It is shameful that I am sitting inside on such an incredibly beautiful day. The silence in my house is unusual. Aside from patter on my keyboard, the only sound is someone operating a leaf blower or pressure washer or similar sounding device off in the distance. I do plan to get outside later to spend some time enjoying the incredible day. First, I have work to do.
I just finished prioritizing an extraordinarily long to-do list with the promise to myself that when everything on the list is done, I am going to take off to appreciate life and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. I need to get started on the to do list today if I am going to be finished by the end of the day on November 23rd, which is the day that Brainy Bird arrives home from college. This will be his first trip home since he started college. Needless to say, I am more than a little excited.
We are returning to the office, and this has me needing to carefully prioritize my time. The return to the office brings many happy things, but I do not want to return to my pre-pandemic life where I did not make time for things that are important to me. Things like writing in my blog, and taking time to reflect on life and appreciate the little things that make life special.
I had just finished prioritizing my longer than a CVS receipt to-do list when I took the first sip of my coffee of the day from my twelve days of Christmas coffee advent calendar. The coffee provided such a pleasant taste that I got up to see what the name of today’s blend is. Appropriately, the blend is named haerfest, which is pronounced harvest. By most translations, the word translates to the autumn season, my favorite season of the year. This beautiful season is well underway as I type.
Once I sat back down at my desk after I examined the name of my coffee blend, I decided to add writing in my blog to my list of prioritized tasks. I boldly put the task at the top of the list. Now, in the time that I have been writing this post, my energy has gone from anxious and hurried, to relaxed and focused. The whole point of prioritizing the task list was to get everything important done, so that I could take time off at Thanksgiving to reflect and appreciate all that I am thankful for in my life. Should this not be how everyday begins?
With that idea in mind, I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my morning coffee, my cozy little home, my loyal doggie and playful kittens sleeping next to me while I write, and the sight of Trooper outside lounging in the sunshine of the beautiful fall morning. I am thankful for the happiness and opportunities that my son has found at the University of South Carolina. I am thankful for the passionate mini-me that drives me crazy and warms my heart everyday; this mini-me is otherwise known as Little Chirp. I am thankful for the people that I work for, and the incredible amount of integrity that they operate with. I am thankful that I have a job that I love going to everyday. I am thankful for my friends, and I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with them.
It is the little things in life…