A day at the kitchen table.
Sorting out the record of my counselling experience
Times,session numbers, progress made.
Lines and lines of facts and figures
Watched by my own 9 Gormley figures and Roger of course
I was reminded of a client who once showed me her gratitude diary
It was homework given to her by the mental health team
And it was empty
She had nothing to fill the pages with
I wrote my own in my head today as I listed my clients and their histories
Old people eating Ice Cream,
No one in the cinema in an afternoon,
A thunder storm,
Tiramisu,
A blood sugar of 5.9
Praise,
My best Walking Dead T shirt that now fits!
Bun cuddles,
Fresh flowers on the lane window ledge ,
My first A grade at University,
Friends,
Walking into La Sagrada Familia for the first time,and crying
Scented candles
Roger being dim Roger,
Realising I am content,and more self aware than ever I was
A flirt with an attractive man ,
Thinking an attractive man is flirting even when he isn’t ! !!!!
Lemon curd
A cracking movie, standing in an ovation in the theatre,
Miso soup,
The Lisping Spanish Choir.
A hot shower,
The people in my village,
The Storyhouse cinema,
Being respected.
My family time
A memory of a scotch egg
I’m also grateful for little films like this one
If you have a minute watch it
It’s delightful
A goodly list.
ReplyDeleteEclectic
DeleteThat is a seriously good - and long! - list. And every one a winner and something special to treasure. Contentment hits you like a brick, and when you are least expecting it. Well done.
ReplyDeleteGratitude is a healthy way to live each day and is a variation of being thankful.
ReplyDeleteLove your list. Mine includes ways I have interacted with my patients and their families to help them understand what's going on because it helped them.
Also the experience 4 weeks ago when a huge female bald eagle flew by me, DH, and DS1 at head height and only about 5 feet from us. Awesome in the most immense sense of the word along with astonished and grateful.
Also good coffee and comfy warm clothes.
Little things and a few big things, all appreciated.
Hugs!
Omg , that close encounter with nature reminds me of the late Queen’s experience with a huge stag in Scotland , I hope that scene in The Queen was true
DeleteMe, too. Hugs!
DeleteAn excellent list. Really pleased to see Bun cuddles on there…perhaps next year Weaver will join for strokes.
ReplyDeleteDon’t hold your breath ( although in the middle of the night she accepted a few chin rubs)
Delete"A flirt with an attractive man" - while you are a "man of a certain age." you certainly aren't dead.
ReplyDeleteWill Jay
PS Extra points for "Roger being dim Roger"
Fingers crossed
DeleteIn case you want to try it: I have a journal for things which give me joy. I read it when I get into bed. It's a wonderful mood booster and gives me a sense of peace and calm before going to sleep.
ReplyDeleteLove to
DeleteHow sad that your client felt she had nothing to be thankful for. I hope she has started to feel a little joy every day, now. Sometimes it's not easy to see past our own misery and despair. It's a long, dark, lonely tunnel.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good, long, eclectic list. xx
I remember making her laugh by saying “ meeting me “
DeleteThe irony tickled her
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to make my own list. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteXx
DeleteThat's a pretty good list. I would be happy with any of those.
ReplyDeleteThank u
DeleteRoger sat there watching you, like he does broke my heart , he is a darling pooch
ReplyDeleteLee
Isn’t he x
DeleteSuch a delightful little film!
ReplyDeleteYour list is heartwarming and says such wonderful things about you.
Those 60 animals sharing a space
DeleteLove the list.
ReplyDeleteEspecially this:
"Realising I am content,and more self aware than ever I was"
XOXO
Fucking hell after 2 years on my therapy course I have to tick this box
DeleteI'm thankful for blog friends. ;)
ReplyDeleteMe too
DeleteWhat a lovely little film. I'm thankful I got to work in the yard today, walked the dogs, picked up garbage on my walk, and most especially, my middle daughter is having a much better day today.
ReplyDeleteI'm also thankful that you're doing so well. You made me smile.
Your smile makes me smile xx
DeleteRoger’s serious face
ReplyDeleteMakes me crumble
Keith
Xx
Doesn’t he just
DeleteYour list is excellent! I started a gratitude jar in January. Each time something happens that brings joy I write it down and put it in the jar. It could be something like a friend becoming a grandma, hearing birdsong, a yummy treat or my dog getting better. Also that TikTok was absolutely wonderful. Sort of like a live version. Of A Peaceable Kingdom. Thank you,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on that blood sugar! Good gravy...that's a never ending menagerie walking out of that barn! Every one of them looks calm and relaxed.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, we all should do a gratitude diary. Yours is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThe film clip of Noah's Ark emptying out after the floods levels dropped.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful every day that I can do something to keep myself in my home. I just changed the furnace filter, so I am happy that my husband showed me how to do the little jobs he used to do before he died. I have had a great life so far for which I am very grateful. I love your Roger, he is a sweetie. Gigi
ReplyDeleteI am not unaware of the many, many blessings I am grateful for every day of my life. From the love of my family to the sky above me, the dirt below me. I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, sometimes that only serves to make me feel guilty. With all of these blessings, how can I be depressed or anxious?
Life is so very complicated and the human brain is not logical in many ways. But we go on, counting those blessings and looking toward the light. The best days are the ones we truly feel that light in our hearts.
That is indeed a delightful and lovely little film of the rescue animals -- safe, well cared for, and happy. It made my day, thanks! As well as your gratitude list -- you have the true attitude of gratitude, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteMost of us have a lot to be grateful for, but some simply fail to see it.
ReplyDeleteI have never made a list like that but I think it is a wonderful idea. My favourites in yours are, Roger being Roger, tiramisu and the memory of a scotch egg.
ReplyDeleteIt's the tiny things for most of us. Seeds coming through can make my day.
ReplyDeleteHi ~ this year I made a "joy jar" (similar to a grateful list) and I put a note into it each time something lovely, happy or joyful happens. Today it was the swallows that have returned to their nests!! A truly good sign. Love your blog and your lovely, homely cottage. Have a good day ~ hugs Ro (n.w. Italy) xx
ReplyDeleteWonderful to be able to feel so much gratitude. I loved the video.
ReplyDeleteAmid the occasional chaos, we have so much to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes make a gratitude list myself. It helps when I am feeling a bit down. Tiramisù is on my list too! I remember when I was in London I visited St. Paul's Cathedral on a tour. The guide talked about the Battle of Britain and the nightly watches from the roof. I remember looking at the stained glass window with the emblems of the 50 states. And I remember trying not to cry in front of some many people. Your La Sagrada Familia listing made me think of that time I went into St. Paul's.
ReplyDeleteI think writing a gratitude list is fine if it helps you. But sharing a gratitude list online feels like a stealth boast or a desperate need for attention and praise. Mr Gray, I don't know how old you are but I don't think you are 15 or a teenage girl. You are making yourself look foolish, needy and sad just at the time when you should be celebrating the way you have grown-up, matured and developed via counseling. Just sharing an opinion, as you do, not meant to be an insult or bashing post.
ReplyDeleteP.
Oh “peg” you do give yourself away.
ReplyDeleteDon’t you realise that people with any common sense can work out who you are by the syntax you employ?
You are the one that looks foolish,wasting your time……..
Now I do mean that the way it’s written
That’s telling her
DeleteLee
That’s polite for u Lee lol
ReplyDeleteToo fucking right Johno
ReplyDeleteLeex
Ps Peg/anon is an asshole………………..
DeleteLee
Where you born in a sewer, or are you just very uneducated? Single, I bet, too.
DeleteYou bet your ass I’m single
DeleteI think it's a healthy thing to be open enough to share one's joys with others. And to write them down in the first place. I know that writing out the things I'm grateful for every day is one thing that helped me through some very hard times over the last few years. And I expect to keep on doing it even while my life is slowly getting back to a more even keel. I like to see other peoples' lists as they inspire me to look harder every day for my own good moments, and I always enjoy your lists and your writing in general because you have such a way with words. All that to say: thank you for sharing this particular post today.
ReplyDeleteXx
ReplyDeleteI expected a rhino and a crocodile to come through the doorway next of all.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, why does 'A memory of a scotch egg' sound so sad. You have to promise yourself that the next time anything good happens you celebrate with another scotch egg'. A fresh new memory for your collection. xx
ReplyDeleteJohn you dear, sweet man. I love how you see the things that many people just cannot see, and then describe them for us. You inspire me to keep my eyes open for even the tiniest of happy things. I do not understand why the troll continues to troll; I think she may have nothing for which to be grateful, and that is very sad, indeed.
ReplyDeleteMy gratitude list includes "my" pew in what passes for an historic church here in the American Midwest. I arrive early to unlock the doors and claim a quiet time communing with the spirit of the place. * I was sad when you announced the closing of your local church. Is there no provision made for former congregants to have keys for private devotions?
ReplyDelete