I started during lockdown. I was isolated in the biggest city in the world-almost. Yes, my family was around me but I felt alone alone alone—like the American homesteaders who lived 10 miles by buggy from the nearest neighbor. I could look out my door to see the long expanse of sky and land. And the shut houses of all my neighbors

I could see so far and there was no one to talk to. We were separated from each other by fears and regulations.

I stood at my porch withal those scary feelings.

For the first time realized the house faced the sunrise. I could see the sunrise like those prairie pioneers. I joined those hardworking courageous people in something better than isolation.

I began to take a photo of the sunrise with my phone from my porch each morning. How many days to start a habit? Or to flip it, how many days does a habit continue?

The lockdown is over but my pictures are still going.

I learned to frame the shot. As time passed, changes came. I trimmed my tree to keep it out of the skyline.

Framing the sky, I notice things.

The tilt of the earth over seasons.
Where to expect the sun to peek in December.
Where to find it in June.

Tomorrow is the thanksgiving holiday. Everyone knows that we are taking this moment to be grateful.

It’s a frame. During the hard times of the lockdown, I framed my fear and isolation into a story that gave me a hero tribe.

Everything was still there, but it changed what I looked at. I could l see the things that brought joy and pass over the ones the dreadful parts.

I could think of it like some IKEA furniture, I’m going look for the pieces that are supposed to make that picture a reality. At some point I will be sure I am missing an indispensable piece and I will start to despair. When I get to the end I will discover I had everything and I still have extra to add intrigue

With the frame of thankfulness, I won’t despair in seeking. I can face the prospect and find what I need to create what I’m hoping for.