gratitude always helps

Yesterday morning, Bodhi came back from his morning rounds bleeding a little with a small flap of skin hanging off of his front leg. It looked like something the vet should have a look at, so we got an emergency appointment and piled into the car for the two-hour drive. Each way. 

The younger me would have spent a lot of time obsessing over the details. Worrying about Bodhi. Thinking about how much it was messing with my work day. Worrying about what the emergency vet bill might be.

Instead, I found myself comforted by Bodhi sleeping in the backseat as if nothing were wrong. (He's tougher than I am.) From that feeling of comfort came gratitude that he wasn't hurt more than he was.

That gratitude led to gratitude for my good friend and business partner who was taking care of what our clients needed and jumping in to take on more work with nothing but well-wishes for Bodhi's quick recovery.

That gratitude led to more gratitude that my fiancé was taking care of things that needed doing around the cabin while we were gone for the day.

That gratitude led to the realization that there was no reason I couldn't feel happy about all the good things in my life instead of sad and nervous about Bodhi's predicament. 

It was a chain reaction that turned what could have been a long, hard day into something that was instead relaxing and felt like a victory in the end.

Bodhi got all patched up at the vet and needs to spend a few days relaxing instead of patrolling the perimeter here, but that's fine. It's raining cats and dogs anyway, and the wood stove is keeping our tiny cabin warm and dry. He's curled up on his dog bed taking it easy and I'm back to work.

Gratitude really can change just about anything.