Pat Bean's blog

Aging My Way

 It’s that time of year when I put together a list of 100 things that I’m thankful for. In no specific order, my list for 2022 includes:

1. That I got my leg and back pain under control after a setback that put me in a dark place for over two months.    
2. For all the friends and family who were there for me during this time.
3. For finding a new first-floor place to live in so quickly after being forced to give up by third-floor apartment that I lived in and loved for almost 10 years.
4. For loving my new home.
5. For my canine companion Scamp, who worried about me and was beside me my whole painful journey.
6. And even for his stubbornness not to use the small fenced-in patio area for his toilette, since it means I get at least some daily exercise because I have to walk him, even if it means using my new rollator to do it.
7. For my regained zest for life and search for silver linings.
8. For the world’s multitude of book writers – and that I’m an avid reader and also a writer, because it means I will never be bored.
9. For the birds that visit my new place.
10.  That a granddaughter and her wife were able to move into my same apartment complex so there would always be family close by, and especially for the love they have given me.
11.  That I am once again able to take care of my own needs – mostly. I can’t lift anything heavy.
12.  For my writing colleagues, and Story Circle Network, the women’s writing organization that has been my support group for 12 years now.
13.  For the brilliant colors of fall.
14.  For the luxury of a hot bath.
15.  For Reese’s peanut butter cups.
16.  For trees, especially the two giant blooming oleanders and the cottonwood that grow in my small patio yard.
17.  For the wonder of the Internet’s instant information source and for its connection to friends and family – but also for my sense not to believe everything I read.
18.  For soft comfortable pajamas, which I could live in all day if I didn’t have to walk Scamp.
19.  For my rubber tree plant, which came back to me 12 years after I left it to go galivanting around the country in my RV. It likes its new home.
20.  For grand and great-grandkids and their wonderful parents, and for all my kids and their families.
21.  For a happy hour, anytime, with a Jack and Coke.
22.  For live theater, especially on a local level that offers affordable tickets.
23.  For new friends.
24.  For stimulating conversations, even if it’s just with myself and my journal.
25.  For Dusty, who is Scamp’s best canine friend, and who I’ve babysat while her mom is at work for nearly 10 years now.
26.  Warm, soft blankets on cold days.
27.  Air conditioning and heating.
28.  For my journals – and that I’ve been keeping them for 50 years now.
29.  The mountain view from my bedroom window.
30. The solar lights that brighten up my patio at night.
31.  Scamp’s great groomer, especially because he has a bad report card and no one else wants to groom him.  
32.  For audible books that make lying awake at night a pleasure instead of a pain.
33.  A hot cup of tea. Lemon-ginger is my favorite.
34.  For libraries. May they never go away.
35.  Receiving, and writing, snail-mail letters from old friends who haven’t forgotten how to write them.
36.  The smell of the desert landscape after a rain.
37.  For all the good memories I’ve made in my 83 years on Planet Earth.
38.  For kind people.
39.  For the comfortable Roadhouse Cinema where I can watch matinee movies on the big screen and eat lunch at the same time.
40.  For the colorful, fun paintings, mostly mine, that brighten up my white walls.
41.  For comfortable shoes.
42.  For good surprises, not the flat tire or my car won’t start kind.
43.  That decisions can be reversed.
44.  For my comfortable new mattress, which I finally broke down and bought this past year.
45.  For Advil.
46.  For my chicken and rice, which is my comfort food for days that need to be made more joyful.
47.  That I got to make a road trip to Texas this year before my leg pain hit me, and reduced the distance I can comfortably drive.
48.  For jigsaw puzzles, which I love to build.
49.  For board and card games and healthy competition.
50.  For Social Security.
51.  Modern appliances so I have time to read.
52.  The Desert Bird of Paradise plant that blooms all around my new apartment complex. The orange and red blossoms have become my favorite flower.
53. My morning cream-laced coffee.
54.  For the tiny gnome garden my long-time friend Kim created for me around my cottonwood tree when she visited me from Utah.
55. For laughter in my life, even if it’s at myself.
56.  That I’m finally learning how to use a smart phone after fighting against making it a priority for years. `
57.  For the tall lamp I found at a thrift store for $12, and which brightens up my living room.
58.  For all the strong women who have influenced my life – too many to name.
59.  For my curiosity and the insatiable longing to learn something new every day.
60.  For sunrises and sunsets.
61.  For Pond’s moisturizing cream, as nothing else seems to work for me.
62.  For butterflies, which I seem to have seen, and painted, quite a few this past year.
63.  For gardenias, because their smell reminds me of my grandmother.
64.  That I don’t have to be perfect to be loved.
65.  For all the rollercoaster rides I took when I could.
66.  For rivers, and lakes and waterfalls.
67.  For twinkling Christmas tree lights.
68.  For my wrinkles and experiences.
69.  For hugs – and doggie kisses.
70.  For a new haircut.
71.  For my heating pad when my knee is hurting.
72.  For a good pen.
73.  That I discovered Louise Penny’s Inspector Garmache series this past year. I’m on Book 11.
74.  For a rainy day, and the excuse it gives me to curl up on the sofa with a good book.
75.  For my home physical therapist, who helped me get better.
76.  For the colorful clay turtle my friend Jean brought me back from Mexico and which now brightens my patio.
77.  For local parks with paved trails that accommodate my rollator.
78.  For my Kindle.
79.  For cheddar/sour cream potato chips.
80.  For being able to still drive, if only for short distances.
81.  For being born in America, and for the privileges I’ve had as a woman because of it.
82.  For the corny jokes a son tells me during his daily calls.
83.  For no longer having to pay long-distance charges to talk to a loved one.
84.  For America’s national parks and scenic byways, and for being able to see and travel so many of them.
85.  For the great horned owls that I got to see grow up this past year.
86.  For the daily e-mails I share with a daughter-in-law.
87.  For artists whose paintings inspire me, like Van Gogh’s sunflowers and Donna Howell-Sickles’ cowgirls.
88.  For talking once again to an estranged loved one.
89.  For my improved vision after cataract surgery.
90.  For my microwave, which heats up leftovers so easily.
91.  For the howl of nearby coyotes.
92.  For the saguaro cacti that can be seen all around Tucson.  
93.  For antibiotics and vaccinations.
94.  For wrinkle-free clothes – and the fact I don’t own an iron.
95.  For new sox and underwear.
96.  That I enjoy my own company and never suffer from loneliness. Having the time and solitude to connect the dots of my life is a treasure.
97.  On the other hand, I love company, including drop-by friends who always make my days more interesting.
98.  Rainbows, of which I’ve viewed quite a few this year.
99.  My renewed interest in finally writing the memoir about my journalism career.

100 And last, but not least, I’m thankful for all the readers of my blog. Thank you.