Gratitudes 12-14

Today I am grateful for good listeners and observers in my life who can reflect back to me that which I cannot always see on my own. 

Below are the next three installations as I build a list of "19 Gratitudes After a Year of COVID-19.

12. Dr. Michael Osterholm's The Osterholm Update podcast. We have been listening weekly in recent months, and also sporadically in the first months of the pandemic. I have ample respect for the science behind what Dr. Osterholm discusses, and an equal amount of appreciation for how he humanizes it all. 

13. Recovery during the pandemic has been both a mainstay and a key source of grief. A mainstay day by day to keep me connected to others walking this "journey of self-acceptance." And to my Higher Power/Universe/Friend. Connected to the tools that allow us to be productive in our thoughts and actions, not counterproductive like our addictions would have us be. 

And a key source of grief because I have so sorely missed seeing smiles, giving and receiving hugs, hearing laughter, feeling the shared energy of grace and gratitude when I am in the company of those who know and understand my struggles with alcoholism. 

14. This blog as things unfolded, and sometimes unraveled, over the last year. I process by writing, and the variety and range of emotions that have played out this past year are chronicled here, along with many facts and details about this unprecedented time. Together, feeling the feelings and noting the details, have allowed resilience to surface most days.

For these, and so much more, I am humbly grateful. What will be on your list today?