thoughts from a taxi

This morning I witnessed a beautiful sunrise amidst the brittle cold of a prairie winter. Cold all night and cold all day but in the middle of that misery was this one beautiful moment, making the rest of it that much more bearable and isn’t that just how life goes sometimes?
  There are times when you are stuck and struggling and you just need to reach out for a win, something to get you through, whether Its a beautiful sunrise, a positive interaction, the hug of someone you love, the sweet tail wags of your beloved pet, the feel of the hot car seat heater on your aching back, the taste of a good mug of coffee or tea… any moment to pause from the grind and to just enjoy. Put everything else aside just for a few seconds and soak in that joy and pleasure. 
Life has been difficult for me these past couple of months and I’ve been trying my best to pull out of my personal nosedive, to find my peace and to get back to good mentally. It’s the time of year as well, I get that, but sometimes things stack up on us and we flounder, overwhelmed with life’s challenges and the unfairness of it all… as we perceive it in the moment. 
  My list of grievances is long and each individual item is a heartbreaker in and of itself but compound them in a two month block and life gets tough.  Remembering the beauty in life ; the sunrises and sunsets, snuggling your old dog, hugging your person, taking a relaxing walk or drive or swim or whatever you enjoy… it allows for a little reset.  The challenges are there, sure, but maybe you feel a little bit better and can tackle one of them, take it off the shit list.  Maybe not. Maybe you just have a little bit more patience for the day. 
  2024 started with a bang for me. The bang of bumpers clashing, shattering panels. Yeah, a car accident. Followed by work problems, relationship issues, a very sick dog and a mentally struggling blog author… it was a lot. It IS a lot. The nose dive or spiral or crash or whatever you want to call it, is real. We all suffer through those moments. 
  I’m taking steps to correct these things and to try to see the positives of these various challenges or to, at the least, just get through them in one piece. Moxie seems to be recovering, the car will be fixed soon I hope, the relationship is starting to move in a healthy and positive direction, and work is.. well.. it’s work. Today I watched a sun rise and I’m thankful to be here to enjoy it. I’m alive which means I have the power to make changes across the board. There is always a new day to try again when we fail, always a new way to look at hints and implement a change in our lives. 
  The question is… do we see the sunrise, or just the cold?  Can we make a change or just stay in a situation as it is?  
  No one can answer those questions but you.  Or I, in my own life.  I’ve chosen to enjoy the sunrise and to chase after the better things. If I fail, I’ve learned some things and if I succeed then life gets better for me. Either way, there’s been growth and that’s never a bad thing. 
Stay warm, gentle reader. 

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