Climb for Hospice

Yesterday I went to Vancouver to meet my good friend Eran for lunch. I took transit in and, as is now my habit, I hopped off at the first stop after the bridge, and walked the rest of the way into the city. It usually takes about 90 minutes or so to get where I need to go after I ditch the train.

I’ve been doing this to help prepare myself for the fact that in 5 weeks I will be walking EVERYWHERE, and in 6 weeks I will be walking up A MOUNTAIN.

The thing about yesterday’s walk is that it was about a bazgillion* degrees outside, and the sidewalks were little convection ovens. Not to rehash it, but really, if I were a cannibal, yesterday would have been totally awesome, because all my food would have come pre-cooked.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I slogged through the heat (and LOVED it), and felt my fingers go all fat and tingly with edema. The sweat was rolling off of me (Although I am a woman, I do not “glow”. I sweat like a drunken sailor in a whore house…. ew… ok, that may have been inappropriate. And quite a disturbing visual), and the sun was turning my once pasty-white skin into a gorgeous shade of sickly red.

However, as I was walking along (read: running from tree shade pool to tree shade pool), I realized that it was just about as hot as it is going to be in Africa, but I’ll be slogging up a frikken’ mountain. In hiking boots. With Ali swearing at me and throwing rocks at my sweltering head.

But the upside is that I’ll be walking towards, you know, a freaking GLACIER. So there’s that.

I love this Vancouver weather. You won’t hear me complaining about the heat! I’m a warm-weather kind of gal, and it makes me happy when I’m warm tapas for cannibals.

Bring it on, Kilimanjaro!

*Bazgillion may or may not be an actual number

I’ve had a rough couple of days where I’ve struggled a bit to find gratitude. Gratitude is something I look for everyday, and usually it’s so easy to find. I mean really, who woudn’t be grateful for The Hockey Song, or aluminum foil, or the fact that you really hate the taste of Twinkies (thank god!).

On July 27th, 1999 I started something that has made a huge impact on my life. Every night before bed I write down three things that I am grateful for, in a spiral-bound journal. For almost eleven years I have spent a few minutes each day focusing on a few of the things that made my day. I’m on my 9th journal now, and I have no plans on stopping anytime soon. I’ve taken journals to Mexico, Greece, Paris, the British Virgin Islands, and beyond. I’ve even had one journal stolen out of my check-in luggage while flying to San Juan (I was so not grateful for that).

Some days it’s harder to find things to be grateful for, yes. But those are the days when I know I really need to find things that I am grateful for (things like not being a tree stump, for example). But for the most part, I have many more than just three things to be grateful for (things like the perfect pen, warm toes, and taking your bra off at the end of the day – sorry guys, you’ll just never know). There is gratitude in all things, and I learned this soon after I started the first journal. I found myself seeking out and identifying things that I am grateful for throught the day.It’s all about perspective.

Now, I’m not talking fluffy-aura-positive-fairy dust stuff here. I’m talking reality. In a hurry?

“Ooooh, green light! Sweet!”

Listening to a great song in the car?

“Ooooh, red light! Sweet!”

But for the past few days I have been fighting to find those things that are right in front of me. I’m getting mad at the journals. “What am I grateful for? NOTHING.”  *humpf* Then I unhappily pout myself to sleep.

But I wanted to share with you three things that I am grateful for today. I don’t normally share these things, but I figured I just told you about taking my bra off, so what have I got to lose? My dignity? Pfffft… riiiiiiiiiiight…

Today I am grateful for:

1. My sponsor Laura at Better Still Day Spa is donating all her tips for the month of May to the Delta Hospice!
2. My friend Uds has graciously offered to DJ at the Kili Gala, and his friend from Mir-Mor Productions has offered to lend him the sound equipment he needs,  FREE OF CHARGE!
3. My beautiful, driven, talented, relentlessly stunning friend Eran has honoured me greatly by making me this month’s “Featured Quester” on her brilliant blog The Quarterlife Quest!

Now, these are HUGE things to be grateful for. I’m used to being grateful for things like having just the right amount of milk left in the jug for my morning mocha, or finding a crumpled $10 bill in a winter coat.

There is gratitude to be found in everything. I have no bathroom ceiling right now, due to water leaks in the pipes being repaired. Could be worse, my toilet could have fallen through the floor or something. I’m struggling financially right now. But the reason for that is because I’m going to Africa to climb a mountain! My thumb nail broke off this morning. But it happened right before I hit my thumb on the cupboard door, which would have surely torn the nail instead. Ah, haaaaa… gratitude in all things.

And what are you grateful for today?

I hereby challenge you to find three things today that you are grateful for. And when you find three, you’ll surely find three more. I promise.

As for me… I am grateful for gratitude.