Grateful for the Little Things

It rained last night, rained hard enough to wake me up at 2 a.m. as the electricity blinked off for a few minutes. It was slightly annoying to be awake that early in the morning; however, I loved listening to the rain pour and then whisper down. There are bits of poetry and tiny pieces of story everywhere if you take the time to be grateful as you watch and listen.

I’m grateful for the Internet and the ability to connect with friends in Texas, Russia, Panama, and Japan all at the same time.

I’m grateful for when the Internet server is down because then I realize there are people just across the room from me.

I’m grateful for telephones and the ability to call for directions when I’ve hopeless lost the highway downtown (which, by the way, it takes serious talent to misplace a highway).

I’m grateful for times when the phone company keeps delaying repairs and the phone system thinks Kate in marketing is Lindsey the receptionist, or when Frank from Iowa thinks he has called his bank because it makes us learn to smile.

I’m grateful for the humidity after cloudbursts because it brings out that sticky, sweet smell of summer rain and honeysuckle.

I’m grateful for the white hot heat that crumbles mud into dust and proclaims summer is officially here.

I’m grateful for words and all their shades of meaning: not only do we walk, but we can amble, march, hike, stroll, saunter, slog, stride, sashay, ramble, and roam.

I’m grateful for silences and expressions that express more than words ever could.

Think about the thing that first inspired you to see a story and have a dream and then remember to be grateful for the little things because it is those pieces that develop stories and make dreams worthwhile.

--Ashley High is an Intern at Crossover Graphics (www.crossovergraphics.com).