Living Gratitude - Day 139 - Daily Haiku

Living gratitude
and letting go of that which
serves nothing is key

When I first went sailing with friends, I was in California, where running aground is relatively rare, as typically the water gets really deep really fast. If you walk out into the water, you are usually well over your head, and unable to touch the bottom, less than a hundred feet from shore.

Not so on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Tampa Bay, where I lived for many years, is well known for shallow waters and quickly shifting sands, which lead to inaccurate nautical charts, and frequent groundings even by seasoned sailors and boaters.

And weekend boaters, many of whom don't even bother with charts, are even more frequently in need of having their boats towed off of sand bars and oyster beds by Sea Tow, which gets very pricey very fast.

One evening my then-boyfriend (later husband) Michael and I arrived at the little beach at my apartment complex, where he kept his Hobie cat rigged and at the ready, ready for an evening sail, only to discover that the tide was out and the water was over a quarter of a mile from us and the boat.

Oops. Another night then.

I have walked out into the Gulf waters in some parts of Florida to discover that, nearly half a mile from shore, I was still in waist-deep water . . . and I'm only 5' 2" tall.

I took this photo in January 2009, on a trip to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, which is about an hour south of where we were living in Largo. I visited the gardens, which are amazing, with Marek's sister Malwina, who was visiting from Poland.

I remember feeling badly for the owners of the boat, wondering if they were even aware of its predicament, and feeling grateful that it wasn't my boat and that I didn't have to deal with the problem. I had been there with our own boats often enough to know very well how much fun it isn't. ;-)

More recently, I found it quite interesting, during a seriously "dark night of the soul," that despite my despondence, I still found a great deal to be grateful for, in the middle of it all. One of the greatest blessings of living with eyes opened.

This is a short post because I arrived home shortly before 4 AM my time, and it's time to sleep, but I didn't want to miss my post.

I did miss my post last night due to time constraints, and will make up for it tomorrow when time allows, and I'll edit and properly format this one after I awaken.

Marek told me that, although he had a fire going in our fire pit out back, Lolo was lying in the spot where I usually park my car, in front of the house, awaiting my return. Our blessings are many if we simply open our eyes and hearts.

Have a wonderful Sunday and I love you all!

If you enjoyed this post, please Upvote and Resteem it to share with others!
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.

Some of my recent posts:

Fireflies Are Twinkling - Day 138 - Daily Haiku
As a Nine Year Old - Day 137 - Daily Haiku, with Ruminations on Bobby Kennedy
Distant Owl Calling - Day 136 - Daily Haiku
Veganism to Save the World? Maybe, but for Some of us, Definitely Not. Rebuttal to @celestialcow
Seen From My Window - Day 135 - Daily Haiku - An Ode to a Red-Tailed Hawk
Grass is Growing Tall - Day 134 - Daily Haiku, and Ruminations on our Thornless Blackberries and Native Raspberries
Rainy Night in Nashville - Original Poetry
Jeff Buckley Lives On - Day 133 - Daily Haiku - Grace for Drowning Part 6, with additional info and another haiku
First There Was Grace - Day 132 - Daily Haiku - Grace for Drowning Part 5
Growing Up in a Fog – Original Poetry
Jeff Buckley's Music - Day 131 - Daily Haiku - Grace for Drowning, Part 4 - Humor and Running Theme

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics

If you feel my posts are undervalued, and/or you want to donate to tip me, I would appreciate it very much.

In the process, you will be helping our small organic farm to operate, to help others, and to feed and house all our animals better. Thank you!

Bitcoin (BTC) – 37Z9UabFyygFYXMoChifdCkyFgPJtKwXRj
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – qq5p7dkr9239u6fer98lyc3cjvhcwcggzuxyde9mjp
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x731e363a4e6C680D47aFA63e4620342964a9d0Fb
LiteCoin (LTC) – MprMcJSAXKvtBouDQRSSk85qbms8ak3xDY

The following are a few affiliate links, to companies we really believe in, that will further help us to operate, to help others, and to care for and feed our animals.

If you have any interest in becoming affiliated with these companies, which may bring you additional income, please contact me, and perhaps we can work together!

Dr. Al Sears, well known anti-aging doctor, with his first-class line of supplements that actually work:
https://primalforce.net/?aff=1893

Melaleuca, a company that has been making natural, eco-friendly products since the 1980s, that not only work as well as chemically laden versions from the supermarket, but are safer, and typically save money overall in addition.

I was introduced to them by a co-worker in 1990, lost track of them, and was thrilled to find them again about a year and a half ago. I strongly recommend their products.
http://www.melaleuca.com/corimacnaughton

All words and images are my own.

The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table. You can see how much that deterred them both.

Resteeming is welcome, you may link to my post from your own website or blog, and you may use excerpts and/or images as long as you credit me, and link back to this post.

Please ask for permission, before using my work otherwise, as all rights are reserved.

#isleofwrite #homesteading #homesteaders #gardening #organic #farming #steemsugars #teamusa #ladiesofsteem #ecotrain #stars #movingforward #fireflies #lightningbugs #grateful #gratitude