Soul Magazine / Year of Gratitude
Gratitude Journal
Archived Four
During this last week, I have been reminded of the importance of silence because of getting ready for the next teaching block of my course, starting tomorrow. And I tend to work more intensely in silence despite the joy of music at other times. I appreciate silence so much because of where I live, which is a bit of an oasis in the midst of a city. I have written more about that here:
Most recently, I have been listening to the Poisonwood Bible by Babara Kingsolver, and that is one, pretty intense book for a work of fiction. I am enjoying it very much, and I am grateful for the opportunity of being able to listen to it. Audible is a new experience for me, usually preferring to read rather than listen, but whilst I don’t think the two experiences are the same, each one offers its own special characteristics.
As an older person, health challenges begin to dominate for some of us once we are in our sixties (if not before), and more so as we pass the half-way mark, and head towards our seventies. Many of us these days, work around these issues and aim to live our best possible lives (just look at all the stories in the ‘Crow’s Feet’ publication), but sometimes we need to give some attention to those health issues, despite that.
My mobility hasn’t been great recently, and this has led to a number of other health problems as a result of not getting enough exercise. It turns out that the answer was to start using a rollator (wheeled walker). Prior to using it, I found the idea of pushing some wheels ahead of me to be somewhat ridiculous, but it seems in this instance, that this particular action was the ideal solution for me. Now, I really feel old, but I am grateful that such aids are available to me, but I am conscious that others in different parts of the world may not have such provision, whether through health policy or insurance cover. I do not, however, have the expertise or experience to comment on that authoritatively.
Thinking of some of the other health problems I have, I am grateful that they are not so extensive to stop me writing or to have a major effect on my senses, although both hearing and eyesight are considerably less effective than they were years ago. I am constantly aware of monitoring eyes, in particular, because of complications from Diabetes and steroid dependency, but thankfully, I have no major problems in that respect, for the moment.
I have been thinking, too, about how far away I have become from the essence of daily existence in the form of food. That made me very grateful to the farmers, the soil, the rain, the sunshine and the scientists who are constantly studying things like soil erosion, changes in the climate, efficient food protection and the safety and quality of the food we consume. Whilst I have a vague awareness of some of these issues, I am fairly sure that my learning way back whenever at school is a distant cry from modern farming, technology and scientific knowledge, although that is a general assumption as I have no experience in any of these areas. I think the bottom line, for me, is that I am grateful to be able to put food on the table, and I am aware that it requires a good deal more than money for me to be able to do that, and input from a lot of people. When I think of it in that way, I can’t help but be grateful to all of those people.
Again, I am aware of privilege in many of these areas in the UK. And whilst I am aware of the privilege, I could wish for greater improvements in the circumstances of others less fortunate. In that respect, I am glad that others are able to fight for such changes, and to make them a reality where possible. I know that I can’t make a great contribution to that process, but I can at least cheer them on, and encourage others to do so, as I do now.
The more I read on Medium, the more I appreciate the diversity of the voices here, and the reading experiences that arise as a result, where many have found a voice here, where they haven’t in other areas. I know it is not perfect, but I feel that there are at least some things to build upon. On a personal level, I have found some great writing from the LGBT community, particularly from transitioned people experiencing a great deal of discrimination, and from street workers, opening my eyes to the extent of the challenges and difficulties experienced by these (mostly) women. I know that I would not have been able to read that elsewhere that I know about. I have read much about racism, homophobia and child abuse, directly from the people experiencing these hateful crimes. And I am very glad that they have a platform here to give voice to their lives. I would encourage everyone to read widely on this platform, especially in areas that are either outside of our routine reading or beyond our comfort zone. There is so much to learn, from so many writing about their work, learning, expertise and life-experience.
Finally, I am very grateful for my liberty and freedom, when there are so many throughout the world that are denied the same. I have largely taken liberty and freedom for granted throughout my life, but I think that I need to reflect further on it. I am grateful therefore for organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and many others monitoring issues relating to prisoners of conscience, and the basic human rights of all prisoners.
Such reflection leads me back to silence, and I have come to realise that there are many things to appreciate and be grateful for. I think taking time out to consider these issues, and discussing them in pieces of writing like this makes me feel that even if we can’t do much, we can at least keep the conversation alive, in the hope that positive change might come in the future.
And I think that being aware of our own privilege (where that applies) and the things we have to be grateful for, helps put everything into context. We can’t change inequality and injustice in the world, but highlighting it whilst expressing gratitude for the things we have, may help us to consider things fully, and provide us with a wider context for our gratitude.
Thank-you again to Soul Magazine for continuing to publish my writing, and thanks to all of YOU for continuing to read it. Both these things are greatly appreciated by me.
Fraser
February 2024
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