Pam asked the question on her blog Roughwighting this morning and shared a list of the things that fill her up.

What fills you up?

It’s a great question. One that when I read it my initial response was hesitation. I can think of  many things that don’t fill me up, like rude people, waiting in line, people who don’t do what they say they will, or people who lie…

But what fills me up?

There are the beauty based, part of nature things like watching the sun set over the ocean, which because I live in landlocked Alberta, is not as often as I would like.

But what about sunset in general? Just watching a beautiful sunset, or sunrise, fills me up, no matter where I am.

Seeing a butterfly flit along a trail as I walk; a bumble-bee busily buzzing amidst the flowers; a flock of geese flying in v-formation overhead; apple blossoms drifting down like snow; the sound of rain outside the bedroom window in the middle of the night as I lay snug beneath the covers; the sound of a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves of a tree as I stand beneath it looking through its branches to the big blue sky above; a fuzzy fat caterpillar inching its way across a leaf; a cloud drifting leisurely across a blue sky; lightning forking to the ground; the hiss of tires in the rain, the silence after a snowfall, the roar of a waterfall; the trickle of the water flowing in the fountain in our backyard; the sound of waves lapping against the shore; the splashing of a stream flowing rapidly through the woods…

And then there are the people-centric, heart-stopping, heart-awakening things that fill me up. Like catching my beloved looking at me from the corner of his eyes as I’m reading in bed and feeling all squishy, squirmy toasty warm. Or, sitting at a dinner table with friends sharing laughter and conversation over a good meal and bottle of wine. Sitting at the top of a hill over-looking the river with Beaumont the Sheepadoodle leaning into me; an unexpected call or email from a friend I haven’t spoken to in awhile; a note in my email inbox from someone I’ve never met who just wanted to write to tell me something I wrote impacted them; feeling like I’m making a difference, that I’ve touched lives and hearts and walked softly through the world; a visit with one of my sisters and realizing there is nothing that can separate us, we are family; my beloved listening to me rant and not trying to fix whatever I’m ranting about; time in my studio creating just for the pure joy of creating; finishing a piece of art and stepping back and acknowledging, it’s good; taking the time to meditate and be present in the moment; writing something and feeling satisfied with the words as they appear; finding a twenty-dollar bill I’d forgotten was in my pocket; selling a piece of art; dancing as if no one is watching; laughter shared; a love note on my pillow…

Those things fill me up too.

I am grateful this morning for waking up to the sound of Marley the Great Cat, who’d snuck out as we went to bed, meowing outside our bedroom window. “Let me in! Let me in!” he called as the pitter patter of rain fell all around.

On awakening so early, I chose to enter the quiet sanctuary of my office and meditate before the dawn.

Soft grey light is slowly seeping into ink-black night.

Dawn waits at the edge of the horizon.

Beauty is stirring.

My day is just begun.

I am grateful.

Namaste.

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Thank you Pam for inspiring my morning with the beautiful invitation of your question, What fills you up?