Mirror seas and clear skies

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again many times...my family and I are blessed to be surrounded by so much natural beauty.

We all went to my daughter's school concert this evening, and drove back along the seaside route. The water is usually calm here, very sheltered, but tonight it was flat as glass. The sky was clear, and the distant mountains peeping above the headland looked like sharp etchings biting into the blue above.

Leisure time

It's another beautiful day and, like most weekends, there seems to be lots to do that precludes the luxury of simple indolence. It's so easy to think "Gaah! Too much to do! I just want to sit down and relax!"

Yet I just realized that, for all the things filling the weekend, it is pretty relaxing. None of the chores are crowding on top of one another in a sanity-threatening way. The kids are pottering around down on the patio fixing up planters and hanging baskets to tart up the outside. I am pottering around getting food ready for a barbecue. The sun promises a blissful afternoon on the deck in the shade of the parasol, with a beer or three.

And I suddenly realized how darned lucky I am to have this time of relative tranquility. Some people spend their "free" hours holding down second and third jobs to make ends meet. Some struggle simply for basic survival.

So there's food to prepare, dishes to clean, laundry to throw in the washer. Maybe I'm not spending three hours at a stretch writing or sketching. So bloody what? I have nothing to grumble about.

The kiss of sunshine

We've had many beautiful days so far, when it's been nice to get out in the sun, but this is the first time this year when the air has warmed up. When it has felt like summer without having to seek shelter from that chill wind, when being in the shade isn't accompanied by that little bite in the air.

It's been a while coming, but is all the more welcome for it. Without winter, there can be no summer.

The sound of music

I came home yesterday to the sound of my daughter sitting at the top of the stairs, playing her guitar. She and my wife were singing along together while preparing supper.

Yes, there were many stumbles and misplaced chords, but it was still wonderful to hear the house filled with music. Listening to music is one thing, but there's something magical about making it.

This is something I never did as a child. I'm glad my children are encouraged to try.

Biting the bullet

There are some office moves afoot in my workplace, which is always contentious and unsettling. More so in this case because these moves are "temporary" - but of undefined duration - and are therefore being done on the cheap and cramming us into decidedly sub-optimal conditions.

I had to talk one-on-one with a few of my staff about my proposals, because I wasn't sure how well the most logical plan would be received, then a group meeting to run through the rest of the plan.

These conversations always provoke high anxiety in me, because I don't know how some people will react. So I was not looking forward to this.

In the end, it went amazingly well. Some of the moves were actually seen as an improvement on current conditions, which I wasn't expecting. Not everything was received so well, but people at least were realistic about the situation.

I'm thankful I found the courage to bite the bullet, confront my fears, and talk openly and honestly about what needed to be done.

Quiet moments

I took my daughter to music lessons this evening, as I do most weeks. She has two lessons back to back, which makes an hour in total. Rather than drive back home, and have to turn around again a short while later to pick her up, I stay there and read or write. I'm thankful for that quiet hour to myself, a blessed respite from the hustle & bustle of work and home.

The power of gratitude

I attended a short seminar today called "Attitude of Gratitude" which I realized spoke directly to this blog and how it started.

In a nutshell, the premise of the seminar was that your attitude materially affects your health and happiness, and that one of the cornerstones of a positive attitude was a habitual sense of gratitude.

In short, count your blessings.

Moreover, one of the techniques suggested for developing an attitude of gratitude was to keep a "gratitude journal". Hmmm...sounds rather like this blog.

Must try to get more regular here!

Oh, and for today, I'm grateful for this timely reminder of the importance of what I started here just over a year ago.