COLLAGE PIRATE: My Contented Joys

MY CONTENTED JOYS

by: Mimi Foxmorton

Inspired by the Facebook request to list

5 days of

Things You Are Grateful For.

And being me, I cannot just *list* things......

I must join them with color & art!

So here they are......

***************

Challenged to post

3 Positive Things for 5 days

forthwith is my list (with extra bits and bad counting):

DAY 1:

1. I'm alive! Seems a simple thing to say but five years ago I had a 38 pound tumor.

(Not a typo. I know...long story. Thought I was getting fat.

Also, denial is a pretty impressive thing.......) ;)

But it was benign, a thing I almost never am, and so-here I am.

I'm counting this a 3 Things! ;)

DAY 2:

1. I love my job! Such an important thing to be blessed with in life, the liking of one's job.

From storyteller to pirate to gypsy to prairie girl to faerie and beyond....I love my job!

2. I love my imagination! I didn't always. Catholic school (in the 60's) teaches you, harshly, to question (and be ashamed) of your imagination until sometimes it packs up and moves out altogether. I wouldn't blame it. Who wants to stick around for the abuse?

I'm grateful that mine hung in there.

So- Dear Sister Mary Suppressyercreativity: I can finally answer your daily question to my 9 year old self: There's NOTHING wrong with me! Fancy that!

3. I love my storybook world! I love that I've come to a point in life where I feel completely at ease creating my own world and decorating my own soul.

No more worry about what other people think.

No more questioning or considering....if it feels right, I do it.

It's a beautiful feeling in your tummy to be free.

4. I am grateful that, some years back, I found my Spiritual Path.

It's a path all mine own that I can now walk with grace and dignity and beauty and peace.

And no one can take that away from me.

Photography by Teresa Perin of Eden Hills 2014

DAY 3:

1. My Yellow Dog.

And yep, that's his name!

My heart and soul and constant companion.

The single most important piece of my being alive.

I'd go on some more about this but then we'd all be crying. ;)

2. My Goats!

A passion I found (found me?) only several years ago, my goats bring joy to my world in a

way no other thing can!

3. I'm counting Yellow Dog twice. ;)

DAY 4:

1. My Blood

What I call my family.

My daughter and her three daughters-my granddaughters.

Being adopted from Heidelberg, Germany

I can ear mark only 4 people in this whole world who share my blood.

Think about that-4!

That's not very many people so, yeah, I love them extra special.

I'm grateful they love me back.

Grandmaamaa and One Blood in a Tree

Or as we like to call it: Two Hippies in a Tree

2. I'm counting The Blood as 4

2.5. I am *not* grateful that when I went to post a pic I realized I have zero pics of the 5 of us all together. I have lots of pictures of us...just not one all together.

Someone is either missing or taking the picture. :(

Hmm. I must register a complaint and remedy this!

3. I am grateful to this blog post for making me realize that.

4. Now my numbers are *all* askew! ;)

5. Since my numbers are all askew, I'm going to throw in that I am grateful for French vanilla ice cream that tastes like violets and lavender and lilac!

DAY 5:

1. I'm grateful for all my girlfriends and the Sisterhood of the Goat.

The feminine power that has come into my life is overwhelming.

Be it hilarious chat, crazy fun, a hug or a word of encouragement, or a goodly romp in the forest, never underestimate the power of your female friends!

2. I'm grateful that when I take a good look at myself these days

I like what I see.

One can hardly ask for anything more than that.

3. Oh, wait. Fabric. I am grateful for fabric and can always ask for more fabric.

Yes. More fabric, please. ;)

4. I'm extremely grateful for my writing. It keeps me sane. Well, as sane as I'll ever be.

I'm grateful, that with the help of dear friends I was able to publish my ebook.

(Goats in Underpants-check it out!)

And I'm grateful for my bloggie friends who encourage me to keep writing.

A pencil and a piece of paper are two powerful things.

5. I'm grateful for the Mad Woman in the Attic who resides in me.

I love her dearly and visit her every day.

I always bring her flowers.

And a cupcake.

LAST ONE:

I am grateful for a man I called my Uncle Whitey who was once a part of my life.

He was smart and creative and kind and honest and salt of the earth.

He saved me from my sorry self and the bitter and confusing things surrounding me.

He was my only playmate as a child alone in a house with elderly parents who may have spoiled me with things but didn't quite understand this strange and foreign child they has brought into their home at a time in their lives when quiet time was probably more to their liking.

He wasn't above setting fire to a roll of caps with me just to see what would happen.

(Nothing as it turns out. We were both kind of disappointed.)

He taught me there was nothing I couldn't do if I tried and that everyone else

could go to hell if they didn't like it.

So, yeah-I'm pretty grateful for the man I called Uncle Whitey.

Everyone should get one.

I guarantee you'll be grateful.

I know I am.

~Mimi Foxmorton 2014