Gratitude Practice 2020 Day 280: The Power of a Surprise Mid-week Veterans Day Off
Today is Veterans Day which is a recognized holiday for many working for banks or for government agencies and a handful of other pubic institutions. Utah schools are normally in session on Veterans Day so taking this day off has never been an option as we work when the programs are open and program runs when schools are operating. But not this year because nothing in 2020 works like normal. Due to a dramatic spike in Covid-19 cases in our state, as of Tuesday our programs are temporarily closed. Our teams and our work is once again house bound. Insert giant exhausted yet slightly relieved but still pretty anxious sigh here. With this quick change, I was totally shocked to realize that due to our sudden program closures I would have a surprise mid-week Veteran Day off. What? This never happens? What is this alchemy? Even more surprised to discover how much I really really needed this break and new refocused reminder, appreciation and gratitude for this strangely scheduled mid-week holiday.
Grateful for this mornings bubble of excitement for school picture day. Our favorite kindergarten was exploding with joy at the idea of picture day and watching her happily and confidently walk into school this morning where she feels safe and secure and loved and known blew up my mama heart. Grateful for this magical school full of talented, hardworking, creative caregivers and lots of supportive playmates and fun friendships.
Grateful for an early morning tech free completely refreshing walk around my favorite city park with Burke. Just us and a whole lot of confused trees...some bravely holding on to their final colorful leaves while others courageously carried the weight and pressure of a sudden snowfall. Felt so great to move, to feel strong, to feel capable and to feel healthy. To breath in and out the crisp morning almost winter air. To connect and chat...just us... together making a determined morning loop. This is true love for sure.
Grateful for unobstructed time to conquer a few personal paperwork tasks...you know that ever growing stack of documents and mail that requires attention...the stack you add to almost daily and avoid just as frequently... the pressing pile that stares you down regularly as you pass by to focus on any other project. Grateful for time and space and energy to work through this stack...and in the light of day...with full brain power allocated opposed to the scrappy early morning pre-work day efforts or the late night scrambled brain sleep starved efforts. This pile. This stack. I loath this responsible adult task. But today....to have time to even start making sense of life maintenance paperwork...boom! Complete gratitude for time to slay this stack...which completely confirms that I've reached an all new high of adult lameness.
Grateful for time on my couch...to read….a magazine...in a quiet room...by myself…wrapped up in a blanket with our fireplace flickering with delicate snow carefully falling outside. Time. What is this free time? Unscheduled time? Unplanned time? Uncommitted...time? AND if that was not indulgent enough...I had both the ability AND the personal permission to drift off to sleepy land for a middle of the day nap. What kind of voodoo is this?
Grateful for a day free from zoom calls, teams meetings, real meetings, emails, phone calls, news feeds, and even my beloved NPR and New York Times...exactly ZERO work was done. And absolutely ZERO news was consumed…AND be still my heart!
Grateful for time to putter in my creative space. To use my head and my hands and my energy to create freely without structure or deadline or expectations. Just create and fumble and play with my random collection of this and that. With some mindless non-anninated TV on in the background…I mean...I may never recover.
Grateful for our simple dinner time rituals. For my little family and the home and life and safe space we are trying to establish and maintain. Grateful for good food, clean water, heat, comfortable clothes, the sanctuary that our home has become this year. Grateful for my education, my ability to work and contribute to our family and to our community. For our happy little trio...for a family that I dreamed about and prayed for for decades...for this life that is materializing day after day after day.
So very grateful for this surprise Veterans Day off and not just because my whole heart and soul needed it...but because all aspects of my day today were possible because so many hard working Americans work day in and day out to protect and defend and battle for my safety and security and the endless possibilities found in this country. My life is so very cush...even on the very dark and overwhelming days. My goodness. My privilege. My opportunities. My access. My security. My education. My freedoms. WOW! Just WOW!
Today, just so grateful and humbled by Veterans...for brave public servants and defenders who risk all to make my silly white girl middle age working mama hopeful do-gooder life possible. Just so very grateful.
