a beautiful morning

It's the most beautiful day today. This whole summer has been so HOT. But on this beautiful morning, it's crisp and cool. The seasons are changing!

These are some flowers we have outside in our flowerpot:


(I tried to take better pictures, but everything is so close together in my neighborhood that I can't take a picture of anything without getting one of our neighbors' houses in it.)

Funny story:

I noticed the beautiful morning and started this nice, peaceful entry, then went outside for a quiet moment of solitude so I could take a few pictures. Then my hyperactive huge dog got excited for no reason whatsoever and clawed my leg so hard that it left whelps through my thick jeans. Then he started barking loud enough to wake the neighbors and he wouldn't shut up. I finally managed some halfway decent pictures, but lo and behold, the stupid memory card wasn't in the camera. I couldn't find a usb cable to get the pics off the camera, so I had to find the memory card and take more pictures. By the time I resumed writing this entry, I was in a bad mood and desperately needing some peace and quiet, so I closed the door to my room so that I could finish writing this entry. Then my mom got upset and thought I was drinking again, just because I closed the door to my room.

Isn't that how it always goes when we have something "simple" that we want to do? Simple plans have simple expectations, but they never, ever work out. I need to change my expectations to include various interruptions and minor annoyances, or just stop having expectations for anything at all.

But I'm grateful for the fact that I don't have to stay frustrated today. A sense of humor comes in handy, and so does a broad perspective.

So let's start over:

I've been blessed with an amazingly beautiful morning. I have an adorable dog who was so happy to see me this morning that he wanted to play with me! I have a nice digital camera and memory card. I have beautiful flowers, trees, and grass surrounding my home, and they're pretty enough to take pictures of. My neighborhood is so close that I have neighbors everywhere and all around me, so I never need to feel isolated. I have a loving mother who supports my sobriety. I also have a loving and patient relationship with a Power greater than myself, and it likes to give me a few small playful jabs on occasion to help me learn lessons I've failed to learn in the past.

I have every reason in the world to be grateful this morning. And I am grateful for this morning, and for all of its minor interruptions that initially made me frustrated.

The seasons are changing ... and I'm so glad they change.