YES to gratitude (my corner)
Last week, a visit from a dear friend gave me a reason to visit the Washington Coast.
I spend a lot of time at home...working...living. And I do take time to notice the beauty right outside my door. Standing in my backyard and taking five deep breaths is almost daily self-care first aid around here. But sometimes I forget that I really can get in my car and drive just 90 minutes to the ocean (and that is why I wanted to move here almost 10 years ago).
It is like a reboot for my soul.
I'm deeply grateful that when I stand with my feet in the sand, looking "eye to eye" with the ocean, I hear my soul's song. I feel deeply at home. I find myself dancing until I find the rhythm that I need to make sense of things. I'm so grateful for this gift.
In the comments: What are you grateful for about where you live? Let's make a community gratitude list this weekend! Share a few words in the comments today.
Extra Credit: Get outside and take a little video of your corner of the world. Upload it online. Come back and share a link. (I might even pin to my YES board.)
Blessings and love to you today,
Liz
*****
This November, I'm exploring the idea of saying YES to gratitude in all its gorgeous, sometimes confusing, heart-expanding ways. And I'm inviting you to come along on the adventure here on my blog.
Throughout the month, there will be a practice in letting others know I'm grateful for them, a few stories, a collaboration or two, inspiration from others, some giveaways, a special Etsy sale for my newsletter subscribers, and a few other good things.
You can find all the YES to Gratitude posts right here.
yes to gratitude in in moving pictures
Reader Comments (5)
Lovely sharing Liz! Your video makes my heart soar! I absolutely adore and feel so blessed countless times a day to live where we live, and here are a few reasons why! I am grateful that our home is snuggled deep in a little valley, (with a tiny sparkling sliver peek-a-boo view of a lake!), surrounded on 3 sides by the tallest trees I have ever seen in my life (which blanket our yard in yellow and orange in the fall!). I am grateful for opening my eyes in the morning able to see out the second story window from my side of the bed and feel like I slept in a tree house. I am grateful for our sweet little waterfall garden pond which is home to 22 twenty-five cent goldfish (some are over 5 years old!) and a big, beautiful happy rescue Koi named Fu Manchu. I am grateful that on bare limb tree, winter hushed, all is calm days, we can hear the ferry horn from the Edmonds terminal (4 miles West "as the crow flies"), and even more often, the train whistle from tracks which run along the nearby coast. I am grateful for the immense abundance of something-always-blooming native flora which grace us with their presence on our acre of woodland. I am grateful for the motion detector light on the back of our home, which often alerts us to possible wildlife sightings (Possum! Racoon! Barred owls! Squirrels! Stray cats! And one magical evening -gasp!- a quick glimpse of a coyote!) I am beyond grateful that we are about 10 minutes from several beautiful beaches, 20 minutes from downtown Seattle, 30 minutes from over 300 breathtaking acres of tulip fields, 45 minutes from a 268 ft. waterfall and just under an hour from hiking up a snow capped mountain. I am grateful that I live in a place where-even though it is a mere short walk to Starbucks, a transit station, a grocery store and hwy I-5, I am able to connect, commune and create among nature by just stepping out my front door!
Lovely sharing Liz! Your video makes my heart soar! I absolutely adore and feel so blessed countless times a day to live where we live, and here are a few reasons why! I am grateful that our home is snuggled deep in a little valley, (with a tiny sparkling sliver peek-a-boo view of a lake!), surrounded on 3 sides by the tallest trees I have ever seen in my life (which blanket our yard in yellow and orange in the fall!). I am grateful for opening my eyes in the morning able to see out the second story window from my side of the bed and feel like I slept in a tree house. I am grateful for our sweet little waterfall garden pond which is home to 22 twenty-five cent goldfish (some are over 5 years old!) and a big, beautiful happy rescue Koi named Fu Manchu. I am grateful that on bare limb tree, winter hushed, all is calm days, we can hear the ferry horn from the Edmonds terminal (4 miles West "as the crow flies"), and even more often, the train whistle from tracks which run along the nearby coast. I am grateful for the immense abundance of something-always-blooming native flora which grace us with their presence on our acre of woodland. I am grateful for the motion detector light on the back of our home, which often alerts us to possible wildlife sightings (Possum! Racoon! Barred owls! Squirrels! Stray cats! And one magical evening -gasp!- a quick glimpse of a coyote!) I am beyond grateful that we are about 10 minutes from several beautiful beaches, 20 minutes from downtown Seattle, 30 minutes from over 300 breathtaking acres of tulip fields, 45 minutes from a 268 ft. waterfall and just under an hour from hiking up a snow capped mountain. I am grateful that I live in a place where-even though it is a mere short walk to Starbucks, a transit station, a grocery store and hwy I-5, I am able to connect, commune and create among nature by just stepping out my front door!
I am so grateful that I live next to a park with miles of walking paths through the woods. Plus I am only 5 miles from a Nature Center and three miles away there are over 52 miles of rail to trail bike paths. The main reason I brought this house. I can get to nature real quick. A must for my sanity.
I am grateful to live in a right-size city, 10 minutes away from my parents one direction and 10 minutes from my brother and his family the other direction. I am grateful to live in an apartment complex that allows us not only to have pets - a rarity alone - but which also allows them to roam outside. I am grateful to have a quiet little pond on the back side of the complex, a big shared yard, and plenty of trees. I am grateful to live just 5 minutes away from several walking paths near the Willamette river and the ponds dotting the edge of it.
I love that I live 3 minutes from a lake and 20 minutes from a beautiful city. I am grateful to still be living in a place where there are 4 distinct seasons - each one with its own pleasures and delights. Being grateful for these types of things is so important since I am also living hundreds and hundreds of miles from my friends and family. Each and every day there is sooooo much to be grateful for! Thanks for the great post Liz.