Seasonal Gratitude

My spring notification is the sniffle in the back of my throat.  Allergies sap my energy and short-circuit my brain box, not to mention being woefully unattractive. I have had years when the hayfever came with the spring, and didn’t leave until autumn.  I am hoping against hope that this year is easier, because pregnant people aren’t supposed to take antihistamines…

Rachelle is having similar seasonal grumbles on the other side of the world.  She is trying to find ways to celebrate and enjoy autumn.  I am matching her *8 things to celebrate about autumn with my *8 things to celebrate spring.

1.  Being woken by the sun, instead of the alarm clock.  I love that lazy feeling.

2.  There is light enough for a walk after work.

3.  I’m no longer worrying about frost on the car in the morning.

4.  Cherry blossoms, apple blossoms and wattle trees light my path to work.  I amazed by the over night changes I get to witness here.  I just wish I could leave my nose at home.

5.  Sitting in undiluted sunlight with a coffee and my notebook – no shivering or polar fleece required.  No sunscreen or shadecloth required yet, either.  Just tissues.

6.  Opening up the house and letting the fresh air in.  Even with all the pollen, there is such gratitude in this act after a winter of closed up, closed-curtained heating.

7.  The farmers market fill up with greenery!  Just when I’ve seen enough beetroot and pumpkins for a year, I suddenly get asparagus, six sorts of lettuce and an abundance of berries.

8.  Bare feet on the grass.

Uh oh, now I’m accountable

Everybody left wonderful comments on my wish for an accountability group.  Jamie paid some beautiful compliments about my writing, and then she caught me:

An accountability group would be marvelous. *And* I also bet you have something right now that you could send. Make us your interim accountability group and take a first step. You can do it.

Uh oh!  Now I’m stuck!  You lovely readers have become my accountability group.  I talked the talk, so now I have to walk…

It didn’t stop there.  Carla offered tips, and Mother Henna and Hybrid J gave good advice.  Lisa told me about a friend ‘collecting’ 100 rejection slips, and I think that idea is going to stay with me.  Jamie kindly came back with a link to an awesome podcast about getting personal essays published.  And to top it all off, Pamela offered to be a beta reader.

I am amazed and excited by all this practical support.  You guys rock!  But I’m also kind of scared.  Because now I have no excuse not to start sending out submissions.

Thanking you kindly,

and wondering what I’ve started,

k

Bloggy Gratitude

I saw a gratitude list on someone else’s blog today.  I love those lists.  I’m feeling especially blessed at the moment, if also frantically busy.  So here’s my list of things to be thankful for:

1.  Roast lamb in the slow cooker.  This is what we’re eating tonight, and the house smells wonderful.  I’m not sure why I get so much satisfaction out of being domesticated, but it’s wonderful to put dinner on the table.

2.  A big Tuesday ahead of me.  I’ll be writing, and dreaming, and catching up with a very dear friend for coffee.

3.  A blog award!  Pamela named me queen of blogs.  See?

She had links to some awesome blogs in that post, so I’ve got a lots more to read, too.

4.  There’s been beautiful sunsets all week.  I sat in the backyard scrubbing the mud off my boots, and watched the sky turn pink.

5.  Skype is a wonderful thing.  I spoke to my sister in London on Saturday, and got to see her cute, new pyjamas!

What are you thankful for today?  If you’re out of inspiration, check out Three Beautiful Things. She’s a daily joy in my feedreader.