Some days are just filled with love. Not big, huge starry-eyed I'm falling in love love, but teeny tiny fondness love for little ordinary things. This weekend, as I cleaned, relaxed, and did artwork, I found myself saying "I really love and appreciate ______." to my husband four or five times. I asked him to bring up the ladder so I could dust the ceiling fan and the high ceiling. It's one of those Little Giant ladders you see on the infomercials. I got it for a Father's Day present for him years ago. I marveled at how he could carry this little six foot ladder up from the basement and with a few twists and pulls – voila! I had a 10 foot ladder in the middle of the family room. Magic, I tell you, just magic. (If you ever wondered if buying this ladder is worth it, let me tell you it is, and this is not the first time I found myself appreciating having it.)
Next he moved it around the room as I climbed up and down dusting. My husband remarked what a great job we did picking the paint colors for the room. I added that everyday I appreciate the soft green and yellow when I sit in my chair with the afternoon sun filling the room. We moved the ladder over to the fireplace and when I reached down to dust the huge painting of our beach hanging above our mantle, I heard myself saying that this painting is another thing I love and feel so lucky to have when I look at it everyday. It came with our first Capehouse and we felt blessed the owners left it for us.
Those "iLuv" moments led me to seriously contemplate the other small things I have that make my heart smile as I move through my days:
iLuv the lighted hearts across my mantle.
iLuv my car. (Even though it's 10 years old)
iLuv my iPad mini.
iLuv my vanilla candle.
iLuv my rocking chair(s). (All 5 of them)
iLuv my friend Joan with whom I can while away a whole afternoon talking writing and illustrating in front of her fire…
….and this list could go on forever once I focused on it. We are all thankful each and everyday for the big things – our families and our homes, but something shifts when we change our focus to the small things in our days that we really really love. Try it. Shift your focus. After you're done giving gratitude for your spouse, and your extremely lovely and talented children, and your warm, comfortable home, what comes next? What's on your "iLuv" list?
(See how warm your heart gets? Nice, during this cold January, huh?)
And so, as another day goes by, there's one more thing that I really, really love in the photo below and….I have written.
Photo: Simply Naked Chardonnay – the only one I can drink because it's unoaked, the no drip topper on the bottle, and an AMAZING, no, I mean really amazing, electric wine opener that my also amazing daughter Erin gave me for Xmas. (This child knows the way to her Mother's heart!) Lol!
This photo is called….."iLuv"…
I luv my time spent with you, my friend!
I’m participating in a 365 Days of Blessings Group this year. Each day we all post what we are grateful for that day. I have found that as I’m doing this, I am also drawn to the smaller things. Each day as something happens that reveals itself as a blessing it is like a tiny little miracle package I get to open again and again. I have learned that if we approach things from this state of grace – from the perspective of being blessed – it allows us the freedom to grow from more of our experience. Loved this share.
That sounds really awesome! Gratitude is the best mood buster I know! Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts with me!
You cant give up on the things you love, not ever….
Charlotte ~ Private Practice
Sent from my iPad…
Linda Bartosik
Childrens Author, Blogger, Young Authors Workshops for Children
http://thewritestuff.typepad.com
http://www.lindabartosik.com/