Gratitude, Again (Apparently We’re Doing This)

I promise I’m not going to turn into one of those people who tells you to write in your gratitude journal every morning while drinking cucumber water.

But gratitude really seems to be the theme of my life this week, so I’m going to roll with it.

It’s Tuesday evening as I write this.

This morning, I woke up after the best sleep I’ve had in ages.

For those of you who know, I’m down in Mexico right now, and the power situation is… creative. The entire house is dark except for one glorious, magical outlet.

I woke up to roosters crowing.

Then my neighbor got up and turned on his radio—traditional Mexican folk songs drifting through the morning air.

Then, because apparently I’m living inside a storybook now, I heard a donkey bray.

I just laid there smiling.

I looked around the room at the art I’ve collected —pieces that mean something to me. I looked at my headboard covered in reminders of people I love. And I thought:

This is it.

This quiet. This simplicity. This slightly remote, slightly inconvenient, deeply beautiful life.

Then I remembered…

I have exactly one working outlet in my entire house.

That outlet currently powers the Wi-Fi, my laptop, and a lamp. If I want a shower, I unplug civilization and plug in an immersion heater to warm up a bucket of water.

Then I carry that bucket into the shower and use a giant ladle to pour warm water over myself, soap up, and rinse.

And you know what?

It’s kind of beautiful.

Slow.

Intentional.

A little ridiculous.

Oddly sensuous.

As I lay there, I started thinking about all the years I spent chasing things that didn’t really matter.

The cars I thought I needed.

The notoriety I was sure would make me feel important.

The next thing.

The bigger thing.

The shinier thing.

And I started laughing.

Actually belly laughing.

Not because those things are bad—but because it suddenly felt absurd that so much of my happiness right now is tied to one functioning electrical outlet, a bucket shower, and the sound of a donkey outside my window.

So yes, I thanked the universe for my one perfect outlet.

(While also quietly hoping the electric company remembers I exist and restores the rest of the house soon. Spoiler alert: as of Tuesday night… still no.)

Of course, no story is complete without one villain.

When I left the house back in early March, I apparently left a frozen chicken in the freezer.

Friends – When I opened that refrigerator today, I nearly left my body.

Thank goodness for an N95 mask and a pair of Playtex Living gloves.

Cleaning out most of the fridge wasn’t bad.

But that chicken?

That chicken had become sentient.

I’ve now cleaned the refrigerator with soap, baking soda, vinegar, and an exorcism. An ozonator arrives Thursday to finish what I started.

So that’s my update. Life is still messy. Power is still out.

The fridge may still be plotting against me.

And somehow…life is still wonderful.

I’m grateful.

And I’m grateful for you guys—for the messages, the laughs, the encouragement, and for helping me keep a smile on my face.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go worship my outlet.