gratitude

This week, I am taking a class on Word Press. It is interesting and fun. Yes, fun, even though it is computer-ey, which usually horrifies me. Now that I have been blogging a couple of years, it is time to tackle the technical aspects. Yay! I am thankful for the chance to learn something new. And for flowers. The ones above I found in the town of Solvang, California. My brother-in-law Stafford took us there last weekend while we were wine tasting. It is a darling town, which started as a Danish community. It has tons of poppies and other beautiful flowers everywhere. Since QG is half Danish, he really loved the place. 

Also, I am increasingly thankful for yoga. QG and I have upped our classes to five most weeks. We cannot get enough. Seriously. Not only does it keep us limber, after our arthritis-inducing car wreck, but it has helped me learn gratitude and non-attachment. No matter how old you get, you can grow and change in positive ways. I have replaced a lot of my old self-critical thoughts with gratitude and praise. What a cool journey this has been! Try yoga and see for yourself.

Lastly, I am thankful for all of God's creatures. This is a sea slug I met on the beach last Friday. They'd had some storms a couple of days before we got there, which had washed lots of creatures, shells, and wood onto the beach. On our three-hour beach hike, I met a gal who was collecting shells and wood shards to use in her jewelry-making and we got to talking. She was a native of Santa Barbara, twenty-seven years old, and she said she and her boyfriend had been eating nothing but boiled sea slugs for the past four days. She said if they "pop" when you cook them, they are safe to eat, otherwise, toss them. I will take her word for it. I am not brave or pragmatic enough to eat these guys. They are too beautiful. The one above escaped jewelry girl's boiling pot. QG and I threw him back into the ocean to live another day. Go, Slugly, go!