Daily gratitude

The past few months here have been hard-- the economy is precarious, people are scared, every look at the news brings another moment of panic for all sorts of reasons ranging from the political to extreme weather to the most random possible (an explosives factory recently blew up in the next town over, it would be cartoonishly comical if not for the loss of life).
Everyone is afraid to spend any money, which impacts both of our businesses (and as two self-employed people, if we don't sell we don't get paid). Plus it's winter, when I usually travel to warmer climes, and I'm here with less work than I'd like to have and thinking a lot of dark thoughts.

I'm lately working harder to try to boost my mood and my gratitude and decided I'd take the day yesterday and prune my aunt's woefully neglected fruit trees. These lemons and oranges are old grand ladies on their last legs that somehow still manage to put out bushels of fruit despite being tangled snaggy messes covered in fungus, bugs, lichens and moss. I help the aunt harvest them and every year I say, you know, someone should do something. This year, I decided to be that someone.
I spent the day pruning, scraping, shaping, applying salve, looking at shapes and seeing potential. Sawing off dead branches and getting rid of bugs and eggs. Putting down fertilizer-- I could practically hear the trees slurping it up, poor things, they hadn't gotten anything good in a while. Soaking up the sun and talking to the birds nearby. Also getting covered in scrapes (lemon thorns!) and bug bites, with a touch of sunburn. It was the best day I've had in a long time.

I'm grateful for the changes in my life that led me here.
I may not be rolling in the dough but I have a piece of dirt, with trees. I have the ability to learn new skills (thanks Permies, for being one of the places I get them from). I have the time to practice and implement them to be useful. I have the flexibility to be generous with them and with my time. There are many different types of wealth and I am very lucky. Life is good.