I am grateful for my iPod.
I let it play in shuffle mode yesterday and was delighted by all sorts of artists and composers that I had accidentally forgotten about, like Erin McKeown, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Dave Matthews Band, Danny Elfman, and Franz Liszt. I will have to let my iPod choose music for me more often.
It’s the first day of August and I feel like summer is already gone, but that’s silly. The autumnal equinox isn’t until September 23. We have all of August and most of September left. That doesn’t mean there’s time to waste, though. It will go fast. I’m planning some jaunts and activities to try to make the most of the time.
Our fears die, usually before we do. That may be a good thing or a bad thing. It depends on how and when they die.
Some fears die because we kill them. I used to be afraid to drive on the highway, but I ran that fear down on I-95 a long time ago. I hate to think of how limited my life could have been if I had continued to avoid the highway. It’s a good thing that I killed that fear.
Other fears probably die naturally, withering away into meaninglessness as life changes. If I ever became paralyzed, I don’t imagine that I’d be afraid to dance in public anymore. The fear of dancing would die at the same time as the possibility of dancing. It wouldn’t be a cause for celebration, though, and the fear would most likely be replaced with regret over not having danced more while I had the chance. Regret is the heir of Fear.
It makes sense, then, to kill our fears rather than let them die of natural causes. If we kill them, we become more powerful. If we don’t, their power goes to Regret.
I am grateful for my blog.
July is nearly over. I feel the rush of time. Panic. The summer is coming to a close and I feel like I did nothing.
Then I remember my blog. My blog is evidence that I read books, saw movies, discovered new words, wrote rhymes, invented a recipe, took a vacation, began the Great Library Purge, and practiced being grateful.
“It is what it is.”
I hate it when people say that. Have you ever heard a more annoying platitude?
I am grateful for books.
We all have to live in the Real World. I am grateful for books that let me escape for a while from the Real World and its limitations.
The Real World is also full of beauty. I am grateful for books that remind me of it.
I am grateful for my cats.
People say that cats are aloof. Maybe some cats are, but not mine. One of them is always trying to sneak onto my lap. The other prefers simply to sit nearby, but he trills in greeting whenever you look his way. They are the sweetest punkins in the world.
I know there will be many times that I regret “inventing” this recipe, but for the last few weeks it has been a lifesaver. We don’t have time to cook, but we don’t want to waste money or ruin our health by eating fast food. This simple recipe makes filling food with very little salt or fat.
Super Easy Rice ‘n’ Beans
1 batch rice (made from 1 cup dry), no oil or salt added
1 14-16 oz. can of black, pinto, or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Goya Adobo seasoning to taste
Olive oil to taste
Cook the rice according to package instructions. When it’s done, add the beans so that they are warmed by the heat of the rice (note: we use beans that have no salt added, but rinsing should remove much of the salt from a regular can of beans). After a few minutes, add the Goya Adobo seasoning and the olive oil, but don’t overdo it—a little goes a long way. Stir and serve.
I am grateful for beer.
As Ben Franklin said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
I am also grateful for Ben Franklin.
I wonder if he was drunk as he stood out there in the thunderstorm with his kite. Making myself a target for lightning isn’t something I’d do sober! But Ben was a very smart man. He invented lots of stuff. He was also seriously committed to bettering himself, and I think that’s what I admire most about him. I’m really glad that he wrote an autobiography and that one of my college professors made it mandatory reading.
© 2007-2026 Author of Blue-Footed Musings All Rights Reserved
