Leftover firewood

It's June, nearly July, and my daughter & I are cold and damp from volunteering at a nearby charity event. The wind and grey clouds outside tell me it's not going to improve today. Luckily there's still half a barrowload of firewood left over from winter (and that in itself shows you what a long winter it's been).

Thank goodness for log fires. Even in June ... nearly July!

The blessing of sleep

Sleep. Something many of us take for granted.

I had a few very sleepless nights recently. Nothing bad happened to cause me anxiety or anything, I just woke up in the middle of the night and lay awake for several hours, desperately tired, but not sleeping. The following days were long torture of fatigue.

It made me realize what it must be like to suffer from insomnia.

Last two nights I've dropped off to sleep again with no problem, and it made me appreciate what a blessing a good night's sleep is.

Elbow room

It often gets taken for granted, but every so often some unconnected observations in a short space of time remind me how blessed I am to be living in an uncrowded, relaxed environment.

This morning, I dropped my wife & daughter at the ferry terminal. I drive straight up to a drop-off parking spot near the doors. No booking required, they just strolled in and bought walk-on tickets. No crowds. No waiting.

I picked up pet food. Stopped right outside the door. No waiting to be served.

I shopped for groceries. Parked near the door. Shopped. Walked up to the checkout and started unloading my cart while a customer in front of me was paying.

All the while, I drove on uncrowded roads, with minimal need to stop.

Despite life's other woes and worries, silly things like this go a long way to relieving stress in a busy world.

Now, I won't pretend that all of these things happen all the time. Sometimes I have to look for a parking spot, or wait in line to be served. But these things happen more often than not. And I have to remind myself that all of these things would have seemed unattainable luxuries in my previous home.