Blessings

The other day at the condo's recycling bins and dumpster I got talking to a neighbor. We started with the weather as you often do when you barely know someone.

Then she made a comment that stuck with me. She mentioned a beautiful tree in the parking lot--its leaves were a flaming red, and said, "We are blessed."

I don't think of myself in terms of being blessed. Instead I may call myself lucky or privileged. Lately, I've been thinking more negatively--unlucky, screwed, but not cursed.

My neighbor was right; it was a beautiful tree. I had obviously seen it before, but had I really seen it or did I rush past with blinders on?

As part of a writing exercise I did earlier this year, I listed things that made me happy. I mentioned the morning sky from my living room window. I don't have a view in the usual sense of the word, but I can find beauty and happiness in the everyday views.

Spike has helped me appreciate things. I notice so much more walking around the neighborhood rather than driving through it: a man practicing tai chi on the lawns of Morningside Gardens and a goat grazing in a backyard on Highpoint Street.

Spike is my blessing.