Gabe

My day started off a little rough.  I know. I'm supposed to be telling you something good and I will. In fact, that is the origin of my blog title.  We are all prone to a little drama-queen every now and then and as rare as it occurs, even on the "worst day ever" as reported by my kids, I will ask them to "...tell me something good..." tell me one good thing... because there is always something and usually there are many somethings, but we all have these days and we forget. Things don't go as planned, we have lists of things to do, schedules to keep, so many things that need to be accomplished and we easily lose sight of even one good thing.
Well today I was having one of those days and I decided to stop for a coffee instead of taking the time to make one and I met Gabe.  The baby-faced barista likely not much older then my own son with his handmade, graffiti-like name tag (adorable!) and it was the simplest thing really.  He was just taking my coffee order and preparing it for me, but his smile was so bright, his conversation so genuine.  No.  I know what you're thinking.  Not like he was gunning for barista of the month, not like he was reciting the Starbucks script from his employee handbook, not like a scene from the Graduate (Google it kids; it's a classic), but like the most pleasant, polite kid who was happy and it came through loud and clear and it completely changed my day.  I drove away and felt instantly elevated.  The sun was shining, my coffee was warm, the music was playing and I felt thankful for a hundred good things.

...Today I am thankful for:

family in all its many forms: the ones we are born into, the family’s we create when we leave our own, the families that find us; the people who have claimed us, love us, nurture us and protect us.

for my friends and my spouse, for my children

for my siblings that were my first friends

for many teachers (school and other) who engaged and inspired me to read and study and learn more about the world and others, and about myself; who challenged me to work harder, who saw things in me I was unable to see in myself, who elevated me in such a way that in turn I am able to elevate others

for books to read and art to appreciate and music to fill our souls

for good food to eat and prepare and meals to share with friends and family-- to smell and taste, experiment with and appreciate in all it’s colour and complexity

for access to information and world news and science and technology in all it’s amazing and continual advancements

for warm beds and homes and clothes

for health and wellness

for things that grow and seasons that change

for all those who are tolerant and kind, for those who are open to change and differences, for those who can disagree with others and still be kind and respectful to everyone

for those that make me laugh and those that have so much energy there is enough for me too

for all those in our community who work long and irregular hours to serve us, protect us and maintain our city and our streets doing jobs and providing services every day we often take for granted

for diverse, engaged communities with plentiful resources and generous members

for hardships and heartbreak that remind me how vulnerable and strong we can be

for parents who brought me up to be generous of my time and my abilities and to be grateful for the many good things I have

For all the Gabes out there who make our coffee, bag our groceries, hold the door, make us feel happy just by being happy themselves; Thank-you.