I haven’t written anything for a while.  I’m coming off a few weeks of recovery following some oral surgery that turned out to be a bigger deal than I expected, and I just wasn’t in the place where writing felt like it fit in the flow of my days.  I am healing, though, and I’m grateful for that, as well as the good dental and medical care I am privileged to have access to.  I don’t forget that.

And now after spending those weeks off my normal routine, functioning with a lot less energy and dealing with everything that went along with the whole experience, I am now starting to feel more back to normal.  And that feels so good.

I’ve talked before about how the best thing about a migraine is how good it feels when it is over.  I think that same principle holds true when we experience recovery after going through a trauma or something difficult.  I’m reminded of how good life is when I am back in my normal day-to-day living and functioning at the level that is normal for me again.  I experience the joy of how wonderful my life is and how much I enjoy each day when I reclaim the ability to live in that way again.  

I have said I am finding it all in a simple life, and saying that really does capture my truth.  I am not an extraordinary woman, and I don’t live an extraordinary life or do extraordinary things.  I live a quiet life that is focused on mindful moments, engaged in very simple living.  I spend a good amount of time in quiet and stillness, and I am often enthralled with the tremendous beauty and joy I find in the smallest things.  And I am filled with gratitude for how wonderful it is to be able live my life in that way.

I am able to eat regular food again after a long time of being on a diet of very soft foods only.  I did a grocery order to restock my refrigerator with whole foods again, and I now have a fridge filled with a bounty of incredible food.  I am once again able to enjoy the creative experience of cooking a wonderful meal for myself, and to mindfully appreciate the whole process of preparing the meal and eating it.  My energy is at a more normal level now and I am also back to enjoying the walks I take each day, and tackling the small projects I take on around my home.  I am back in my normal routine, and I am enjoying it with new appreciation and gratitude.

I think sometimes we need to encounter loss or difficulty in our life in order for us to more fully appreciate the many blessings that are part of our lives.  That is what I have experienced in the last few weeks, and I am humbled by all the blessings I am now able to see even more clearly.

I hope you are able to appreciate the many blessings in your life today.