November Reflections

My auto insurance was paid today. I'm still in shock at how much it's gone up. I guess I should be grateful I was able to knock some off of it, and I am grateful for that, but it's still more than I'm comfortable paying. No way around it. One has to have a vehicle in my area. Public transportation is nonexistent.

Speaking of grateful, it's November and I should reflect on my thankfulness. I won't do that every day, but I think I'll do it some between now and Thanksgiving. This holiday is important to me and it isn't one I take lightly. I don't mean that just because I get a day of good meals out of it. I believe it's very important, healing even, to take some time to reflect on the things that are actually going right in your life.

Tonight I am grateful for something that has been bringing a lot of joy to my life. The British Museum recently posted a lot of images online and they are copyright-free. I love exploring this collection so much! It has all kinds of strange little entries, tons of maps, lots of typography. I see so many possibilities for this stuff. Some of it is so odd and inspiring. I would love to see people use it in their homes and in their online displays.

I love the color of old, faded paper and way ink decays over time. When I look at these images, I can almost smell the scent of the books they came from. When I browse through this collection, it comforts me and makes me long for things I really can't even put into words. Even in the midst of a depression bout, I'm still finding so much serenity in these images.

I believe it's important to be grateful for the things that make you happy. Often we worry so much about the bad stuff going on around us that we don't take the time to really focus on the things that pull us out of that. I encourage you to do so. What makes you happy? Whatever it is, really be thankful for it. Sometimes it's the little things that keep us going.