What about this?

Watching fierce winds whip the branches of a small Kishu Mandarin tree forced me to make a quick decision. With a trunk no wider than an inch and tiny branches heavy with fruit, I worried that the tree might break under stress. With a pair of pruners and a basket, I harvested all the fruit from the tree, being grateful for its abundant crop. Considering that this is its first year of bearing fruit and it’s container-grown, this little tree did itself proud.

#1 – Gratitude
“Gratitude provides for us even when we think we have nothing or no one. Because we do have many things and people in our lives. Gratitude just lifts the opaque veil from our eyes so we can see that more clearly.” This passage from the article 3 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude highlights the simple fact that even when we think we have nothing, there still must be something for which we can be grateful. In addition, it suggests maintaining a gratitude journal to help keep life in perspective.

#2 – Falling Leaves
The winds are also blowing down beautiful autumn leaves. When I take walks in my neighborhood, I carry an empty plastic bag in which I can transport home my newly found treasures, freshly picked off the ground. I’ve researched ways to preserve and display leaves. Here are some techniques and ideas I found that will let me enjoy the beauty of leaves for a long time to come:

Skeleton Leaves How to Preserve the Beauty of Fall Foliage

Fall Leaf Candle Holder

Very Cute Leaf Animals

Easy Leaf Prints

#3 – Cork It!
I can never resist sharing ways to reuse, re-purpose or upcycle things. Here are some Awesome DIY Ideas With Wine Corks. Included are a few holiday-themed projects. Check them out!

#4 – For the Love of a Dog

Fiona Apple and her dog Janet

Singer-songwriter and pianist Fiona Apple wrote a touching four-page, handwritten letter to her South American fans explaining why she needed to postpone her tour there. This may be old news for some of you, but I thought it was worth posting for those who have not read it yet. Read a small excerpt below and then click here to read Fiona’s touching letter in its entirety. Animal lovers, be advised, have tissues in hand:

It’s 6pm on Friday,and I’m writing to a few thousand friends I have not met yet.
I am writing to ask them to change our plans and meet a little while later.
Here’s the thing.
I have a dog Janet, and she’s been ill for almost two years now, as a tumor has been idling in her chest, growing ever so slowly. She’s almost 14 years old now.I got her when she was 4 months old. I was 21 then ,an adult offi
cially – and she was my child.
She is a pitbull, and was found in Echo Park, with a rope around her neck, and bites all over her ears and face.
She was the one the dogfighters use to puff up the confidence of the contenders.
She’s almost 14 and I’ve never seen her start a fight ,or bite, or even growl, so I can understand why they chose her for that awful role. She’s a pacifist.
Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact.
We’ve lived in numerous houses, and jumped a few make shift families, but it’s always really been the two of us . . . .
She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head . . . .

#5 – Success
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
Maya Angelou

Have a lovely weekend!

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