Grateful

Grateful - November 17, 2023

Remembrance Day has now come and gone. Did you attend a service and remember the veterans that went to war so that we could live in a peaceful country? Many young men lost their lives during World War I and WW II. The least we can do is attend a service to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the line of duty. Services were held across the country, and many were inside vs the Covid era where services were held outside. This year our local Legion added the community choir to the service, and they did a medley of songs from the war years. It was extremely moving and brought tears to many of the attendants that morning. The music was an enjoyable and welcome addition to the service.

What is it you or I am grateful for? Do you remember to be grateful? I am pretty good at taking life and my luxuries for granted.

For example: How lucky am I to sit on porcelain every day? Do you ever think to be grateful for that? I don’t. Until tonight. I am on my evening routine. And one of them is to use the toilet. I read a lot of historical novels. And you know what? Porcelain was not a part of that era. Having a device that flushes everything away down the sewer lines is quite incredible when you think about it. When I was young we had an outdoor toilet, and it was mighty cold out there in the early spring and late fall. Wintertime provided us with a sort of indoor toilet in the basement. Although this was a major convenience compared to the outhouse – I am so grateful for running water and bathrooms. And when I remember that basement toilet I am very happy that I wasn’t the one who had to empty it. Going into details seems unnecessary, if you need to know more, email me and I will give you a further in-depth description. My parents lived through a lot more inconveniences in life than I have, and I am grateful for this too.

Yes, I love having running water. Hot and cold at my fingertips.  A shower that flows water onto my body so that I feel clean and refreshed every morning. Wash dishes, clean my house with nice warm soapy water. A convenience yes! And how about a toothbrush? Yup, enjoy that too.

What are some more things to be grateful for? I am going to list a few that I am personally grateful for. They say when you get up in the morning you should recite to yourself 5 things you are grateful for each morning as you start your day. Here goes with a few that I am personally grateful for.

I am grateful that I don’t live in a war-torn country, wondering where will the next bomb fall? I can’t imagine bringing a family up in this environment. Our world is so crazy. The Ukraine and Russia, which was supposed to be a short war and is still going on. Now we have the Hamas and Israeli’s bombing one another. The Gaza strip, which is not a very large piece of land, is one of the most highly populated places in the world where so many people live, so little room and living in terror with nowhere to go.

Which leads me to - grateful to live in Saskatchewan and in the country. I have privacy and room around me every day to breathe fresh air and nothing but calm, peace and birds singing. Some people love the sounds of traffic, emergency vehicles and constant noise. A person gets used to these sounds and it becomes a part of them – we all adapt.

Which brings me to another interesting observance. I was travelling south of Saskatoon the other day and about 20 kms south they are building a senior citizens home. It is quite large and will probably be quite lovely. Here is the strange part to me it is right along highway #11 – a two lane highway both north and south. I drove past it and thought why would anyone build such a nice-looking facility right next to such a busy highway? As we age I know our hearing can lessen, but still. I would rather hear the birds singing than a semi travelling at 120 kms down a highway. It really makes no sense to me. Why not build it at least a few hundred metres or a ¼ mile west of the highway vs right along the highway. There must be some kind of a good answer – I just don’t know what it is. It befuddles me! I remember how my mother-in-law who lived a good part of her life on the farm, just loved to sit and listen to the silence and the birds when she would come to visit. It is truly a mystery to me.

Next, I am very grateful that I don’t live near a volcano that may erupt in the next few days. Such as Grindavik, Iceland where the 3000 people that live there have been asked to evacuate. They are waiting for the volcano (whose name is very hard to spell or pronounce) to erupt. In the meantime, there have been tens of thousands of earthquakes in the Reykjanes Peninsula. At one point it was reported there was as many as 1400 in a 24-hour period.

Grateful to have the ability to get into a vehicle and drive to anywhere I choose to basically. If I want to cross into the USA I need a little more planning. But I can cross this vast wide country known as Canada and no questions are asked as to why I am there. Approximately 7,476 kilometers or 4,645 miles. I can drive, stop anywhere and no one would ask me a single question. Now, depending on where you are you may get a lot of hello’s and how are you today as well as waves along the road, even though they have no idea who you are. That happens in Saskatchewan for sure. I am looking forward to the day when I head for the east coast with my husband and my dog Benny and take that drive and take our time getting there. (Bucket list.)

Good health. We are not guaranteed what the future brings as far as our health. One day we may be feeling great and then – bamm – a diagnosis that we never saw coming. Don’t take your health for granted. It is a gift. And for reasons beyond our control, it can go downhill real fast. I lost a totally healthy sister within 10 months of her finding out she had cancer. The cancer completely took over her body. She never had a chance of survival. Every time they checked something, the diagnosis was always worse than what they thought it would be. Positive attitude didn’t save her. Enjoy your good health when you have it. You won’t miss it until it’s gone.

My environment. Believe it or not I am grateful for 4 seasons. I love spring, summer, autumn and winter. I am very happy that the snow has stayed away a bit longer than usual this year. I have a major rotator cuff injury and shovelling snow is difficult and I love having my decks completely clean all winter - all 1200 square feet of them. I may have to calm down this winter and “suck it up buttercup” as they say. I can gently move snow, but I must be very careful and do a little at a time. The thing about our environment and mother nature as a rule is that it doesn’t destroy our homes. If a major winter storm hits – we just “hunker” down as they say. Turn the heat up and wait for the storm to pass. When it has passed we assess the amount of snow and snowdrifts that have accumulated in our yard and get out the shovels and snow tractor and start clearing the snow. Living in the country, a neighbour with a larger piece of equipment will swing by and make sure you can at least get out of your yard until you have time to completely clear the winter’s storm. (Grateful for great neighbours.) The majority of the time our houses are still standing after a winter or summer storm. However, with global warming I know this has changed. We have seen plough or tornado type winds in the summertime destroy homes and farmyards in our area.

And last but not least the freedom to speak, write down my words on paper and not be censored. Wear what I want, ability to hold a job as a female, participate in sports, work on my creative side, paint as an artist and so much more. Living in a Western world we take so much for granted. Be grateful for this.

And of course, always grateful for family and friends. They say if you can count between 3-5 people as close friends you are gifted. I have been fortunate that we see our children regularly and enjoy their company.

In closing – be grateful for what you do have. It is very easy to get caught up in “the grass is greener on the other side”. Slow down, breathe and appreciate / grateful for what you have. Many people have so much less. And sometimes what appears to be so much for someone else really isn’t.

After some searching I decided on You’re My Best Friend by Queen. Partially because Freddy Mercury was such an amazing, flamboyant, defiant and charismatic artist. This song was written by the bass player John Deacon from Queen. Queen was defined by Freddy Mercury. If you have the chance watch a documentary on Freddy Mercury or Queen – worth the watch. They produced some amazing music back in the early 70’s and carried on into the 80’s and just kept going. Still listened to today. Take some time out of your day and listen to Queen’s greatest hits. Amazing talent and music.

P.S. Tiny side note – so grateful for my Bose Bluetooth speakers that allow me to listen to my music anytime and anywhere and being able to stream whatever music I want. The gift of technology!