.​

I got on my way. I called my friend shyguy from Germany over Skype, and we got into a good long talky call​.  It was such a good call that before I knew it I had walked over 4 miles one way, to the very northernmost tip of the island.  

Now I had been planning a long walk. After all, tomorrow we travel home, and odds are good I won't be getting a workout in, or probably eating very well. ​

But I wasn't sure I meant to do over 8 miles. Still, I didn't regret the decision, at first. I turned around, and headed back. ​

At mile 5, I was a bit tired. By mile 6, I was outright exhausted, and very, very thirsty.  I didn't bring any water with me, which was pretty stupid in hindsight. 

I briefly flirted with the idea of hopping on the free trolley bus that goes around the island. I even sat on a trolley bench for a minute to get out of the heat and the sun. ​

Sometimes sitting down is just super.  

That reinvigorated me enough that I could keep going until I eventually found a public library.  Besides books, libraries have... Anyone?  ​

Water fountains! ​

My lovely German friend got to hear me slurp cold water like an over eager dog, for a full minute. ​

I got back on the road, and headed for home, only to have to seek shelter under a building porch minutes later when a huge rain storm came through. ​

Totally dry...except for being drenched in sweat

Not long after it vanished, and the air was left damp and cool, the sky still cloudy. Perfect weather for the exhausted walker to find his way home. ​

I commented to my friend how very grateful I was, how astounded by the sheer number of things I had to be grateful for that day. ​

I often say that 道, or the universe provides.​  Whatever I need, is given to me right when I need it. Sometimes those things are unpleasant, like aching feet, or a long way to go to get someplace. Sometimes, they're lovely like a good companion, a cold drink, a thoughtful spouse, or sudden shelter. 

​But either way, so long as I'm mindful, paying attention to what's in front of me, I have enough. 

I'm grateful for this. ​

#365Gratitude Day 282: A thoughtful gift

My friend Michael loves videogames. It was Michael who got me hooked on portal, introduced me to Steam, and who surprised me on Saturday with a gift. 

It's a copy of a game called the Beginners Guide. 

Here's a screen cap from it.  

The premise of the game is very meta, and a bit odd. It's a game about games. Specifically it's about the games that the narrator's friend, Coda builds. 

Without being violent, without being graphic, it's easily one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen. There's a certain point in the game, that you realize that you don't know exactly what's going on here.  At that point you reevaluate everything you've seen, heard, and learned. 

It's mind bending, and brilliant.  

I'm grateful my generous friend shared it with me.  

#365Gratitude Day 281: It was a breeze

Thursday morning I went on a very long walk.  I was talking with my friend ShyGuy from Germany over Skype on my phone as I walked.  (Isn't technology crazy?)  He kept me company and we had a great conversation about philosophy, difficult people, Taoism, mindfulness, Quora, science, running, all sorts of things.  

When I got back, I plunked myself down at a little table behind our vacation house and this delightful cool breeze wafted through.

#365Gratitude Day 280: Blue Light Special

Early Wednesday morning, we couldn't sleep.  Around 3am, we just both got up.  For whatever reason, my inner toddler, little mako popped out.  Missy got excited, and used the opportunity to take him (or is that me, or maybe us? Whatever.) out on a spontaneous field trip.

We dressed quietly, and slipped from the house.  We walked around the island, going down to a boat landing.  We stared up at the moon and the stars.

At one point, we came to this intersection that had this really weird blue light traffic light that he (I? Again, whatevs!) was really fascinated with.

We eventually wound up on the beach, next to a sand castle, laying together, waiting for the sun to come up.

It's been a very vanilla vacation, and little mako has been mostly asleep in the back of my head since we left Virginia.  It was super special to get that quality, sneaky, alone mommy-little time together.