The second cup of coffee sipped quietly as the morning light strengthens
and we stretch out the stiffness.
A leisurely decision about how to spend the day in creative pursuits
nary a worrying about time-clocks and meetings.
Freedom to choose when mundane tasks are done
anytime between now and never.
Shared memories with loved ones only to discover that we lived different
lives together at the same time and place.
Comfort within ourselves as days flow from solitude to companionship
with friends who fill us for more solitude.
Laughter over things gone wrong when once
we were filled with blame and shame.
Comfort in being mortal as faith promises that a worn out body will be
replaced with a new non-titanium being.
Favorite places and times indexed in our brain to visit when current
place and time become too complicated.
Bitter-sweet memories of people who influenced our minds and our lives
but who are no longer walking the earth.
Being who we always have been even as we are different in so many ways.
I’ve been a bit morose as of late. Maybe the noise from the condo above has rattled loose my brighter side. Whatever is going on, I’ve been fretting about roads I wasn’t able to travel, opportunities I couldn’t seek out… and time has run out. Last Sunday in church, the phrase that stuck from our public prayer of confession was, “We look back with regret, rather than with gratitude.” I tried writing an essay from the depth of my morose — hoping to write my way out. It didn’t work. This is my attempt at gratitude because I really do enjoy who I am and where I’m at. If I like where I’m at, the path here couldn’t have been that bad.
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 
Oh, yes!
LikeLike
Pat, I imagine most of us look back with a thick mixture of both regret and gratitude. I seem to be looking back a good deal, even as I try to imagine m life forward. The transition to spring brings new hope and deep longings……
LikeLike
Yes, Spring does that and we will be returning to spring in less than a month. Nature’s calendar is all mixed up for us because we go from fall to summer to a very short winter to summer to spring and then summer again. But I remember so well the elation that comes after a long winter, on the first day when you realize that you are strolling on a walk outdoors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This photo matches perfectly to your thoughts. It’s OK to have a “pity party” every now and then. I’ve been in a snit recently because my back is giving me some issues but I tried turning my brain around today with some verses and it actually feels better. I truly believe there is something with being grateful!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your personal thoughts, Nora. You took my thinking a step further – just what I needed to hear. And I like your work ‘snit’. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The photo is just right for you gratitude journaling. Even when we feel darkness closing in, we must try to make our own light to show us the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pat I am in the same place with you at the moment, trying to crawl out of the dumps. Tuesday, I will know if I am out of job…at least then I have an answer.
LikeLike
I hear you – I don’t like living in limbo. I like resolution so I can figure out how to cope. Best wishes on the job.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks
LikeLike
It’s weird and tough and impossible unless you resolve to never think about it – which I can do for about an hour. Aging is not for sissies as they say. At the same time, I am really enjoying the freedom of it, the absence of expectations, the day to day feel of life. Major mixed bag, that’s for sure.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It is a mixed bag, for sure! I probably still need to write about the darker side. I find writing helps me sort it out and find resolution.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed the full colored picture your words painted. I find some common experience in them.
We look through the mirror darkly right now.
I am grateful for your honest vulnerability. Sending love.
LikeLike
Thanks, Joanne. It sounds like you are settling in to your new home and enjoying grandkids.
LikeLike