Nothing for Granted

I've been keeping a running list in my head for some time now of things, specifically activities, which I do not take for granted after my on-and-off-again "life in a bed."  Often, I find myself doing these and thinking, mercy, I couldn't do this three years ago and now I can.  Call it gratitude, self-awareness, mindfulness, whatever, I don't ever forget that I can:

• tie my shoes by myself
• rollover in bed
• stand up without help
• getting out of the shower alone
• putting a bag in the garbage can
• pick something up off the floor
• take things in and out of the oven
• stand at sink to do dishes or at stove to stir a pot
• unload dishwasher
• get things off the lower shelves of the fridge
• sit down to eat
• lean over to tuck my kids in each night
• push a store cart
• carry in the grocery bags
• drive for 20 minutes!
• sit in passenger seat instead of reclining in back
• travel in a plane
• sit in pew at church
• attend a show
• weed my garden
• feed the cats
• pick up the cats
• put laundry in and out of machine
• stand to fold clothes
• bend to open drawers to get out/put away clothes
• get down on floor/ground and get back up (like for a picnic in the grass!)
• give a 1 1/2 tour at the historic house
• sit with a hospice patient
• stand for an entire Brownie meeting
• sit at Starbucks for awhile
• open and close the windows
• dance a little
• walk on a treadmill/outside for longer periods of time
• be out and about for up to about 5 hours (with rests, of course)

There are others, I'm sure--and of course a list of things I still can't really do (swim, sit to use computer)--but I like to focus on those above.