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I Wanted to Be in the Best Shape of My Life at 60. Then I Lost My Leg.

By The Artful Woman
  Before my accident, I kept saying the same thing to myself: I want to be in the best shape of my life when I turn 60. I meant it. I was hiking, walking, going to the gym. I was building strength in my body and imagining a future where I kept getting stronger, not weaker. Then the accident happened. I was still 59. I turned 60 in a hospital bed. I lost a leg. I fractured my other leg in multiple places. I broke ribs. I had vertebrae injuries. My body went into heart and kidney failure. Pain became constant, not occasional. Everything I thought I was building… was suddenly gone. And for a long time, I couldn’t understand something: If I was focusing on health, strength, and vitality… how did I end up here? I used to think maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I thought wrong. Maybe I “manifested” the wrong thing. But I’m starting to see something different now. Life isn’t a formula where good thoughts guarantee safe outcomes. Bodies exist in a world where accidents happen, s...
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Gratitude

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By The Artful Woman

 


Gratitude

by Jean Marshall

Sometimes I think—
I don’t have the nicest car,
Or the biggest house,
And I get a little down on myself,
Because I’m not where I thought I’d be.

But then I do laundry—
And something about the hum of the washer,
The warmth of clean clothes,
Makes me pause.
I’m grateful
For my washer and dryer,
For the simple miracle
Of being able to clean my clothes.

Sometimes I wish
I drove something newer, shinier—
But my car is a good car.
It gets me from A to B.
It’s low-maintenance,
Completely paid for,
And I love it.
I’m grateful for that, too.

I ask sometimes,
Why do others get so lucky?
Why not me?
But then I remember—
I got a second chance at life.
I survived a stroke.
I’m still here.
That alone is grace.

I’m grateful
For the voice inside me
That says, “There’s more.”
Grateful for the awakening.
Grateful for every opportunity
To learn, to grow.
For every teacher,
Every coach,
Every dreamer
Who dared to write the book
That reached me.

Business comes in waves—
Feast or famine—
And on hard days,
I hear stories
Of those who’ve had less,
Survived worse.
And I take a deep look at my life…

I’m safe.
I have a roof.
I have a home.
A little family—
Not conventional, but mine.
Two cats, two tiny tortoises,
One loyal dog,
Five chickens,
And plants that bring me joy.

I’m grateful
For warm showers,
Hot meals,
And a kitchen full of food.
I’m grateful
For clients—
For the ones who return,
Who believe in me,
Who see my gift.

I’m grateful for photography—
The gift I once prayed for.
Prayer answered.
I’m grateful.

Grateful for mountains,
For flowers,
For trails that wind
Right behind my house.
Grateful for my views.
For nature.
For the stillness that teaches.

I’m grateful
For meditation—
For this journey.
Grateful for failures.
Grateful for success.
Grateful for what is,
And all that’s still to come.

I’m grateful
For endless possibility.
And most of all—
I’m grateful
For God,
Who never stopped loving me.

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