Gratitude

I was hanging my washing out this morning in a light guti ( well, that's what my Zimbabwean husband calls it, but I couldn't find reference to it in the Oxford School Dictionary). By guti, I mean a light, fine mist-like drizzle.

It was early and the air was so fresh and crisp. Everything in my midst seemed so alive and fresh and renewed.

When I wheeled my rubbish bin down the driveway and greeted a neighbour out walking her dogs, we exchanged our combined joy at the beautiful weather. She was going home to plant some new plants her friend had given her. I commented that the plants are going to love that.

Wow! I so love the rain. The rain seems to cleanse and bring with it fresh hope, a clean slate. Everything just seems to sparkle with renewed faith. Faith in humanity, faith in Earth. How lucky we are that Earth just continually purifies and recycles our water for us. I am so grateful.

I am in awe of this magnificent gift and I ponder the possibility of having to live without water.

Have we ever had no water for a day, or two or a week. Isn't it amazing how quickly life deteriorates without this life giving necessity. Without water to cleanse and wash ourselves our hygiene quickly evaporates and sickness and disease proliferate. We so quickly start to feel grubby and irritable without the ability to brush our teeth and wash our hair and rinse and rinse until the pure, fresh water flushes out all the residue of stickiness and stagnancy.

How often do we pause and give thanks when we liberally open our taps and flush copious amounts of water down the drain whilst washing our hands or rinsing a glass. Do we pause and give thanks when we quench our thirst with a giant glass of fresh water?

Are we grateful when we swim or bath or shower or frolic in the sea? I can't imagine a day without water. The balance between quality water and the human race is so fragile. If our water supply were cut off completely I wonder how long life on the planet would survive. Would we last a week, a month?

The thought of life without water is unimaginable and impossible and yet we are so careless and unappreciative of this amazing gift.

How many other gifts have we been bestowed with that we can be grateful for?

I started a list and amongst them were: our roads, my car, flushing toilets, our food chain, shops, electricity, taps, hot water, my house, my garden, plants, trees, air, bees, insects, animals, all my senses, oh the list goes on and on and on.

In moments like these, I remember with humility, my smallness in the big picture and I am filled with immense overwhelming gratitude for all of nature ( the god-made) and all of the mod cons (the man-made stuff) upon which we so heavily rely.

Thank you!

Wishing you too a gratitude-full week

richest blessings

Nicolette