Soft Cushionings {or Thanksgiving}

It’s Thanksgiving week and I feel like I should write about gratitude in some pointed way.  But I’m less interested in pointed ways than those soft and cushioning.

 

And so.

 

The candle that flickers on my desk.  I know I ought not to have it sitting so close to the external hard drive but there’s so much else on my desk at present and I want the candle, need its little light.

 

The tea I made for my daughter and myself this morning.  If I’m honest, I’d hoped to have the house to myself for a bit but it was nice to take those first sips of tea with her, with the still-dark sky and the twinkle lights.

 

The conversations – some spoken, some written, some internal.  I have so much to learn.  From others, from myself.  Stepping into the knowing and unknowing, settling in.

 

This week’s trip to the grocery store.  Finding what we need and what we want, understanding the difference.  Music for the car ride.  Sustenance multiplied.

 

The walks with the pup and my daughter.  November has had its share of warm days and I’ve tried not to complain because I realize most people prefer warm to cold, my daughter included.  Once the cold sets in for good, she tells me she won’t walk.  So these days, right now, I’m enjoying her company.

 

The birds, with their twittering and flitting.  They fill their bellies, then fly away, they carry on.  It sometimes feels a hassle to refill the feeder so frequently but their twittering, their flitting, their carrying on require attention and witness.  I give them both.

 

The mealtimes.  I take immense pleasure in the four of us gathered around the table.  Sometimes the conversation is full and lively; sometimes not much is said.  I try to appreciate the fullness as well as the not-much, reminding myself that what needs to be said is sometimes said in the fullness of not-much.

 

The health and safety of family and friends.  In one particular conversation this week, there was acknowledgement that, in the coming months, the circles of who we know contracting Covid might (probably will) move closer.  Already, some of my online friends have been sick or their loved ones have been sick; one local friend got tested (and was thankfully negative).  I wonder how close the circle will get to me.  Generally, I like circles.

 

The turn of seasons.  Notwithstanding a run of warm November days, there have been cold days on which I’ve been downright giddy, pulling on the wool sweater and sliding my feet into socks and slippers.  This turn into winter, and the nod to quieter, more reflective rhythms, saves me.

 

The fact that I am here.  With body and soul.  With breath and emotion.  In this moment which hinges equally on the one past and the one to come.  I don’t have the words.  But the being here.  That.

 

 

happy thanksgiving to those in the u.s.  happy belated thanksgiving to my neighbors to the north.  happy-ness to all of you, wherever you are in this world.  wishing you a few quiet moments to reflect on your own soft cushionings.  wishing you love and light.

 

sending a little love your way, m

 

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