Thank You Thirty Thousand Times!

I believe in celebrating milestones (actually, any excuse for a party).  It is so important to express joy, and gratitude for every special moment in our lives, and in the lives of those we love and care about.

Widow's Endorphins has been viewed 30-thousand times!  I am so grateful to each one of you for taking time to read this blog, look at the photographs, and perhaps share the posts with your friends.  WE could not have done this without YOU!

In just over three years, I have published 335 blogposts.  There are a few which have resonated with readers - both men and women.  Gone Fishin' from September of 2015 is one of my favourites, perhaps because it describes a turning point in grief.  Let me know if you too, see the photobombing fisherman in the shadows.  

http://widowsendorphins.blogspot.ca/2015/09/gone-fishin.html

Earlier this year, the Groundhog Day post, I'm Not Afraid of My Shadow! spoke for so many.  We all experience self doubt, often questionning whether we are worthy.  Since that February post, I've continued to push myself out of my comfort zone, and others have too.  It's been liberating.  For those who haven't read it, here it is again...

https://widowsendorphins.blogspot.ca/2018/02/im-not-afraid-of-my-shadow.html

The most popular Widow's Endorphins blogpost?  Naturally, one on gratitude!  It is with deepest gratitude to each of you, that I respost this blog, from September of 2017 called, Gratitude.  

https://widowsendorphins.blogspot.ca/2017/09/gratitude.html

The cover photograph of an apricot rose and pale pink ranunculus features the iconic Paris landmark, the Arc de Triomphe in the background (it's an empty caramel candy tin).  When I started writing Widow's Endorphins, I said that endorphins were natural pain and stress relievers, and that flowers and floral photography were my endorphins.  I know my life would not have been as rich without this cathartic process...I also know that in a sense, it has helped me triumph over aching grief.  It feels good to laugh again!

If you're curious, the top ten most viewed blogposts are:

Gratitude  September 25, 2017
Time is a Gift  March 25, 2018
Healing the World, One Heart at a Time  October 5, 2017
Fifty Shades of Pink:  If Lipstick Could Talk  March 31, 2018
Paper for the First Year  October 11, 2017
I'm Not Afraid of My Shadow!  February 2, 2018
La Vie en Rose:  Life Through Rose Coloured Glasses  April 8, 2018
Au Revoir, Mum  June 28, 2017
March Forth  March 3, 2015
Fairies, Butterflies and Ladybugs  August 27, 2017

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Gratitude

My husband died nearly three years ago.  It was Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.  In the midst of my profound grief, I was aware of an overwelming sense of gratitude.  Thankfulness.  Thankful for having shared our lives together.  Thankful for the more than twenty-six years we had.  That sense of gratitude was so strong, that it lifted me through some of the darkest days of grief.

One of the women in an on-line group of widows, I am forever grateful for having joined, is Kristin Meekhof, Co-author of A Widow's Guide to Healing: Gentle Support and Advice for the First Five Years.  She knows a thing or two about gratitude.  It was during the months that she and her best friend emailed gratitude lists back and forth to one another, that love blossomed, and they married within a year.

Sadly, four years later, Kristin's husband Roy, had Stage IV Adrenal Cancer.  Even as he was dying, her husband continued creating lists of all that he was grateful for in his life. Kristin was only 33 years old, and as she says, "despite having a degree in Social Work, nothing prepared me for this event."  The daily lists brought some light into their lives.  Roy's lists expressed his gratitude for family and friends, who in only eight short weeks would lose him to the disease.  

Gratitude is a feeling or expression of thankfulness.  It begins with an awareness of something or someone you are thankful for.  This is followed by acknowledging to yourself that you are grateful. Many people have gratitude journals, and each night before bed, write down three or five things for which they are grateful.

Gratitude blossoms when you express it.  Kristin says that since her late husband's death, "I make it a point to give handwritten thankyou cards to my dear friends because their kindness matters to me.  It is important to put these things in writing and thankyou cards are a beautiful gesture of kindness."

It's an exciting day for Kristin, as she launches a new project with Deepak Chopra.  They are collaborating with JIYO Internet of Wellbeing, to create the world's biggest on-line gratitude journal! Today they're launching 31 Days of Gratitude. Here is the link:  https://jiyo.com/#campaign/31_day_gratitude/

I am grateful to be alive!  My husband did everything he could to survive, and when he was told there was nothing more that could be done, he willed himself to live longer.  Survivors of wars, terror attacks, and disasters, often say they owe it to those who've died, to live life to the fullest.  The logo for the Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry, for physically and mentally wounded warriors and vetrans, is I AM.

I am grateful for my existence.  I am grateful that I was born to nurturing parents who gave me a strong foundation, and unconditional love.  I am grateful for the love of family, and the deep bonds and memories we share.

I am grateful for friends, both those I see each day, and those who exist in a virtual reality known as Facebook.  I have deep and meaningful relationships with people I have never met.  I look forward to the daily posts of family and old friends that I haven't seen in years, yet through social media, I have been able to watch them grow older along with me.  Friends keep me laughing, at myself and the world.  Friends keep me interested in the world around me, and I learn so many new things.

I am grateful to be living in this day and age.  Our ancestors, and all the kings of old, would never have imagined that a commoner would live such an amazing life!  Think about it:  I'm living in an air conditioned home, sipping a cup of imported coffee, while typing this photo-blog on my computer, which will be instantly read by people with iphones, on other continents.  My microwave would blow our ancestors minds!  Last week, I met up with a friend who flew in from Scotland for a week.  No perilous sea voyage.  Our world is far from perfect, however, it is so much better than it was for millions living in the Dark Ages.   

I am grateful for a healthy body and brain.  I am independent, and make my own decisions.  I am grateful for my wit, strong will, and gentle spirit. I am grateful to be living in a country with free medical care.  I am grateful to be living in a city with a reputation for advancements in medical research, and hosptials with renowned doctors.  I am grateful that we are nearing breakthroughs on many medical fronts.

I am grateful for my eyesight.  When we first moved to Toronto, I was unhappy.  My husband suggested that I take my camera with me, while walking the dog.  When you look for beauty, you are sure to find it.  It is a pleasure and honour to share the beauty of my part of the world with each of you, through the miracle of digital photography.   

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Twenty Thousand Bouquets of Gratitude!

Back when I was a kid (decades before the internet), my best friend and I would sometimes get bored. We'd joke that for excitement, we could go to the grocery store deli, and watch the chicken turn on the rotisserie.  Yes, we were that bored. Although, come to think of it, it might have been a novel pasttime.  Our mothers always had homecooked meals on the table, and neither one of us had ever had BBQ chicken from a rotisserie.  We also joked about going down the hill, to the corner gas station, to watch the numbers rolling up on the gas pumps.

I've been watching numbers climbing this week...19,500 then 19,850...19,975...19,999...then, minutes ago it happened. This little blog, Widow's Endorphins reached 20-thousand views!  Now, that's exciting!  Way more exciting than watching chickens spinning on a rotisserie - live, or on Youtube!

Twenty thousand views from all over the world.  I still get a kick out of seeing where you are all from.  Even if you're the only person in your country reading, and looking at the photographs, your country is briefly highlighted on my map.

Widow's Endorphins has had blog readers from A-Z:  Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany...all the way to (New) Zealand.  Canada, America, and Russia have had the largest numbers of readers, however, readers in Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, India, Ukraine, Argentina and Brazil are regular visitors to the site.  Whether you're from the United States, the United Kingdom, or the United Arab Emirates, we are all united in our love for flowers and photography!

Thank you, for making it happen!  Widow's Endorphins has come a long way, since it's early days as a wee blog.  WE couldn't have done it without you.  I am truly grateful to each of you, for sharing the blog with others, and helping to make it more popular than I ever dreamed it would be.

Sending these virtual bouquets of roses to each one of you, with my deepest gratitude!
 

The 20-thousandth view occured at 3:40pm Eastern Daylight Time.

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.