How lucky am I?

Yesterday, Earth Day, was windy and wet—not a particularly great environment for getting in touch with the earth. I did manage to get out for a walk in the afternoon and try out my new reusable cup at the Dunkin' Donuts, but I had to wrestle with the wind for control of my umbrella the whole way. It didn't leave me feeling very planet-friendly.

Today, however, made up for it by being balmy and beautiful—almost unreasonably warm for April. I set out for my usual walk around 2:30 in the afternoon, and the farther I went, the more overwhelmed I felt by just how lucky I was. I kept thinking of all the different things I had to be thankful for:

• It's a beautiful spring day - sunny and warm, but not overpoweringly hot, with no rain or harsh wind.
• I have a job that allows me to take an hour off in the middle of the day to take a walk and enjoy this beautiful weather.
• I live in a place where I can safely take a walk in the middle of the day, with sidewalks to keep me apart from the traffic and no roving bands of muggers.
• Not only is my neighborhood safe, it's full of beautiful springtime blossoms—redbuds, dogwoods, ornamental cherries, the last of the daffodils and magnolias, and the first of the lilacs.
• My health is good enough to allow me to walk three miles through this beautiful landscape without straining my heart, coming home limping in pain, or just suffering miserably from hay fever.
• I was able to take a route home that led me right past a new local business selling bubble tea.
• I have no dietary restrictions to prevent me from enjoying a bubble tea, and no financial restrictions to make the four bucks it costs a strain on my budget. (And if I feel any guilt about the "unnecessary" expense, I can just consider it part of my local shopping budget.)

That's seven different strokes of good fortune just in the space of a single hour. And, most fortunate of all, I was actually able to realize how lucky I was, and to appreciate it, where so many other people in my enviable position would simply take it for granted.