Gratitude Journal (GJ) - Day 1: I'm alive!

 I'm no good at keeping a journal.  I recognize that now.

So for the next 30 days, Thanksgiving through Christmas 2020, I'm going to try to keep a journal with a purpose.  While Gratitude is becoming the new 'in' thing, it's a relative stranger to me, so I'm taking the next 30 days to reflect daily on something I am grateful for in the world, in a year where so many people have so many reasons to focus on their troubles, not on their happiness. We'll see how consistent I'll be.

Today, I've been thinking about just being grateful that I'm alive, when and where I am.  I've made it to middle age (some would say past that), and I'm still basically in one piece.  There are many people I've known through the years who didn't make it this far, due to car accidents, overdoses, cancer, and most recently, COVID.  

But it's more than that - I'm grateful for the time I'm living in, where science has progressed to the point where we can defend against pandemics and prevent diseases from overwhelming us.  In a time where people can learn almost anything, and become what they want to be, rather than just what tradition and culture requires us to be.  In a society where we are free to complain about almost anything, including our leaders and our own society and culture, without fear of institutional retribution (even though society can respond negatively about the thoughts we express).  

And in a time where communication can be instant and 'personal' in that we can see each other and talk to each other in real time, rather than only by e-mail, telephone, or letter.  It's still not the same as being able to see people in person, but when I am talking to people online when they are on the other side of the planet, or even just a few (hundred) miles away, and can see their faces and their body language, and hear the nuances in their voices, it's a pretty close second to being there.

So I'm glad I'm here, and I'm glad that 'here' is what it is, even if we're a bit gloomy right now.  And if anyone is reading this, I'm glad you're here too, but more on that in a later post.