Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt:  What am I grateful for?

I am not one of those people who needs to be prompted to think about what I am grateful for–it’s kind of a constant refrain in my life. Today, what rejuvenated me in this odd holiday week that’s so empty of the social activities and the visits to historical sites that usually fill it was simply getting into my car and driving for a bit.  It was a gorgeous, crystal clear, cold late December day, so I put on Shostakovich’s 11th symphony, with its gelid atmosphere of midwinter, and, after a quick errand, drove out and back along Ridge Rd., at the top of the escarpment.  The view down into Stoney Creek, over into industrial Hamilton and out across the corner of the lake was spectacular and crisp;  I could easily see all the way to Toronto.   I stopped for a moment at the same place I’d gone in the summer to view the comet to just stand for a moment or two in the late afternoon light to take in the panorama.  Between that view and experiencing the absolute rush of that 2nd movement’s moment of fury shake the car, I got a good inoculation of awe and wonder.  I am grateful, at this point in time, that those moments are still attainable, and that will do for today’s dose of thankfulness.

I spent a lot of today in not really doing anything productive.  I did some very easy proofreading, answered a Reddit Shostakovich question, did some very preliminary scribal research (and ordered a book for such) and participated in some discussions for names and armory for an SCA order.  Then I hung out with my Eoforwic friends on Zoom for over two hours. That was really about it.  I think I’ll go upstairs and read War and Peace.  (I’m not kidding–I am actually reading War and Peace. A co-worker mentioned she was doing it, and I realized I could get the free Kindle version, and hey, maybe I should read more famous literature–and if I was going to hit up the Russians, figured I wouldn’t go full Dostoyevsky right off the bat.  I’m about 50 pages in.)