gratitude in situ.

sunday, september 8th, 2024.

I've been letting myself get a little spun around the axle lately, but I've got so much to be thankful for— it feels a little shortsighted to be so focused on all the frustrating bits. That old phrase, "this too shall pass," rattles around my brain like a comforting tic.

A still life is an artistic concession. Every moment is balanced in the continuity from past to future— all is always in motion. Even the most stalwart mountain is eroded by rain and wind. How small our worries seem when you zoom out and gaze upon the continuity in motion!

Gratitude is a practice. A decision to appreciate this moment and our loved ones who are present in this moment with us. To remember our loved ones who are no longer with us and those moments we shared with them on this great continuity of life. Each memory a moment shared.

Perhaps gratitude is more like a camera shutter than any other analogy. To be thankful is to remember, to capture a moment before it slips back into the ever-roiling continuity. Even these shared moments have their own vantage points— my gratitude may look similar to another's but it's never quite the same. Perhaps the salty wind on my face is my recording and the smell of the rain is another's.

Gosh, what a wonderful life I've lived so far. What beautiful souls I've shared moments with!

Until next time, be well. :)