• I am glad the Lord saw fit to wake me up again, great things are in store. They may come as pieces to fit together at a much later date, but here I am, ready to face the day
• Thankful for a clear head and strong legs and a heart that pumps without assistance. Thankful for eyes that see and ears that hear. Thankful for the hair on my head, even if it is turning gray and needs more help these days
• Ahhh. Running water, a true luxury unavailable to many.
• Blessed to have heat and air conditioning and a roof over my head, and to wake in a soft bed with clean sheets
• Thankful for clothes and shoes that fit and are comfortable and appealing even if some days I feel fat and ugly. It’s not my clothing’s fault.
• Thank you for the police officers and military, who try their level best to keep us safe. Enemies abound.
• No day is complete without the love of a companion. Mine just happens to have fur and a tail.
• Grateful for a reliable vehicle and good roads
• Thankful for sunglasses
• Blessed to be this close to the National Park and have breathtaking views at every hilltop. Thankful for home and home being so classically beautiful and dense with trees. Blessed that it’s somewhere to be proud to come from
• Grateful to know my place of belonging, no matter where I am
• Thankful for a worthy job to go to that isn’t too far away. Thankful for all my coworkers. It really feels like a team, finally. Happy that I feel like I make a bit of a difference to the overall ecosystem in our county working with producers that care
• Blessed to have nourishing, tasty food to eat
• Thankful for technology, most especially calculators
• I am always happy to see lunch, and grateful to have many choices on where or what to eat. Thankful for the farmers that grew it and the hands that prepared it.
• Blessed to have many friends to chat with periodically throughout the day
• Another blessing to have social media at my fingertips to check in with friends near and far, and also to look at the weather
• A quiet work environment is not to be overlooked in the list of blessings
• Thankful for the rain, or the sunshine, because they both do their part
• Thankful for a washer and dryer and the time they save
• Thankful for several medicines, and especially thankful for my eyeglasses. Wow, how would I get around without them?
• Thankful for a porch to sit on and reflect about my day, with my dog, a book, and a Mountain Dew
• Thankful for the quiet days, and thankful for the busy, loud ones that taught me to appreciate the peaceful ones. Thankful for experiences
• Grateful and humbled for my little existence, my little spark I go with into the world

I read once, what would you have if you woke up one day and only had what you were thankful for the day before?

Gulp.

Some days I really have to force my mind into being thankful and attuned to what all is really awesome. I have to remind myself of the things and people I take for granted that so many would die for. I don’t appreciate much of anything as I should. Not everybody can look out their window at any time and see grass and birds and maybe a squirrel or two. Not everyone is surrounded by supportive people. Some people aren’t fortunate enough to read the books they want to read and have a dog that lays so close he cuts off circulation to your feet, or have friends that communicate solely via TikTok. Some people have never tasted Texas Roadhouse rolls or Cracker Barrel’s pancakes. Some people never leave their home state. Some people don’t want to, and that’s ok, too. Because some people have to travel incessantly to have the lifestyle they want, when really what they want is to stay put. But they wouldn’t know how to admit it. It’s like being hurt, but saying you’re mad, because you don’t want to admit your heart got bruised. Better to have that fortress. Best to be honest, but there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic. But with optimism, your brain is constantly cautioning your heart to be careful, to wrap up, to go slow and wary. Don’t hurt anyone else’s feelings, just be kind. Say less. Think it through. Proceed with caution.

I throw caution to the wind, and duct tape my brain and stuff it in the trunk of a ‘67 Stingray and go ripping into the night, top down, radio blaring “take me back, way back home, not by myself, not alone….I ain’t askin’ for much…”

Love from Appalachia,

~Amy