December 1, 2023
Friday

The autumn air is clear,
The autumn moon is bright
Fallen leaves gather and scatter,
The jackdaw perches and starts anew.
We think of each other.
— Li Bai, 701-762
Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty

From my journal this morning: “8:00 am/35° — There is a single lone grape in the refrigerator and leftover mashed parsnip potato casserole, gravy, some wan mandarins past their prime, assorted spreads, a carton of eggs. Renewal needed.”

Hello, old friends, faithful or occasional readers, and the new friends that Holidailies might bring me. I stepped into this day anxious and fretful. My Pray As You Go prayer journal response was even bleaker, ending with: help me help me help me, one of the two best prayers writer Anne Lamott knows. The two cups of coffee that completed my hour of C&C (Coffee and Contemplation) no doubt contributed to a lifting of the fog.

It has been a while since I did much of anything with this particular writing space. My skills for navigating the technology are rusty. I no longer understand the coding that drives it. The site needs a facelift, and a connection to Substack, where all the cool journallers have taken up residence. I have much to learn if I am to get back to where I once belonged in the social media communities I enjoy. How to do it? Invoking Anne Lamott again: Bird by bird, buddy. Bird by bird.

Here are some things I am grateful for as Holidailies/Advent/the rest of my life begins:

My pesky tire pressure light is staying off, even in this cold weather.
I have every resource I need to achieve the Six Goals of a Quality Life.
My mobility is improving. I haven’t used my cane in a week.

I’ll end this first foray into Holidailies 2023 with the other prayer Anne Lamott lists as the two best: thank you thank you thank you.