At this time of year we are all expected to take stock of all of the things we are thankful for, and the lists tend to have a pretty similar ring to them. Those bags brought to my mind several unusual items I am extremely thankful for (in addition of course to the usual). This list is not in priority order.
1. Zip-Lock bags: Oh the wonder of a good zip-lock bag! I use these wonderful inventions every day, yet rarely show my deep appreciation for them. In the past year or so I have even, for the most part, stopped re-using them. This is a great tragedy in my mind. I resolve (yes, even before New Years) to return to the practice of washing and re-using my amazing zip-lock bags to the point of un-usability.
2. Weeds: I am partial to weeds, in spite of being a gardener. Weeds help keep me in shape. Pulling them endlessly from my garden rows and mowing them down in my yard is so good for me physically. But weeds are good for me in other ways too. For example, stinging nettle and lambs quarters make excellent replacements for spinach! They are free and grow readily. Spinach on the other hand is another of those elusive crops for me. I wonder if I will ever grow it successfully. But with so many wonderful weeds around I don't need to worry about it! Weeds also provide my yard and my life with so much color. Wildflowers of every shape and hue enrich my life throughout the year! Hurray for weeds!
3. Foil lined bubble pack insulation: This is a new one for me but I am no less thankful for its existence. Last week before we left for Indiana I taped a sheet of this wonderful material in sort of a band shell formation behind my tray of baby curry trees. In the week before we left I had needed to turn this tray a couple of times per day to avoid etiolation of the trees. (For those of you without the benefit of a biology major for a hubby, etiolation is when plants grow crooked trying to reach out to the sun.) When we arrived home last night after being gone a full week, the trees were standing up perfectly straight!
And as a side note I have one albino tree!
4. Breaths: When I speak of breaths I don't mean the simple breathing which signifies life. I am grateful of course for life giving breath. I wouldn't have my wonderful friends or family or any of the other great things I have if it weren't for life giving breath. However, the breaths I am speaking of here are those very thoughtful breaths that enrich my life. For example: the deep breaths I take while performing my first forward bends in the morning which open up the muscles in my lower back and hips to allow the muscles there to stretch. Another example: The breaths I take when someone is upsetting me deeply. These breaths bring me back to my present mind and help prevent my mouth from spewing all sorts of vitriolic nastiness. In other words these breaths help preserve my relationships with my fellow humans. One more example: Deep breaths of autumn air full of the scent of warm dry leaves; sharp, crisp breaths of winter air just after a snow; sweet perfumed breaths of spring flowers; and thick, humid breaths of summer heat that persuade me to go sit by the creek. For all of these breaths and many more I am truly, deeply thankful.
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