Flowers from my husband
Is there anything better than sleeping in your own bed after a trip? Or maybe you love the next-morning part–waking up the next day, walking around your house, making your tea or coffee (not the hotel stuff!), entering into your daily routine with all your comforts around you. Even being woken up at 5. a.m. by my cat feels sweeter the day after a trip, just because she’s back at home with me and purring her appreciation.
Appreciation–that is the word for today. I am making today my appreciation day. I am keeping my eyes and ears open to my world around me, and I am actively appreciating my home and my life.
I did not plan on this; nor did I create the moment that began my spate of appreciation. My husband (whom I appreciate with great gusto!) earns credit for this. Last night he went to the store to buy supper, and he returned with flowers from our local vegetable and fruit stand.
“For you,” he said.
In a moment of true surprise (I cannot remember another time when he showed up with flowers), I said, “For what?”
“For what?!” he exclaimed, “Are you kidding me?”
I wasn’t kidding, but in the next moment I understood. No explanation was needed. I was a big part of this trip in the soup-to-nuts menu of travel planning and execution. But I had not felt burdened or used, and I did not expect a gift.
Nevertheless, those flowers made me feel very happy. And very appreciated.
One definition of appreciation is “thankful recognition.” That is what I felt from my husband, and that is what I am seeking to give today. I will look actively, recognize what I am thankful for, and express my appreciation–to people and animals, to scenery and plants and all the greenery around me; to air that is fresh (not so humid!) and Mt. Rainier; to my own kitchen and my own writing space, to my local gym and the Farmers’ Market; and above all, to ordinary daily life, to being home.
I end this entry here, filled already with the balance that comes from filling up on gratitude and putting appreciation into words. My final words are these: thank you readers of this blog–I appreciate you!
Questions for Reflection: What are the ways you experience appreciation in your life? What do you want to be appreciated for by others, and how do you like people to show appreciation to you? How do you typically express appreciation to others? I described appreciation after coming home from a trip. What events trigger a sense of appreciation for you?
Writing Prompts: “Right now I feel appreciation for ______” (then keep writing); “I want to express appreciation to ______ for ______ (then keep writing); “I wish someone would appreciate me for my ______” (then keep writing); “I regret not appreciating ______” (then keep writing); “I feel most appreciative when ______” (then keep writing).
Suggested Activity: In addition to writing your appreciation, say it out loud: “I appreciate you, ______, for ______” [fill in name, object, animal, emotion, etc.]. Do this throughout the day.
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I saw the link to this on Linked-In. I too, just rerturned from a trip and experienced similar feelings, despite my house being in a state of constant construction and disarray. I looked forward to seeing how the construction had progressed in our absence, to sleeping in my own bed (and on land–we were on a cruise), and to seeing our 2 cats and a dog, as well as friends who had been away the same week we had. Even in the chaos of the house construction, the familiarity of home and routine was comforting after the trip. I appreciated the trip for the relief it gave me from the noise, dust and vibration of the construction–there was definitely a reduction in our stress level on the trip. However, I too appreciated getting back to home and work, and am thankful to have a job (and an opportunity to get away from it) in this bad economic period.
So glad to have you here, Debra! Hope you will return often. I’ve been blogging daily for the Ultimate Blog Challenge (runs through August), which has just one week left, but I will continue after that, though likely at a different pace.
Hope that house construction can progress so your home is even more welcoming.