I am thankful. It is not the kind of thankfulness that we try to embed into our daily lives after we read some self help book or article, the kind that is more grounded in logic (I know I ought to be grateful for…) rather than unbridled passion (Wow! This is incredible, I am soooo lucky!)
Nope, I am filled with the kind of gratitude one sings about in the lyrics of the
Nope, I am filled with the kind of gratitude one sings about in the lyrics of the
popular hymns, and it is an authentic, intense sort of gratitude, the “unbridled passionate” kind.
It began last night as I was riding home from work on my bike, music pounding through my headphones, wind in my face, sunshiny warmth all around me; it washed over me suddenly, this wave of thankfulness, as I was riding under the East Mall overpass on my way from Queensway to Evans.
It just sort of hit me, this realization how very lucky I am: I have a relatively healthy (if somewhat unique), happy family – people who love me, someone who cooks incredibly delicious meals for me and makes my lunch most weekdays… I have enough resources for an apartment overlooking the waters of Lake Ontario, and the time and money to travel to Prince Edward Island for a weekend to enjoy the ocean… I have a fulfilling career with engaging colleagues and so many interesting projects I have trouble putting them down at night to go to bed when I ought to… I have flown an airplane, and – even if the reality of achieving my PPL seems at times increasingly nebulous – I have somehow acquired enough basic skills to navigate in familiar and semi-familiar airspace, understand how to increase my chances of surviving an engine failure, and land more or less safely on most of the six runways at CYTZ after a glorious flight across the lake and over the fields in the nearby practice area above Claremont… my neighbourhood is home to a very neat coffee shop and two awesome pizza places, and I can walk or bike quickly and easily to Indian food, felafels, a chocolate shop, two libraries and an Italian bakery… I have access to places of worship that both fulfill and stretch me spiritually… everyone in my immediate family owns a scooter and has enough leisure time to ride to nearby parks and playgrounds at least once a week…
Professionally, personally, spiritually my cup runneth over with blessings of every kind!
It began last night as I was riding home from work on my bike, music pounding through my headphones, wind in my face, sunshiny warmth all around me; it washed over me suddenly, this wave of thankfulness, as I was riding under the East Mall overpass on my way from Queensway to Evans.
It just sort of hit me, this realization how very lucky I am: I have a relatively healthy (if somewhat unique), happy family – people who love me, someone who cooks incredibly delicious meals for me and makes my lunch most weekdays… I have enough resources for an apartment overlooking the waters of Lake Ontario, and the time and money to travel to Prince Edward Island for a weekend to enjoy the ocean… I have a fulfilling career with engaging colleagues and so many interesting projects I have trouble putting them down at night to go to bed when I ought to… I have flown an airplane, and – even if the reality of achieving my PPL seems at times increasingly nebulous – I have somehow acquired enough basic skills to navigate in familiar and semi-familiar airspace, understand how to increase my chances of surviving an engine failure, and land more or less safely on most of the six runways at CYTZ after a glorious flight across the lake and over the fields in the nearby practice area above Claremont… my neighbourhood is home to a very neat coffee shop and two awesome pizza places, and I can walk or bike quickly and easily to Indian food, felafels, a chocolate shop, two libraries and an Italian bakery… I have access to places of worship that both fulfill and stretch me spiritually… everyone in my immediate family owns a scooter and has enough leisure time to ride to nearby parks and playgrounds at least once a week…
Professionally, personally, spiritually my cup runneth over with blessings of every kind!
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