What are you grateful for today?


In my last post I spoke about enjoying the little things. Today I decided to make some tomato soup. I'd bought most of the ingredients yesterday, a surprisingly pleasant experience, as I unhurriedly walked between the aisles of a spacious and practically empty supermarket. One I rarely go to for everyday shopping, by the way, given that they hardly ever stock all of my favourite items, making a second trip to the supermarket closer to home an inconvenient necessity more often than not. But yesterday I wanted to get a particular brand of balsamic vinegar I've only ever seen at the big place,  so I parked the car underground and decided to enjoy my shopping experience, no matter what.

On the way from the parking lot to the shop entrance I made a mental note of two things: (1) I need to get some pictures taken to renew my passport, and (2) there's a very pretty pair of sandals at a shoe shop display I might consider buying for my first trip to the beach in seven years - yes, that's right, it's been seven years since I last went to the beach - coming up at the end of April.

Anyway - I forgot to get a carrot for the soup yesterday...

So up I went to the greengrocer's and selected it. Feeling a bit silly, I bought three. Then, still feeling silly, I popped across the road to get some bread. Then I came home and started cooking. By this time, I was already hungry. I'd had breakfast at 05:45 and it was coming up for 1pm.

When it was all fragrant and ready, I put half of the soup in the blender and switched "on". At that moment, tomato soup started splattering and pouring out between the pitcher and its base. Good grief! Tomato soup everywhere. I managed to swiftly salvage the situation by pouring the remaining contents of the pitcher into a measuring jar I happened to have on the counter at that moment, and unscrewed the pitcher from its base. Ah. The friction gasket had got tangled in the blades and had torn itself in half. One of the halves was scrunched up in place, the other had been poured into the measuring jar along with the chunky soup.

"OK", I thought, still smiling. "I'll just pop up the road (again), and get a replacement gasket at the ferretería.

"Buenas tardes", all smiles, "¿de casualidad tendrá uno de éstos?"

"Uy, no... de esos no...", the lady replied, kindly enough. I just stood there. She must've felt sorry for me and my hungry tummy, so she suggested Casa León, the blender and pressure cooker repair shop about two blocks further away.

"Ah, si", I said, hopes renewed, "buena idea, gracias", and off I went.

It cost me 10 pesos and I got back home only to find I'd left the remaining half of the soup still on the stove! On low heat, mind... but good grief. So much for all the mindfulness practice!

Having said that, I was aware of my uplifted mood, of my being able, despite all the mishaps, to make my soup (it was delicious, I'll have you know, with one of the bread rolls I'd bought earlier), and I was particularly pleased with myself for having gone through it all without a glimpse of impatience towards myself or a bad temper. Hurray!

So, to recap:

Yes, I forgot to buy a carrot, had an alarming blender malfunction and left half a pot of soup on the stove (low heat) for about 30 minutes unattended.

But... I was aware of my reactions throughout and remained kind and patient towards myself, and that, my friends, is something I truly appreciate.

What about you? What are you grateful for today?

Please leave your comment below 😊


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