In Gratitude

This is one of those weeks where the writing muse has not spoken to me. So, I will let him/her/it start, and we will see where we get and take heart that we will have done our best.

I have so much for which to be grateful:

I am grateful that the writing muse doesn’t always speak to me. That would be creepy. Plus, I really would not know a “muse” if him/her/it ran over me with a beer truck.
I am grateful for indoor plumbing… it really is amazing. You turn one knob, and you get cold water. Turn the other knob, and after a while… the water turns hot! How do they do that - all out of the same spigot?!
I am grateful that “spigot” is not a five-letter word, as I would never get it in “Wordle.”
I am grateful that the indoor plumbing is always there when I need it, no matter what hour of the day it may be. I wonder if Mr. Musk has considered putting indoor plumbing into self-driving cars so that one can drive around all day and never have to stop at a rest stop.
I am grateful for rest stops, even if their name is misleading.
I am grateful for “They” – that faceless, nameless slice of humanity who do all that stuff. They have figured out how to get electricity into my house and how to make an almost infinite number of flavors of potato chips. “They” is amazing. I am grateful that “They” has a Wikipedia page and that I am not the first person to recognize the significance of “They.”
I am grateful for the elegance and versatility of the on-off button on the television remote. One click, and I am free from all the noise, indictments, and remedies for toe fungus (which is apparently becoming a HUGE health problem in this country.)
I am grateful for acceptance, for that ability to accept things as they are, not dwell on them, and not get riled up about them. Like…the whole thing about “What pronouns do you use?”. Truth be known, over the years, I have used them all. I will admit that the whole pronoun thing caused me a bit of stress this past week, as I was asked for my pronouns, and I was not sure after I put down a couple of them (“them” not being one of them) if I had answered the question correctly. But I accept the fact that this is an important topic to some people, and I will move on to other topics and not dwell on pronouns. But I really did think “badass” was a pronoun.
I am grateful for my friend Charles's love, support, mentorship, and guidance. When I apply the exhortation to “love they neighbor as thyself” to Charles, I realize the vastness of the love he has had and continues to have for all of us who have known him, been taught by him, and been counseled by him. That vast love he has shared will never be extinguished, even by the scourge of cancer.
Then, I sit back and think through the origins of our relationship… and I realize that it started in a dark and difficult time in my life. I realize now that if it had not been for that darkness, there would not have been that relationship with Charles, who taught me ways to use writing to process and examine this life, with its triumphs and tribulations that are often wrapped together.

Charles – thank you for teaching me to be grateful for the darkness and light of this life. Like your love for all of us – that will never die.

And thank you for the introduction to the writing muse.

He/she/it has spoken.