Surprises can be blessings

I was so happy this morning to turn on the laptop, to see a birthday wish from my dearest friend. And a birthday wish from someone who hasn't been part of my life for years, there it was in my in-box this morning.

My techno station with aquatic meditative focus

Why do I call it an in-box? When I worked in an office, I did have those two baskets on my desk, the top one for things that were "coming in" for my attention, and the bottom one for things that were "going out." They weren't always mail.  I even had a basket for filing things.

So my home desk is organized (sort of) in a similar way.  My thinking is imprinted from all those years of channeling papers in a familiar way.  There's a stack to be filed. It's a lot of old papers, mainly bills which have been paid...and medical notes from doctors.  And there's a stack to be taken care of, mainly the bills which haven't been paid and are due soon, and other things that are "pending."

So let's get back to other kinds of things in my life.

A new crop of guppies.  They are delightful, in that they were once mine, or perhaps the descendants of mine.  When I moved to my apartment last fall, I gave my 30 gallon tank to a family with three precious daughters, as well as a whole lot of guppies.  I kept my small 10 gallon tank, and a few guppies also.  But when I got sick last winter, I let the tank get pretty full of algae, and the guppies died.   I did net them out and tried to keep a few in a jar till I could clean the tank out...and I still have just one of those. 

Guppies on right, platty's on left.

But I asked the young mom if I could have a few of their guppies, since most of mine had died. And a couple of days ago she gave me a container of 6 pretty ones.  So now they are introduced, in a separate area, into my little aquarium here by my desk.  Look, it's yet another compartment that I've got in my life, keeping the guppies safe from the bigger fish.  The old bills go in one pile on my desk, the new guppies are opposite them, a new place vs. an old one.

Goodness, I seem to be full of lots of trivial details today.  I hope that's not a sign for how my next year will go.

And as I sit here drinking my coffee, I can listen to a new but old broadcast of Joseph Campbell, speaking about India, China, Bronze Age, and Buddhism.  It came through Open Culture, a newsletter which posted 12 hours of streaming talks on all kinds of things.

Life is good.

Did I mention the weather is being so cooperative today? There's a cool breeze coming in my big windows. Last night I slept under a blanket. On the more public side of my space, the smaller windows let me hear my neighbors greeting each other along the path.  On the side of the apartment with the huge windows, I see nothing but green leaves in the trees.  I also hear some cars and trucks in the distance...a sighing rumble that has become a backdrop for the birds which wake me up daily.

Gratitude. That will be my word for the next year.  It is the highest feeling I have today.  So you may wish me a happy birthday, but I'll just be smiling that I'm feeling so grateful. I'm completely overwhelmingly full of gratitude!