Gratitude

The children in my life know not to ask for anything in the morning until they can see the bottom of my coffee cup.  They exhibit either great patience since it is a considerably large cup, or self-reliance if they give up and eventually take care of their own needs.  The youngest eventually caught on that I was refilling it when they weren't looking.  The rest of the day I'm at their disposal, I probably even do a little too much for them, so it isn't an unwillingness to cater to them, I just really need that morning ritual for both the quiet centering time as well as the caffeine.  After that I'm generally in a good mood and ready to start the day.  My good mood today however is oddly specific.  It is a good mood with a theme--gratitude.

Eating my eggs this morning I thought of the chickens that hopefully were relatively comfortable in their job of providing protein.  I was grateful for the boyfriend who bought the more expensive cage-free eggs since he knows that it is important to me.  And that isn't the only thing that he's done for me even if he personally thinks it may be silly if not downright nutty; like the time he took my crystals outside in the freezing cold night so that they could soak up some full moon energy.  Listening to the little girl across the table from me chomp on buttered toast, while I enjoyed the same, I could see the wheat in the field on a warm sunny day, even though the view through the window today is dreary.  The wind that pollinated the field and the fresh water and fertile dirt all a part of making our breakfast possible.  The farmer, baker, truck driver, cashier all playing their roles to get food on the table for us to enjoy.

Truthfully, if I were reading this I probably would be gagging a bit.  At times I can get a bit cynical of public displays of gratitude, wondering what the motivation is.  Like a child coming up and giving you a big hug and saying I love you right before asking for a hot fudge sundae.  That may have been unfair though.  Assuming I've finished my morning coffee the next time I hear of someone raving about how grateful they are, I will take their comments at face value, and take the opportunity to revisit everything that I am grateful for as well.