Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Home and Grateful

I’m home from a whirlwind and thoroughly enjoyable trip to Spain for a knitting tour of Madrid and the environs - La Mancha, Toledo, etc. Now in the process of sorting through photos that can be used for a blog post.

On the flight home on Monday, I found an interesting podcast to listen to - ‘Self-Conscious’ by Chrissy Teigen. There were several interesting topics. Interesting ones were about sleep, not trying to control others’ behaviour (‘just let them’), being a better communicator. It got me thinking about how working of thinking positively has enriched my life. 

Yesterday I sent a highlights email to a few folks and will use it as the body of the post(s) about the trip but before I do that, I wanted to share some moments of joy I felt yesterday; basically a gratitude inventory. I jotted them down on the nearest piece of paper - the back of my boarding pass that I had pulled out of my travel wallet. I just looked at the front of it and it was the boarding pass from Bergen to Oslo to Reykjavik from April 4, 2025 (an epic trip with wonderful friends).

I am grateful for (in no particular order):

  • My mobility - the ability to walk the long distances through airports, on cobblestones streets in old towns, up flights of stairs and steep streets.
  • Kind neighbours who take care of my house while I’m away.
  • A cozy home and bed
  • Electric blankets 
  • AirTags so I don’t need to worry about the whereabouts of my luggage while traveling
  • eSIMs so I can be connected while away from home and not have to pay outrageous roaming fees (I used Saily)
  • Kind, attentive friends who love many of the same things I do - crafting, traveling, having fun
  • Fun hobbies that take me to wonderful places
  • Excellent traveling companions both human and ursine
  • Continuing curiosity and desire to learn new things
The negative crap is still there but I choose to focus on the wonderful, positive things in my life.  It’s amazing how joyful one can feel when one focuses on the wonderful things in life.


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