I carry a perpetual grocery list that gathers like a nest in every crevice of my life. Every week it’s a scratch of urgent needs: chicken, tonic, wine. Write, buy, repeat.
And in my head, I carry a gratitude list: a jumble of small, pressing appreciations.
Because attention attracts gratitude and gratitude expands joy, it's time for Thankful Thursday. This week I am thankful for:
Cuties
You know the sales pitch: small, sweet and easy to eat. Also, adorable in scale. These miniature oranges (technically mandarins) get me through these long winter days. Admittedly, they have a sordid backstory, and out of guilt I did take a long break. But here it is, holiday season, and I’m back on the Cuties.
Also: I’m thankful for this publication. Superb research, writing, and design.
Book Gifts
I’m not a great gift-giver. I labor over gift guides and scan every conversation for hints on what to buy that says, “How did you know?”
But I never know.
Because I love books, I assume everyone loves books, and that’s why each year I give books, books, books to family, friends, neighbors, strangers . . . But I’ve come to my senses (begrudgingly) and realized one person’s treasure is another’s homework assignment. My family groans silently with every literary gift.
Still, every lid has a pot and every book a reader. I can’t stop matching books to people. This year I’ve cut back on book gifts — but I did find an exact right match with this book and this book and this book.
Also, I’ll include this caveat: You don’t like the book? Pass it on. Re-gifting is allowed and encouraged.
Grandma, the movie
The best movies are the ones you don’t even know you want to see. This week I stumbled into a gem: Grandma, a dramedy with sharp writing and great acting from Lily Tomlin and Julia Garner. Released in 2015, it’s now on Amazon.
A friend sends a poem
This week a friend sent me this poem. A poem is a gentle ‘thinking of you’, and isn’t that the best gift of all?
Between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, Today
I read a Korean poem
with the line “Today you are the youngest
you will ever be.” Today I am the oldest
I have been. Today we drink
buckwheat tea. Today I have heat
in my apartment. Today I think
about the word chada in Korean.
It means cold. It means to be filled with.
It means to kick. To wear. Today we’re worn.
Today you wear the cold. Your chilled skin.
My heart kicks on my skin. Someone said
winter has broken his windows. The heat inside
and the cold outside sent lightning across glass.
Today my heart wears you like curtains. Today
it fills with you. The window in my room
is full of leaves ready to fall. Chada, you say. It’s tea.
We drink. It is cold outside.
It’s Thankful Thursday, a weekly pause to express appreciation for people, places, poems, and more. What are you thankful for today?