Things to be thankful for

 It would be easy to be all upset with the situation I'm in at the moment and over which I have no control.  I sat outside for about an hour and a half this afternoon with my N95 mask and my camera watching little sunbirds and others flit from flower to flower.  I staked out a birdbath for a while and was rewarded with several species drinking or bathing.  It's sunny, 74 degrees and there's a nice cool light breeze.  In a word, paradise.  It was 59 last night and I slept like a baby with the window open.  I feel great, and even though I tested positive again this morning, the lab tech said things are moving in the right direction.

I have friends all over the world praying for me, perhaps this is one of the higher purposes for me right now, to be a focal point for continuous prayer.  I've been vaxxed and boosted, so I'm sure this mild case is not going to do me in.  I'm getting three good meals a day, I have my own room with a good hot shower, flaky power and Internet, but compared to the joyous folks that I worked with in Waithaka last week, I'm living in tall cotton having running water, lights and good food.  It really humbles you when you work with people here with very little in the way of material goods, but what they do have, they gladly share.  Very refreshing to step outside of our me, me, me culture for a while.

Yes, this little speed bump is an inconvenience, especially to the guys in my business that I need to get paid as soon as I return, but this too shall pass.  We've got friends and family on the ground in Austin looking in on Adrienne while both Elaine and I are on the road, soemthing that almost never happens simultaneously.  We've been a good tag team ever since Covid hit in 2020 and we have taken care of her daily needs since, especially during the early scary days before there were vaccines.  When I do return to Texas, I may have to wait a while to see her and Pete, my favorite dog in the whole world, until a decent time has passed or at least make sure I'm masked up and keep visits brief for her protection.  I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

My friends Alison and Billy should be able to pick my meds up for me today, I never expected to be here this long.  That'll be a blessing as well.  Catherine had another dawa drink sent over, that stuff will cure anything.  That along with Kenyan chicken, the combination works like a charm.

So, I'm in good spirits and thankful for that too.  Being depressed would be a very dark place indeed and is really not how we're designed.  I honestly believe joy is our natural state, happiness comes and goes and is dependent on external circumstances, joy is a spiritual gift that no one can take from you unless you let them.  More too follow as the muse strikes me and I have the means to publish.  Blessings all y'all (that's plural for you non-Texans out there!)