Gratitude: Things That Start With B

I've been trying to write this post for over a week, and it keeps going into a tailspin for some reason. The original motivation for this post was my sense of outrage over an off-hand comment by an ill-informed stranger. I was so highly offended at the time that I had to walk out of the room. The lesson I've learned, and not for the first time, is that it's hard to re-capture that sense of outrage. At first I wanted to write about it, but now I've decided that guy's ideas aren't really worth my time. So I've moved on.

What I really need to write about is stuff that starts with the letter B. There's an old Al-Anon practice of making a gratitude list where you start with A and go through the alphabet listing stuff you are grateful for. Well, Lent started yesterday, and I'm going to write blog posts on things I'm grateful for. But I'm going to start with B and move through the alphabet in any order I want. What is this obsession with "alphabetical order" anyway? I'm not a librarian, and this is my blog, so I'll make my own rules.

First of all, I'm grateful for Being a Boehm, which means I'm grateful for hubby, children, and the entire extended family. For privacy reasons, I'm not going to go into a lot a detail about family individuals.

I'm grateful for the Barrys, of which I am one, and Barry, from whom I come.

I'm grateful for Beginnings, like starting this year with a new job situation. I finally have some time to write, play music, organize my house, and try new things...

...like glass Blowing. I made this ornament at a class at the Franklin Glassblowing Studio, and I hope to be able to trade guitar lessons for glassblowing lessons. Never had time for cool stuff like that before.

I'm grateful for my new friend Ed Beaver, who is making me a Tele-style Bass guitar. (More on the bass later,,,) Ed's shop is currently located in Sound Check Nashville, which flooded in the May 2010 Nashville Flood. The facility offers storage and rehearsal space for Nashville's musicians. Many professional musicians had instruments there which were covered in water from the Cumberland River.

Ed has been through a lot in the past two and a half years, working to save and repair flood-damaged instruments. Ed is known as the Guitar Whisperer, and he's also a singer-songwriter. Ed is at World Music Nashville in Bellevue two days a week, so you can also find him there if you need a repair.

I'm grateful for getting to spend some time recently with Thom Bresh, aka the Breshman. You'll notice that several of the videos I've linked to were made by Bresh. Thom made a video of my two girls singing on Saturday at World Music Nashville. Thom is a famous guitar picker and singer, a multifaceted guy; watch his EPK in order to understand more about Thom. The guy is indescribable. He's one of the most intelligent, funny and talented people I know, which is saying something. (Wait until we get to A and K.)

Let's not forget Bipolar. I'm grateful for bipolar because it makes me who I am. It gives me both creativity and structure, a full palette of emotion and nuances of the same. Bipolar limits me in some ways, frustrates me always, and never leaves me alone. Yet, I'm grateful because I have Become a Better person through managing Bipolar. I have to be honest with myself and others in order to stay healthy. I have to communicate clearly, monitor myself constantly, and ask for help when I need it. I am learning to say no finally. And all of that is due to Bipolar.

So...this ignorant guy's comment has percolated into a short litany of gratitude. I'm really happy to feel grateful. There's no need to waste my time untangling the illogical and offensive comment of a passing stranger.