Colors…

It seems like everyone I know is going through stuff right now, too, so I thought I would try to fix my mood here.

Colors. One of the things that I ALWAYS add to a gratitude list, any time I start a fresh one. There are so many beautiful colors in the world.

The moon, the stars, and the night in general. It’s fun to keep up with moon phases and just check in with the moon at night and see what it looks like.

Sunlight, sunrise, sunset. And just look at all the gorgeous color in that image.

The sky above, not to be outdone by the Earth and the trees, below.

Summer and visits to the beach. I remind myself now and then that summer will come back, like it always does, and that we’re already more than halfway there.

Fall. I’m not sure if I would vote summer or fall as my favorite season. They definitely both have their perks. Maybe that middle ground where they both kind of overlap, before the wind grows teeth. Summer has so many family birthdays to celebrate, but fall has Spooky Season!

So what is there to love about winter and the here and now? Fuzzy socks and cozy sweaters. Warm cats on cold days. Hot cocoa (I should get more). Chai (still have some of that).

I do really, really enjoy the gifting season, but the tail end of winter gets tricky.

There’s Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras coming up. Those could be fun. I’m not presently anticipating having a “valentine” in the traditional sense, but I was thinking about sending V-Day cards to some of my friends. I have one I made last year that I lost then recently rediscovered.

I have some filé seasoning on the way for homemade gumbo, along with beignet mix and coffee with chickory, both from Café du Monde. Here’s an idea of what the beignets should look like once they’ve been fried and sugar-dusted:

So yeah, there’s stuff.

And there’s so much art and poetry and fiction everywhere to add more depth and beauty to everyday life.

I just reread “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and found myself bemusedly relating, as someone casually scrolling through the online dating scene now and again. I’m older, theoretically wiser, maybe looking for something more than I was 10-15 years ago. Yet, I still crave the thrills of someone emotionally unpredictable and compellingly beautiful.

I once had someone argue with me fiercely that it’s appearance that attracts me, not the personality. I insisted no, the drama is definitely part of the formula.

I would say that still holds true. I’m not sure if I still fit the bill of what someone like that might be looking for, but we will see. Meanwhile, I will keep working on loving myself and cultivating my friendships, trying to keep a healthy balance of give and take.

I’m not sure how much this all helped me tonight. Maybe a little. In the present moment, it’s hard to find even that wealth of things adequate as reasons to persist. But I will try.

Maybe just having the list as a reference point for hard days and nights will be beneficial. Could be it helps someone else. Who knows?

Here’s to the love of friends and family and the idea of being one’s own valentine.