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:
- That I got my leg and back pain under control after a setback that put me in a dark place for over two months.
- For all the friends and family who were there for me during this time.
- 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.
- For loving my new home.
- For my canine companion Scamp, who worried about me and was beside me my whole painful journey.
- 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.
- For my regained zest for life and search for silver linings.
- 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.
- For the birds that visit my new place.
- 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.
- That I am once again able to take care of my own needs – mostly. I can’t lift anything heavy.
- For my writing colleagues, and Story Circle Network, the women’s writing organization that has been my support group for 12 years now.
- For the brilliant colors of fall.
- For the luxury of a hot bath.
- For Reese’s peanut butter cups.
- For trees, especially the two giant blooming oleanders and the cottonwood that grow in my small patio yard.
- 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.
- For soft comfortable pajamas, which I could live in all day if I didn’t have to walk Scamp.
- 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.
- For grand and great-grandkids and their wonderful parents, and for all my kids and their families.
- For a happy hour, anytime, with a Jack and Coke.
- For live theater, especially on a local level that offers affordable tickets.
- For new friends.
- For stimulating conversations, even if it’s just with myself and my journal.
- 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.
- Warm, soft blankets on cold days.
- Air conditioning and heating.
- For my journals – and that I’ve been keeping them for 50 years now.
- The mountain view from my bedroom window.
- The solar lights that brighten up my patio at night.
- Scamp’s great groomer, especially because he has a bad report card and no one else wants to groom him.
- For audible books that make lying awake at night a pleasure instead of a pain.
- A hot cup of tea. Lemon-ginger is my favorite.
- For libraries. May they never go away.
- Receiving, and writing, snail-mail letters from old friends who haven’t forgotten how to write them.
- The smell of the desert landscape after a rain.
- For all the good memories I’ve made in my 83 years on Planet Earth.
- For kind people.
- For the comfortable Roadhouse Cinema where I can watch matinee movies on the big screen and eat lunch at the same time.
- For the colorful, fun paintings, mostly mine, that brighten up my white walls.
- For comfortable shoes.
- For good surprises, not the flat tire or my car won’t start kind.
- That decisions can be reversed.
- For my comfortable new mattress, which I finally broke down and bought this past year.
- For Advil.
- For my chicken and rice, which is my comfort food for days that need to be made more joyful.
- 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.
- For jigsaw puzzles, which I love to build.
- For board and card games and healthy competition.
- For Social Security.
- Modern appliances so I have time to read.
- The Desert Bird of Paradise plant that blooms all around my new apartment complex. The orange and red blossoms have become my favorite flower.
- My morning cream-laced coffee.
- For the tiny gnome garden my long-time friend Kim created for me around my cottonwood tree when she visited me from Utah.
- For laughter in my life, even if it’s at myself.
- That I’m finally learning how to use a smart phone after fighting against making it a priority for years. `
- For the tall lamp I found at a thrift store for $12, and which brightens up my living room.
- For all the strong women who have influenced my life – too many to name.
- For my curiosity and the insatiable longing to learn something new every day.
- For sunrises and sunsets.
- For Pond’s moisturizing cream, as nothing else seems to work for me.
- For butterflies, which I seem to have seen, and painted, quite a few this past year.
- For gardenias, because their smell reminds me of my grandmother.
- That I don’t have to be perfect to be loved.
- For all the rollercoaster rides I took when I could.
- For rivers, and lakes and waterfalls.
- For twinkling Christmas tree lights.
- For my wrinkles and experiences.
- For hugs – and doggie kisses.
- For a new haircut.
- For my heating pad when my knee is hurting.
- For a good pen.
- That I discovered Louise Penny’s Inspector Garmache series this past year. I’m on Book 11.
- For a rainy day, and the excuse it gives me to curl up on the sofa with a good book.
- For my home physical therapist, who helped me get better.
- For the colorful clay turtle my friend Jean brought me back from Mexico and which now brightens my patio.
- For local parks with paved trails that accommodate my rollator.
- For my Kindle.
- For cheddar/sour cream potato chips.
- For being able to still drive, if only for short distances.
- For being born in America, and for the privileges I’ve had as a woman because of it.
- For the corny jokes a son tells me during his daily calls.
- For no longer having to pay long-distance charges to talk to a loved one.
- For America’s national parks and scenic byways, and for being able to see and travel so many of them.
- For the great horned owls that I got to see grow up this past year.
- For the daily e-mails I share with a daughter-in-law.
- For artists whose paintings inspire me, like Van Gogh’s sunflowers and Donna Howell-Sickles’ cowgirls.
- For talking once again to an estranged loved one.
- For my improved vision after cataract surgery.
- For my microwave, which heats up leftovers so easily.
- For the howl of nearby coyotes.
- For the saguaro cacti that can be seen all around Tucson.
- For antibiotics and vaccinations.
- For wrinkle-free clothes – and the fact I don’t own an iron.
- For new sox and underwear.
- 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.
- On the other hand, I love company, including drop-by friends who always make my days more interesting.
- Rainbows, of which I’ve viewed quite a few this year.
- 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.
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