Apifera Farm - where art, story, animals & woman merge. Home to artist Katherine Dunn

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©Katherine Dunn.





Thursday, November 23, 2017

Evolution of thanks

As I've gone through life, what I'm truly thankful for has evolved as I age–good health-or the lack of any debilitating conditions, as of this writing-is on the top of the I'm thankful for list. A day free of pain becomes more important after you truly suffer pain. We had four days of out of town guests, in and out of the house, but we made meals here, and celebrated our main meal last night.

Today, the house is quiet again, and I'm grateful. I truly love my inward life, it is what I can handle, where I spend the days with nature and animals, my art, my writing, what is in my head and heart. I like people, the ones that understand boundaries anyway, but most of time is spent without people. I love my husband, any time of day. But I love my work-with art and animals. I think that is something that I'm thinking about today. I'd rather be working than almost anything during the day, including being with people. And I don't consider it a flaw.

I'm grateful for my mate, my best friend...one of the few people I have known my entire life that I can be with all the time and not feel...flattened out..or invisible. I'm not writing well about this....it would require sharing way too much about me and other people.

I did yoga as the sunrise came into the living room, creating a shadow of one of the finches on the wall...so simple, how did I not notice that before? Tonight we are making turkey soup. I am so looking forward to a night of quiet by the fire, some wine, and the routine that we love...some might say boring, not us.

To rely on our inner lives, and activities we love to do-work outside, cook, tend to the farm and animals-that is a good life for us. I'm grateful we can do it and hope we can until...we die. A tall order, but one can hope.

And in order to make this life work, I'm grateful for you who still read this blog, show up when I need you for art sales and animal emergencies...or just plain support me through email notes and caring thoughts. Some of you I get to know in real life. I work hard to entertain with art and writing...but I love doing it, so it is no burden on me. The only burden is that sometimes, I feel I'm not doing enough, not entertaining enough. But, that's lessened when I look at my photos, or the actual faces in the photos...it's like the animals look at me, as they are eating, safe out of the wind and say,

"You're doing okay. So are we."

Happy Thanksgiving.