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The Dogs Overseeing My Work, and Abundance in Life Right Now
- Hannah Podschun
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
Personal Reflection: The Dogs Overseeing My Work, and Abundance in Life Right Now
Lately, my camera roll reads like a love letter to the unconventional life I’m living. More and more I see the mundane moments documented--a flower blooming, a sunset that feels like magic, the sunlight falling in an unexpectedly delightful way, or a view that feels like home in one of the many, many homes I am lucky to have.
This month I have stayed in three different homes with three different families, and, in this season of life, this has been the norm more often than not. Across all three homes I have joked about the pups “overseeing” my work. Captured in each photo above, though, is so much gratitude.
Gratitude for a comfortable and warm space to rest, for pool floats and ocean days, for an ever-present ocean view and coffee already in the pot, for sunset views from the porch and conversations that are deeply unpredictable but always life-giving, for yummy meals and movie nights, for both company, and a beautiful space to be alone.
Gratitude for chilly walks around the pond and heated blankets/bed warmers, for bus drop-offs and sweet drawings, for after school couch conversations and a fridge stocked with berries, for a place to park my car and leave the “stuff” that remains, for the chance to attend a school fair on a random Wednesday and to have a place where I can be connected, and also free.
Gratitude for long park walks and lattes with handcrafted syrup, for niece giggles and random photos found on my phone, for an inspirational work space with a view of the magnolias blooming and for Mario Party, for the sister/niece birthday parties and the spontaneous lunch dates, for sharing the community you created so carefully as a place to land and getting to dip right into the conversations that matter with your people.
And, maybe most of all, for the people--and the pups.
All three of these homes, and so many more I have stayed in over the last year plus, have lovingly crafted aesthetics, energy, and comforts. And, when I show up, I am so generously welcomed into each family’s unique and magical way of living.
Looking back at the photos, I realize they are less about documenting places and more about practicing intentional attention.
There are moments of temptation to look at all that I lost in the dismantling of the highly structured and conventional life I was previously living. The fear still shows up at times, especially when I am feeling scarce. But when I shift my perspective and notice the abundance around me, I feel grateful that I’m no longer carrying commitments that once felt too heavy. Instead, I have the space now to see and engage in the moment-by-moment. The space for gratitude, appreciation, and the luxuries of the small moments. I may not have one space that is my own, but I have so much more space in the present moment, which is, after all, the only life we truly have.
If I could give 2023 Hannah anything, it would be a little more space in each present moment. That might be the greatest gift I’ve gained in the last 3 years.
That space doesn’t require large, life-dismantling choices, but a tiny commitment to creating more mindfulness. Which means, as simply as possible, noticing the moment you are in. When we notice and express gratitude for what is directly in front of us, we are living in the moment, and fully inhabiting our lives.
For now, I am choosing to notice, appreciate, and reciprocate the good that is right in front of me right now. That feels like enough of a plan for now.
Gratitude Practice
Here are a few ideas if you need help brainstorming how to start a gratitude practice.
Gratitude Journal - The first structured gratitude practice I ever put in place was this journal. If you already have a journal you use, the basic premise is that you write down 3 specific things you are grateful for each morning, and each evening. It’s a great way to bookend your day with gratitude, and can be done in writing, verbally, or even mentally.
Joy Sketches - If you prefer to express your gratitude through art, consider sketching 1-2 things per day that you are grateful for in a calendar, planner, or in your journal.
Gratitude Album - If you like the visual of seeing what you are grateful for, but don’t want to capture those as drawings, consider snapping pictures on your phone of what you are grateful for and adding them to one specific album to revisit.
Extra Credit - Enlist an accountability partner to adopt this practice with you, and then check in routinely to see how it is going, or share one of your recent gratitudes!
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