Yesterday we went to the flag raising ceremony that marks the start of the local Pride Week, at the Civic Centre. I’m grateful that we have a sympathetic and caring Municipal administration that supports these things, and I’m grateful that the Council, the Fire Department and the Police were all there in support. In a town that can be deeply religious, it’s good to see that Pride Week is seen as positive.

We walked on down to Turns and Tales, a café and bookshop which is a friendly space for all minorities. I’m grateful that such a space exists, and absolutely loved to see the events night schedule that included many curious things, including a Bridgerton Trivia Night; who knew that was a thing? While we were enjoying our lunch, we watched the people on King Street, the town’s main street, and ruminated on the idea that it should be pedestrianized. The shopping has been killed off by the out of town stores and strip malls, but the space is slowly being taken up by cafés and restaurants, and we thought how much nicer it would be to be car-free. Then we watched a youngish woman rifling through the bins in an alley. She had picked up a discarded cigarette butt, but she appeared to be mostly picking up plastic and padded envelopes. She didn’t look like she lived on the street, although she likely did, but she was either high on something, or mentally ill. I’m grateful that no one I know is suffering from mental illness, at least not to that extent, or lost to drugs and homelessness, because I can’t imagine how awful that could be. I’m grateful that my parents imbued me with sufficient common sense and a sense of how to survive. We should, all of us, be doing more to help those who are not so fortunate, and we should be pressuring those in charge to adjust their priorities so that official help can be available. It’s frustrating to hear just this morning about the movement to prevent our City Council from trying to get an affordable housing scheme running, on the grounds that they’ll need tax payer’s money to do it, but I’m grateful that the City is trying something.

I’m grateful that I live in a comfortable home, with people I love, and that I really want for nothing. Certainly, a lifetime of mostly good decisions, and a big slice of luck, has brought us to where we are, but I’m still grateful.

I’m not a believer in a god, or a higher authority, but it does me the power of good to sit and reflect sometimes, on life in general and how lucky we are to be here. Have you tried it?