Thankful Tuesday

I'm in a reflective mood today, thinking about my life, and how lucky I am. I never visualized all the twists and turns in the trail of my life so far. Life has dealt me many gifts but also some setbacks. I think that both have shaped me equally, and somehow a bit of good has arisen from the setbacks.

Here are a few of the things that I've been reflecting upon.

I always knew, from when I was a small girl, that I wanted to live in the midst of nature. And I am living that dream. I get to watch our local vibrant bear population via trail camera. And I sometimes get to see them in person, like last summer when I met a sow and her cub in the forest.

I also feel so lucky to have dogs as an integral part of my life. I've been blessed with the love of a series of amazing dogs. I love that I live someplace where my dogs can have full lives, running and playing in the forest. But most of all, I feel lucky when I earn their love.

And I love our pack. Desert season is almost upon us - and it's the start of the season when our pack can spend lots of time together enjoying camping in incredible places. I happened to open this photo today, and it made me yearn to see the desert sky again soon!

In this reflective mood, I've also thought about my mother. I've lived more than half my life without her. Yet, she's still part of me, with every heartbeat and breath. She gave me the confidence to be the person who I am - a person who is not following a conventional path in life but is following what she loves. So, in a sense, my mother is still here.