celebrating lives greatly full :: stephanie guimond

photo by jag

I first met Stephanie Guimond, well, when she was born. :-) In the interest of full disclosure, this week's grateful guest is my sister.  So yes, some might say I am biased towards her (which is true), but I invite you to delve into her words - both here & here - and check out her art for yourself.  You will soon see that this self-professed "artist, visionary, avid left-brainer" brings a lot of beauty, passion and talent to Life.  I am grateful for her support in all things and trust that you will enjoy her contribution to *the gratitude project* as much as I did!

 

 

My life is full and rich; though I may not always see it that way, I have much to be grateful for.

I am grateful for soup and biscuits...

The obvious-to-me: I'm grateful for health, nature, thought, love, home, food on the table, a general feeling of safety, family, friends, books, art supplies and dark chocolate.



The seemingly mundane, but not to be dismissed: I'm grateful for my 10 year old car, my computer, the Internet, indoor plumbing, Netflix documentaries, paper clips, my clothesline, and a functioning pepper mill.


The everyday comforts: I'm grateful for my dog's silky paws, my husband's flip flops at the door, the smell of fresh coffee, sun streaming in the window, meals shared at the dining room table, wool blankets and old movies, and falling asleep beside my beloved.

I could easily add another fifty things to any of these categories.

But I want to dig deeper...



I am grateful for three powerful concepts that, slowly but surely, have edged their way into my life and become a practice – part of how I try to live my every day:
possibility, curiosity, and choice.

...for floral thumb tacks...

I'm grateful for possibility because it's all around me, all the time. Opportunities abound at every corner even when I don't see them or when I think my options are nil. Life is hope-full.

I'm grateful for curiosity because it fuels forward movement. Not that long ago I had no hobbies, no interests, and no real ambition; then I experienced a transition that landed me into a world of exploration and growth. Today I have more interests than I can handle.
Life is rich.



I'm grateful for choice because it's liberating. Knowing that I can choose my actions, even if it's a choice of reaction to something that's out of my control, is pretty dang empowering. Knowing that with choice comes consequences prompts me to live more deliberately. Life is engaging.

Possibility, curiosity and choice, it's a trio that packs a punch. Combine that with the obvious, the mundane and everyday comforts, and really, there's nothing more a girl could ask for.

I am grateful. Yes.

...and walks in the woods with my fellow travellers in life.