Queen Street Commons Cafe - Kitchener, ON
Good afternoon. It's a balmy -13 degrees celsius out there, but I'm nice and warm inside this cafe, drinking dark roast coffee and just having finished eating a spicy hummus wrap. I have a lot to be thankful for.
When you're dealing with things like mental illness and poverty, thankfulness can be something that goes by the wayside. But I've really been feeling thankful lately, particularly when I step into the house that I'm living in after being out in the frigid cold. I have a roof over my head, a warm room, food to eat, a great friend as a flatmate.
Other things that I'm thankful for:
- My circle of friends, both old and new. I am blessed with good friends who listen to me and understand me, and accept me for who I am.
- A community that I can belong to; in my case Grand River Unitarian Congregation. It's a place where people with a wide array of religious beliefs - or no religious beliefs - can come and covenant to treat each other with dignity and respect.
- My weekly meditation group that I've just begun to attend. It's a grounding experience to share silence with others in the midst of often noisy weeks.
- My family. I have good relationships with my Mom, my brother, and perhaps most surprisingly my father. That's been a major change the last year or so. We have some milestones coming up this year. Mom turns 65 next month, Dad turns 70 in March, my niece Rachael becomes a teenager also in March, and I turn 40 (how did that happen?!) in July.
- Good coffee, and plenty of cafes where I feel comfortable hanging out in.
- Music. Lately it's been a steady diet of AC/DC and Bryan Adams, though today it's something a little softer - John Denver. Listening to John Denver makes me think of my Mom, as we have a tradition of playing crokinole and listening to his music.
- Sexual and gender diversity. I'm thinking particularly of those friends of mine who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. So often I find that they radiate authenticity and warmth and acceptance of me, perhaps because they often know what it is to be discriminated against.
- Good beer. My all-time favourite being Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, a German smoked beer that I first had when I traveled to Germany 10 years ago. It's available at many LCBO stores.
- I'm thankful that baseball season is in sight. Go Jays!
- Medication that works. While the side effects are a pain in the ass, the meds that I'm on help with my complex PTSD, major depressive disorder, and general anxiety disorder.
- Humour. Because everyone loves my puns.
- Being able to see quality movies at the Princess Cinemas and the Apollo. (Go see The Shape of Water!)
Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for. It's so easy to concentrate on what one doesn't have as opposed to what one does have.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blogposts. :)
mark andrew
