Days of Gratitude- wrap up
Yes, I have been gone. Erick, Clara, and I went on a much needed little vacation this last weekend to a little Etruscan town in Northern Lazio, Tuscania. Erick is amazing at finding the perfect little places for our family, and this long weekend was no exception. We stayed at a beautiful agriturismo, Casa Caponetti, an amazing old farmhouse that sits on 60 acres of lush Italian countryside.
The best part of our weekend was watching Clara play outside. That may seem silly and a bit odd, but she had the opportunity to explore bushes, long grass, a frog pond, feeding horses, pigs, cows, dogs… all in a setting where I felt comfortable letting her go off without me having an eagle eye on her every move. One of the precious gifts of country living is the ability to give your children space to roam and do nothing (and everything) without parental guidance every second.
As I watched Clara play, it was bittersweet. I felt deep gratitude for my own childhood living on a fairly large piece of property with woods, a large garden, animals… it was wonderful to see Clara enjoying that same sense of wonder and delight at being outside, exploring. I felt a little sad that Clara doesn’t get to live like that day to day.
My next thought (in large part due to my ongoing gratitude practice) was to focus on the positive. Clara will be comfortable in both a city setting and in the country. I remember the first time our family moved to a big city- I was terrified and didn’t know what to expect. Because Erick and I have a deep and abiding commitment to exposing Clara to nature as often as possible, she will hopefully be at ease, and respectful, of both life in a city and a life that is closer to nature.
A month of gratitude has come and gone, and I am tempted to continue, honestly. Knowing that I will be documenting my gratitude here heightens my awareness of the blessings hidden in every nook and cranny of life. Many years of my life have been spent as a complainer and a cynic - the practice of gratitude is slowly transforming these parts of my personality that I always thought of as “fixed”- focusing on it every day has really hastened the transformation!
That being said, I think once a week will have to suffice. I would love to see a community of grateful hearts come together in the blogosphere… if you are inspired to share your own gratitude practice, please tell me. Starting next week, on Friday, I will post a Mr. Linky for your gratitude-ease.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I feel EXACTLY the same way living in New York City. My daughters get to experience so much, yet also miss out.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
It is a gift that Clara will be at home in both the city and the country. I was raised a city girl, and longed for wide open spaces my whole life. I have them now and couldn’t be happier. But that’s me! I hear you about the joy at watching your children play outside. Here, in those wide open spaces, I am in complete awe of the joy on Pea’s face. She wants to be outside all of the time, never come in. I remarked today at how healthy she looks and it just makes my heart melt. So glad that you are feeling the same with little Clara…
June 20th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I like your Mr. Linky idea and have enjoyed your gratitude posts.
Joe and I are trying to do nightly “appreciations”. Every night before bed we share three things we appreciated about the other on the given day.
Clara is going to be a very cultured and well rounded girl - and is lucky to have such caring parents.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I’ve really enjoyed following your gratitudes. It has reminded me to continue to look for the good because it is always there. And, like most things, it is a continuing cycle: looking for good leads to seeing more good, and more, and more; looking for bad leads to more of the same. I’ll take the good…
Thank you so much for sharing this with your readers.