One

Today I am grateful for the feel of new sheets in a warm bed, waking up next to my husband. I am also grateful for the word and the experience of "one."

"One" has been on my mind in the last days. I even checked to see if I had ever titled any of my other 1480-plus Habitual Gratitude blog posts "One." I had not, though it appears in several titles and in a majority of my posts, in one way or another.

Some of my ponderings:

-reading one word of my poems at a time and how each syllable matters
-rolling one Oreo ball or chocolate star cookie at a time
-placing one star on one cookie, then the next
-one pretzel dipped in almond bark, shook off, placed on waxed paper
-one snowflake making a unique journey among millions of other snowflakes
-one shovel of snow, followed by another, and another, and a driveway is cleared
-one drink of coffee to savor
-one banana as part of my breakfast almost every day
-one step at a time on a run with Darcy on a cold morning

One matters. This one moment. This day. My life. Your life. Everyone's life.

One. To experience it requires a pause, a mindfulness I sometimes forget to have. I enjoy holiday baking, running, and shoveling snow. (Call me crazy, but I do.)  Yet, I had to catch myself getting ahead of myself in each of these activities this weekend. Too much on my to-do list. Too many racing thoughts, mostly about what to do next, and writing ideas.

I spoiled some of the moments. But I caught myself savoring and relishing others. That is the best I can hope for on most days. "One" reminds me to slow down, pause. Be here. Simply here.