Thankful for Spiders

“We are living in an extraordinary moment. It’s extraordinarily extreme. It’s extraordinarily painful. It’s extraordinarily complex. It’s extraordinarily nuanced. It’s extraordinarily full of potential.” ~ Chani Nicholas

I got bitten by a spider (we think) about a month ago. I didn’t see it or feel the bite at the moment, but the next day my ankle swelled up and I had a fever. The lingering joint pain comes and goes.

I was stung by a scorpion about a year ago. On my fingertip! That, I felt right away. It was an intense pain that lasted for about four hours.

This is a time to appreciate not only the good people, plentiful things and pleasurable experiences in our lives—but also to be grateful for the difficult people, emotions and passages that we encounter. A plethora of amazing things have happened in this, my personal “year of the scorpion.”

I am grateful for the love and friendship I share every day with my family

and family of friends, near and far. I am grateful for our little house and to always have enough food and water. I am grateful for my body and breath and life.

I am also grateful for pain, both physical and emotional, because pain is a sign of growth and healing.

I am grateful for having been fired from my job as a school teacher earlier this year, because that has paved the way for major improvements in both my career and my quality of life.

I am grateful for the difficult people in my life, because they force me to see my areas of weakness and resistance. They hold up a mirror to teach me valuable lessons.

I am grateful for impermanence, also known as change, which keeps things fresh and lively. I am grateful for where I now live and what I now do with my time.

I am grateful for the lake, the sky, the volcanoes, the trees, the flowers, the incessant glory of nature.

I am grateful for my fellow writers, my editors and my readers. Thank you for reading!

Happy holidaze!