Gratitude

We haven't even had much of a leaf-fall yet and it's already blustery and winter-like outside, with rain falling out of skies that don't seem in the mood for clearing any time soon. It's a good day to stay inside and busy myself here, which I can do, as I extend house cleaning to a multi-day project. (No sense breaking my back doing a job that will just have to be done again in two weeks.)

I've never really minded a little bit of rain. When I was a kid, inclement weather outside always meant feeling snug and warm inside. The very unpleasantness of what you could see happening on the other side of the window pane made you happy and grateful for what you had to protect you from it. I still feel that way, but there's a different quality to that comfortable feeling now that I am responsible for it. As a kid, I had literally not a worry in the world. I remember that sensation, sometimes with longing. But longing gets you nowhere, and full-fledged adulthood brings too many joys, along with its responsibilities and occasional heartaches, for me to waste too much time on regret. Life, with its sunshine, rain, and everything else in between, is the only gift that any of us ever gets. Even at that, it's just a temporary arrangement.

And so I'll charge ahead, making an effort to remember to be grateful for every speck of street grime that demands I sweep it away. Whoever thinks life isn't full of challenges just isn't looking in the right places.