An attitude of gratitude in Governors Harbour

This week we have a big attitude of gratitude here in Governors Harbour. The weather is just beautiful – best week for the last 2 or 3 months – the beaches look absolutely gorgeous and the place is brimming with visitors all enjoying spring break time. Easter is around the corner, swiftly followed by the much anticipated Jazz Festival. Lots to enjoy and look forward to.

The Exceptional Learners had a great yoga class this week – I wonder if the promise of the pizza party at Tippy’s next week had anything to do with it ??? Every week during the class we go around the circle we sit in to start the class and everyone has to say at least one thing that they are grateful for….. The answers sometimes bring up something different and unusual and often surprisingly touching. One of the class was thankful for the help of the visiting student teachers – not something I expected them to bring up…… Another student always used say that he was thankful for lunch ! Most of these children have very little it seems on the surface to be thankful for but they all manage to come up with something……

Allow me a little roundabout story to eventually tell you something I – among plenty of others – am very grateful for. In January this year we had a lovely couple come from Somerset in England to stay for a month in Sweetcorn House. Of course we got to know them a little and discovered that they used to be cheese makers. Proper English cheddar cheese is a delight – nutty, crumbly and generally good for the soul !!! Of course here we can not find proper English cheese – why would we ? Anyway – their visiting son told us about a branch of the family that were still cheesemakers and also told me to look out for this particular cheese which is imported from the UK and sold in branches of Wholefoods. Great I thought – I will look out for that next time I visit the US.  So just after the gorgeous Angelika Bacchus opened Bacchus Fine Foods I went in and spied in the fridge the self same cheese that I had been told to look out for in the US – there it was as if by some total miracle of synchronicity – it sat there smiling at me begging to be bought ! Such delight – and of course – big mouth that I am I raved about it to so many people that they sold out all they had imported within a couple of days….. But more supplies are on their way…..

This cheese is called Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar – and of course I took a picture of it and emailed to our renters back in the UK – they were thrilled and shocked to see it on sale right here in Governors Harbour. Since we lived here I have not really eaten much cheese at all – but now I can’t get enough of it ! When you come you must try it for yourself ……

As I have said before – living here makes you thankful for the good things that you can get here – and you have the added bonus of enjoying even more the things you can get when you travel……

Gratitude for what is good in our lives is such an important concept – often we are too busy thinking about what we want have next to really give thanks for all our many blessings.

My other favorite exercise is at the end of the day as I lay in bed to think back about what were the best things in my day. Often it is food ! – very often it is waking up to a beautiful sunrise , hearing a favorite song by chance on a radio or in a place I visit, going to the bank and seeing absolutely no-one in front of me – well actually I can’t remember when that last happened but occasionally there is only one or maybe two people in front of me , seeing an email pop into my inbox from a friend who I have just been thinking about , friends who make our lives richer and more fun – try it yourself……..