Counting Them All

  There are a lot of phrases that are spouted by those well-meaning folks who give ill-timed and not well thought out advice.  People spiel out some platitude that they think will cure all problems.  These things don't.  At times, they make things worse.  Things like "No one said life was fair." or "This too shall pass." are a few that come to mind.  While perhaps given in good faith that all will be well afterward. it is not often the case.  At this point, I fully admit to using a lot of platitudes myself but not often as advice to others.  Giving out advice is not my strong point. My use of these is more as a way to kick myself in gear.  And one of my favorite things to tell myself comes from Pop..."It will all come out in the wash."  I keep telling myself that and, well, it usually does.

  Today's platitude (which, for those who are not up on the word, is an overused moral statement) for myself is "Count your blessings."  Yep.  I guess we all should do this but rarely do we.  It is one of those things that we throw out there when things are starting to be a bit daunting.  It is supposed to make us feel better knowing that we have "things".  So, with the current struggles here on the Bayou, I found myself thinking that I should do just that.   To start with, I could rattle off the ones every person does when faced with the question of daily blessings.  House...check.  Clothing...check.  Food...check.   Family...check.  Yeah, this was getting a bit redundant. All of these are things to be thankful for but, at the same time, I needed something that made me feel better in the moment.  

  As I wandered about in my miniature hiking area due to the old dog's health, I pondered what my blessing for the moment was.  I have seen this area a thousand times or more in the past year alone,  It is hard to decide what is earth-shaking enough to be listed.  Then it occurred to me that earth-shaking is not necessary.  It just had to be something that was there only for me...at that time...at that place.  And it was. 

  At that very moment, the clouds separated and the sun peeked through.  I was graced with the view of a perfect sunrise over the Bayou.  A small opening in the tree row near the marsh allowed me to be witness to this phenomenon.  Had I been a few steps to either side, I would not have seen it.  Had I been deep in the woods near the creek bed, darkness would have still surrounded me. Had the old dog, Mr. PJ, not felt better this morning, we would have never made it this far down the hill.  This was my sunrise.  IT was my blessing for the day.

  Although we sometimes overlook things because we see them on a daily basis, they happen for a reason and they happen just for us. The timing, placement and thoughts all had to be perfectly aligned for me to see the sunrise in a new light.  (Yep, pun intended there.)  This lifted my spirits and gave me strength to face the day.