friday present: thank you.

It all started with a post a few days ago from my dear friend Claire at Bicoastally, which introduced me to Faiza's touching gratitude journal: It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day. You can read the post, listing five things she is thankful for on The Perfect Compilation Tape. Another day later, I read Micaela's version of thanks on her lovely space, Dolce Vita. I love how quickly the paths of discovery and serendipitous moments happen in the web world, and especially in blogs. 

So, what have these girls been up to? They've been creating beautiful 5-item lists of gratitude. If we could just wake up every day and take a few moments to remember what we are thankful for, to breathe some space and presence into such thankful moments, wouldn't the world be that much prettier, saner even? Surely, our interactions would be loving and smiles. So here's my five of the day. I might end up doing this every week, as each week rings in its surprises, and someday it would be fun to look back at the patterns of such loving lists. 

1. letters.

Today I received two letters in the mail, hand delivered with a special knock on the door by the Correos de Chile bike messenger, dressed all in red. One was a poem and card from my friend Ian. We went to undergrad together and worked on Reed Magazine, SJSU's literary journal. We recently started a mail exchange, though I'm still not sure if I'll go the poem route or the hand-drawn postcard route.

I also received a little packet from my aunt, with some beautiful postcards from her recent trip to Russia, and my new California Driver's License. I would be so lost down here if it wasn't for these frequent mailings of stuff I need from the States! Thank you!

2. wheels.

The license I received from the States will come in handy down here driving our new car! We have been living a transient life, staying in Patagonia for the summers (opposite y'all in the northern hemisphere), and blowing this popstand during the winter. But this year we stayed. I never wanted to buy a car before, because I always planned on coming back "home" soon. Why spend money on something we don't really need and won't use for that long. 

But, man, now that we have it, I just don't know what took me so long to want it! The freedom! And warmth: Life can continue, even if the weather outside is horrible. We just hop in the car and go. I love our 1990 Subaru. We just got it back from the repair shop today, by the way. Someone hit it while it was parked, fessed up a couple of days later and even paid for most of the damage! 

2. internet.

Most of us take connection for granted. But I lived without it down here for a couple of years. And I can't even tell you how much more comfortable and comforting it is to be able to connect with people wherever they are in the world. To make new blog friends. That somehow every day brightens within a few clicks. Not to mention general knowledge, oh lovely Wikipedia, poetry, books... and recipes!

4. cooking.

I have been cooking up a storm lately. My latest endeavor was a buttery delicious roasted butternut squash and carmelized onion galette. It turned out wonderfully, even in our third world kitchen with the old wood burning oven converted to gas, sans temperature gauge, whose heat only comes from left side. I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen, and though I'm surprised I worked up the nerve to try to make it with our limited resources, it turned out successfully! Serkan was happy to eat something so rich and flaky. I'm generally a vegetarian cook who keeps the butter use under control. In fact, I couldn't bring myself to use as much butter as the recipe called for... 

5. my ever-patient, loving husband.

Simply put, I just don't know what I would do without this dear love in my life. 

What would your gratitude list look like? If you create one, link up and let me know. I would love to read it!

{photos: bench; letters; internet; galette & freedom: yours truly; us: serkan}