Magnanimous

Though I awoke from an uncomfortable night of sleep - having dozed off in the reclining chair while attempting Scrabble on my iPhone as numerous episodes of Thanksgiving gorge converged and diverged within my swollen-with-'food-baby'-belly - my mind was at rest. A most calm and joyful state of rest, I might add. A mental and emotional rest which completely transcended the still tumultuous state of my stomach AND the newly-developed lower back pain from my awkward evening of slumber in the Easy Boy.

It seemed that in whatever direction I chose to look, appreciation abounded. The warm light filling my bedroom, bathing every surface in a golden wash of enhanced color, was succor to my eye. Later in the day, that same light fingering its way across the bowl of deep orange clementines on the kitchen table actually stole my breath for a second. Piles of folded towels and sheets yet to be stowed in the linen closet reminded me of the comforts my family enjoys each and every day; running up the stairs to put them away, I marveled in the relative comfort of movement I exercised in the small climb to the second level of our home. The panoramic sweep of our suburban back yard, viewed through handsome windows with blinds in need of desperate repair, told me that to have one's own chunk of earth on this spinning planet was a very good thing even if it wasn't the farm for which my heart yearns.


Each thought to enter my mind delivered satisfaction. Wandering over the memory landscape of yesterday's Thanksgiving adventure at the new home of my brother-in-law and his wife, I once more toured their gorgeously appointed formal dining room. Generally speaking, I see little use for these spaces in modern homes, but today in my brain's viewfinder, I admired the handsome circular table they are not quite ready to use with its perfectly selected and utterly unique chairs. I touched on the tall marble-topped credenza, recalling how well it showcased the fine selection of holiday pies. With its high windows and curved archways and the round rich rug echoing these lines, I saw a space which would provide years of excellent fellowship over equally fantastic meals. It pleased me to realize that I would, one day soon - I hope, be a member of one such episode of fellowship.


Every feeling to cross my heart elicited gratitude. There is a woman, roughly my age, for whom my emotions have been guarded due to my history with a somewhat similar woman from my past in the area of friendship and family. My personal interaction with her was limited to only a few meetings -- all of which were pleasant from my perspective. But, other individuals with whom I share a longstanding bond of history and love, voiced strong objections based on circumstances to which I was not privy. Circumstances I heard soley from their point of view. A conversation with a relative who often speaks in brief excerpts of profound reason caused me to reexamine my reactions to this woman. This morning, I felt a need to appreciate her for the life she had to live and for the life she is trying to live. I felt the need to give her a voice of her own where the familiar cadences of friend's past did not interject. On the heels of this realization rushed a flood of thankfulness which I readily welcomed.


There was none of the usual 'reality check' amendments to the moments . . . not even a one. The standard upon-waking list of to-do's, followed by the even more standard grouping of chunks-of-time on the clock, rounded out by the swift realization that my day was spent before it had ever begun, failed to present themselves for my inspection. (The sun, presently low in the western sky, alerts me that I have yet to see these familiar denizens of my mind and in all likelihood will NOT see them today!) Because I know the rarity of such days, even with a heart and mind as open to goodwill as mine, I felt an urgency to record this particular collection of hours before they spent themselves well, good and with finality. Thus far, it has been a most magnanimous day. And, with a prescience I trust today, I forecast more of the same to the end.

MAGNANIMOUS:
free from petty resentfulness; high-minded, noble; proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.