Thankful Thursday | a bug in my coffee

This week, I am thankful:

that I SAW the bug fly into my coffee

One warm morning this week, as I was drinking coffee out on my front steps, a bug flew right into my coffee.

He promptly drowned.

Overall, this was a displeasing experience because my cup was still half full of coffee!

BUT I am very glad I noticed the bug because it would have been ten times worse to drink my coffee and discover a dead bug in my mouth.

for little piano-playing breaks

Since my piano is right here in my office, it’s easy to take a quick break from what I’m doing and play a piece or two.

This is a big upside of being a pianist: your instrument is always ready to play! You don’t have to take it out of a case or put pieces together or soak reeds or tune anything…you can just sit down and play for a few minutes.

(Now, the accompanying downside is that your instrument is entirely un-portable, but that’s not to talk about on Thankful Thursday. 😉 )

for friends who understand what I’m going through

I do not wish this circumstance on anyone, of course, but I am grateful there are people in my life who can commiserate and understand.

And I am also grateful to be able to offer commiseration to these friends!

for a symphony experience I had when I was 18

You know how the girls and I went to the symphony a little while back?

Well, it was at a hall that I hadn’t been at for years, but it’s the place where I got to play part of a Shostakovich piano concerto with a youth symphony (as a high school senior! It’s been a long time.)

Going to the symphony hall reminded me of this, so I rewatched the recording of me playing it (click here to see it on YouTube) and I was freshly reminded what a cool experience that was.

How many pianists ever get to play with an orchestra? It’s not something to take for granted.

Also: the middle movement of that Shostakovich concerto is just so beautiful. I love it just as much all these years later.

(The way the strings come in at 2:30 in this video always gives me goosebumps. Also, the low notes on that piano at 5:40!)

for music that expresses the hard feelings

Sometimes I listen to a song on Spotify and I think, “Did this songwriter live my life??” because some lyrics just so accurately describe how I feel or what I’ve been through, in oddly specific ways.

Sometimes the feeling is angry, sometimes sad, sometimes indignant, sometimes confused, and there is almost always a song that fits.

that I was able to help my cousin

You might remember that I went over every other week during her second pregnancy to help her with dishes/cleaning, etc., because she was very sick during her pregnancy like I was!

(I had hyperemesis. Click here for more on that, plus my tips for how to help people with hyperemesis.)

Well, last week I was able to babysit for her kids for the day, and her little guy is now a person who walks around and talks. 🙂 So cute.

that Lisey passed more of her big tests

I think she only has one more big certification to take, and then she will be officially ready to work on planes.

Yay Lisey!

for so many beautiful sights on my walks

You all know I do my best to appreciate the available beauty in the dead of winter:

But right now, I don’t even have to work at appreciating the beauty!

Blooms are all over the place, things are turning green at an incredible rate.

And there’s lots of daylight/sunshine.

I feel like I’m coasting downhill when it comes to gratitude for outdoor sights. 😉

I love these baby redbud leaves! Such cute little hearts.

for the fun of seeing new trails change

I moved here in May of last year, so I did get to watch the trails move from summer to fall to winter.

But this is my first time seeing most of these trails make the transition from winter to spring, and that’s the most delightful seasonal transformation, I think.

that it’s right-now and not a year ago. or multiple years ago.

I don’t know if that makes sense!

This last year has been hard, but not as hard as many years that came before it.

And I think next year, that will be even more true; I have high hopes that each coming year will be a steady improvement on the prior one.

I’ve done a lot of hard healing work in the last year, and while I don’t know when I will feel mostly healed, I do know that I am closer to that point than I was a year ago. 🙂

It’s slow work, but I have faith that with enough therapy, support, and work, I will be ok.

What are you thankful for this week?