She was ready for the question. She knew that the teacher would ask all the kids in class to say what they were thankful for. It was the last dance class before Thanksgiving after all. My daughter waited patiently as the teacher went around the circle. When her turn came, she cleared her throat and stated,
“There are many things I’m thankful for, but one thing that we don’t think about a lot is gravity.
I’m thankful for gravity because without gravity we’d all float away.”
My daughter’s answer challenged me to think about gratitude in a new light, which was fitting because for me this year has been all about doing things differently. And so, as I found myself in London for Thanksgiving, having had high tea with rainbows on the menu instead of turkey and stuffing, I felt gratitude both for the comfort of routine, the nourishment of family, friends, and good food. And I also felt gratitude for the awe and wonder that comes with novelty and change.
I noticed that sometimes gratitude feels like a warm cup of tea, and sometimes it feels more like a giddy toddler.
Gratitude Is Like a Giddy Toddler
Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you almost couldn’t stand it?
Like it was a heroic effort
to contain yourself,
to refrain
from jumping up and down
and shouting like a giddy toddler
who has just tasted ice cream for the first time,
and wants to proclaim to everyone within earshot
how magnificent it is.
The clouds tipped the edge of the horizon, glowing as hot pink flames
where their moisture caught the rays of the sun setting beyond my sight.
Waves of condensation billowed toward me in gentle undulations,
punctuated by jagged peaks and land lakes that formed in openings
where the ground was visible twenty thousand feet below.
The young man in the row ahead of me angled his phone
at the window to take a picture.
And I felt
relieved
that I was not the only one who noticed.
p.s. – How do rainbows taste, you might ask? Delightful!
Join me for an in-person timeout:
Poetry Reading @ Holiday Open House
Saturday, December 7, 2:00-3:00pm
Private residence in Northwest Austin
(email me for address)
Take a timeout to enjoy a cup of tea or glass of wine,
browse handmade art and craft gifts, and listen to some poetry.
Cove Bells - A Winter Solstice Tradition
Wednesday, December 18, 6:30-8pm
Seton Cove, 3708 Crawford Street, Austin 78731
Learn more and register here.
Join me for an intimate evening of poetry, reflection, and light dinner
as we weave through another cycle of the year.
Frontera Fest Long Fringe Theater Festival (4 dates and times!)
Wednesday, January 29, 8:45pm
Friday, January 31, 7:00pm
Saturday, February 1, 5:45pm
Sunday, February 2, 3:00pm
Ground Floor Theatre, Austin, TX
In Our Prime and I will take the stage on four dates to bring you
storytelling with poetry, improvisational theater, and song.
Each show will be unique and anything is possible!
Coming soon...
Brainstorms Audiobook
December 2019
I'm in the final stages of sound engineering and am excited to share
the Brainstorms listening experience - 90 minutes of poetry and sound!
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