Grace in Small Things

Since I write so much about the crabby side of life, I decided to take on this challenge as a counterpoint: Grace in Small Things came to me via the lovely blogger Whoorl, who directed me to Schmutzie and in turn to this: for 365 days I will post a list of 5 things that make me happy and grateful to be on this earth, either on the day of posting or just generally.

Almost had you there, didn't I? Crabmommy listing loveliness every single day of the year?! She's got to be joking! And she is. Sort of.

I can't keep a list like that for a year, peoples. For starters it goes against my blogging manifesto: if I am going to take readers away from work, parenting, cleaning, watching porn, picking your noses or doing whatever-all else essential activities of a given day, then it best not be to blab about the things that make me feel peachy. Nay, as a blogger—and a momblogger at that—I have always aimed to characterize my blog with stories of failure, irritation, doom, ill humor and other assorted negativity, the better to comfort you in your own trials and make you look up to your own selves by looking down on me. Good writing needs conflict, or so they taught me at writing school.

ALL THAT SAID. I do think it a worthy challenge for Crabmommy to reflect on life's bounty in public on this here blog, if not daily then at least today. Can I come up with 5 things that make me happy, today and always? I absolutely can. Can I do it without irony? Just watch me.

Note: I will leave out of the list the very obvious objects of my gratitude and adoration, for the sake of making my list un-obvious and hopefully un-cheesy. Of daughter and husband I can be very cheesy and sentimental but I think we'd all prefer I do that with and to them rather than you. Truly, I can't speak of the things about my family that are so dear to me I could literally eat them on a roll with mustard. Because if I start saying some of these things it offends my eyes, for I imagine my eyes to be your eyes, and I imagine the gagging, because it would be my gagging if I were you. Because other people's insanely happy, precious moments are precious for being their own, for being deeply personal. When shared they take on some serious cheese. In my hands at least. I mean, yesterday I caught a glance of Crabkid in profile and oh my GAWD it was so absurdly delicious I had to reach out and tweak a cheek! But it was a "you had to be there" moment; or, as with most parenting joys, a "you had to be her parent" moment.

On to my list. Yes, I can and do feel heartfelt thanks on this day for there being really swell events, thoughts, humans, and objects that appear twixt the mundane chores and woes, for my delectation. Here goes:

Grace in Small Things

1. my cactus table (plus one geranium). This makes me happy every day, whenever I look at it, which is often as it is right next to my desk, and yes I know the lighting sucks on this pic but still...
As the only plants I have not yet murdered —and as the recipient of the bulk of the sunlight in this chilly room—this tableau makes me feel warm and sunny, particularly today as we have a single Narcissus bulb that has just started to shoot out in earnest (Crabkid calls it the "balb"). can you see the decorative sticks Crabkid makes for my plants. Aren't they fancy? For those of you snickering at my pride in this fairly paltry offering, just remember that I have two blogs to weed, grow, and nurture and hence my somewhat modest efforts in other arenas. Yes, that cactus on the left looks feeble but it has babies; you just can't see them. Theyz newborns.
2. hedgehogs: I am really grateful that, somehow, through the lines of evolution hedgehogs came to be. Hedgehogs are it. Especially baby ones. Does this little fellow not look exactly like Rod Stewart? I once found a hedgehog in my garden. It made this unbelievably cute snuffling sound that was so cute I almost had to squash it out of love.
3. Patrick Swayze: Patrick Swayze is by no means a "small thing" but I am very definitely grateful that he is around and so I put him in this list today. If there is one thing you need to know about Crabmommy that you don't already know, it's that I heart Patrick Swayze. Then, now, always. Now obviously I am not happy that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer, but I am happy that he is so brave and lovely and that he is here. Patrick is the best. Nobody puts Baby in the corner!
4. random joy in my inbox: Thanks be to my friend Tamara who this very morning sent me this picture of a baby bunny rabbit that is so astonishingly, edibly cute I am almost MENTAL with love for it. I might have to check myself into an institution out of adoration.
5. you: Thank you for coming to my blog and for being a friend of the Crabmommy. You're a chum!

Okay, your turn. 5 things to share if you dare, below in the comments, or leave us an url. If you make us gag and scoff, SO WHAT, right? Sometimes it does a body good to be glad. Oh, and please, if you feel like yet more Crabmom, go to the bloglet today for a chat about Roald Dahl's revoltingly swell book The Twits.