When down, be thankful.

Winter is not my favorite season, and some are less favored than others.  So I remembered about the gratitude, but be forewarned, I'm in a global mindset these days as the Magnetic North Pole is moving and the idea of what is good and right and acceptable has also been moving this past 2 years, so I'm a little dark at times.

I'm grateful that I have never spent a week in an unheated (or unairconditioned) menstruation hut in the Himalayas.

I'm grateful that I never caught the eye of Ted Bundy.

I'm grateful that my parents didn't abort me for not having a Y chromosome.

I'm grateful that I can own property without a male relative handling all my business.

I'm grateful that I was not stoned for being unclean after being raped.

I'm grateful I was not sterilized against my will for some trait that I had too little or too much of.

I'm grateful that I have not developed any medication-dependent chronic illnesses.

I'm grateful that I am not chemically dependent.

I'm grateful that I was never arrested for a bounced check, then sentenced to time because I had no money to make that right.

I'm grateful that none of my children were shot for being mouthy when stopped by the police.

I'm grateful none of my children or grandchildren had a worst-case scenario response to their vaccinations.

I'm grateful for seasons.

I'm grateful for vegetables that will grow where I plant them.

I'm grateful for Social Security that allowed me to stop a job that was rapidly wearing me down.

I'm thankful for art supplies.

I'm thankful for red wine and chocolate being good for us. (even if only in moderation)

I'm thankful for birds, flying birds, singing birds, bright and beautiful birds.

I'm thankful that I didn't fall for that crap about getting rid of everything you haven't used in 6 months---just digging around in the plastic containers has occupied my mind, snagged great memories, and supplied me with amazing craft materials.

I'm thankful for the internet--even facebook, though I do tend to unfollow people for my own sanity.

I'm thankful for E-readers so I'm not always trying to find places to pass on books when storage goes away.

I'm thankful for public libraries.

I'm thankful for public radio.

I'm thankful for sleeping in piles of quilts.

I'm thankful for rocking chairs.

I'm thankful for rocks, don't ask, but I'm apparently part crow so the shinier the better.

I'm thankful for flowers and bees and butterflies and hummingbirds.

I'm thankful for all the other people that have to make beautiful things for the good of their own souls and share their creations and methods with others so freely.  It's good to no that the drive to create is so universal.

I'm thankful for family AND that they all have their own homes.

I'm thankful I can breathe the air and drink the water and walk in the sunlight without immediate damage to my body.

BUT, I've had eleven calls from telemarketers, spam callers and just plain scammers in the 2 hours I've been on computer, from "driving specialists", whatever that is, to dire warnings that my auto warranty is going to expire (it did 4 years ago) to congratulations for my free trip that I only have to pay the taxes on to worst of all, I nightmarish threat about my Social Security Fraud in which I need to call them back with proper identifying information to fix this problem.

The small towns are now call centers, or they have sold a group of numbers to someone in a different country, or they are computer monsters that have stolen numbers that resemble familiar callers and there only goal is to get a few people to fall for their crap.

I'm very grateful I have no problem dealing with them as nicely as they are trying to deal with me.  Scamming people is no better than dealing drugs or fencing stolen goods.  Get a conscience.