Category: Grateful Heart Monday

Welcome to another week’s entry of Grateful Heart Monday, a time for gratitude, something I truly believe this world needs to focus a lot more on right now, rather than on what needs to change in the world to make their lives better. Because frankly, what I’ve learned is the only thing that needs to change for me to live in peace and harmony in this world is me and my attitudes. That’s why for today, I want to talk about something I can’t believe I’m going to say I’m grateful for. That being COVID-19.

Ok, ok, before you end up overreacting, asking yourself how anyone can be grateful for this pandemic, let me explain. The tragedy of this pandemic, the loss of life, and the utter disregard at times for human decency and respect towards each other that seems to be happening throughout these turbulent times is something I have great sadness over and something that makes it very hard to be grateful for anything right now. But, that’s precisely why I felt the need to go deeper and ask myself a really tough question. Is there anything ultimately good coming out of this pandemic, in my life, in those around me, and in the world in general?

Look, I know how easy it is to focus on all the things that feel so upside down in our world right now due to COVID-19. I could create a long list. Yet, at the same time, I find myself being far more compassionate and in touch with my heart lately. Something that tragedy (like from a pandemic) has always driven me to delve deeper into. My capacity for unconditional love seems to be growing a lot lately. And in a world that often feels loveless and needs more love, this pandemic feels like it’s been helping me to become someone who’s more heart connecting and unifying than I ever was before. Case in point, just last week I found myself talking to someone who was truly having a difficult day and feeling on edge. In the midst of them expressing their frustration, I could feel their sadness below it all. So, I reached into it, caressed it, and somehow found the words and tears needed to express just how much I truly loved them. It most definitely made a difference. Prior to this pandemic, I probably would have just offered unsolicited advice and opinions that did nothing but cause them greater frustration.

Another observation I’ve made during this pandemic that’s brought me a feeling of gratitude is more with those around me. Something I’ve seen quite a bit going on is the return to spending more time at home with family and loved ones. So often, we as human beings have kept ourselves so darn busy. We were always racing from here to there and missing out on precious moments of time with those we love. Having much of the things we normally would occupy life with be limited due to COVID-19 has led to far more family get-togethers, game nights, movie nights, bonfires, and other private times that in the past might not have happened at all or rarely happened due to so many other obligations. I actually have found great joy in driving around and seeing the many small circles of chairs at people’s homes sitting around fires and such, conversating, laughing, and connecting, something that felt grossly lacking prior to this pandemic. Many of those I know in recovery who have kids have spent a lot more time with them, which I know down the road will end up being priceless memories for all of them.

One last observation I’ve made during this pandemic that also brings me quite possibly the greatest sense of gratitude is more with the world in general than anything else. As the world sits and awaits a COVID-19 free existence, there has most definitely been a shift going on that’s exposing all the racism, prejudice, inequality, and dishonesty that’s been hidden under the radar for so long. Maybe we needed to have something like COVID-19 place it’s dark mark upon our world to force the truth out, a truth that has long been brushed under the carpet time and time again? The truth that many of us haven’t or didn’t want to see, that all haven’t been treated fair and equal, for a very long time, something ALL of us deserve, no matter what our sex, race, religion, sexuality, etc.

So, as I end today’s slice of gratitude from my life, I want you to know one last thing. I’m a firm believer that everything in the world that happens, COVID-19 and all, has a greater purpose, one our egos may never be able to understand. In the long run, maybe this pandemic is somehow shifting all of us from places of darkness and into places of greater light? And in light of me saying that, as COVID-19 continues to ravage our planet in so many difficult and challenging ways, I choose to remain grateful that we all will come out on top of this, with more open hearts, closer connections, and greater unconditional love for each other, no matter what walk of life we come from. And that alone is why I felt it necessary to dedicate today’s Grateful Heart Monday to COVID-19 of all things…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Welcome to this week’s Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude always gets expressed, specifically for the purpose of starting my week in writing off on a positive note. For today, I’m expressing thanks to both my new neighbors, who by the time this gets posted, will have fully moved in next door, and to my old neighbors, who helped me to learn some very valuable traits that are quite necessary for the recovering alcoholic and drug addict.

I think it’s important to have a great relationship with one’s neighbors for many reasons. For the recovering alcoholic and drug addict like myself though, that can be quite challenging to develop when neighbors on either side of my home are constantly outside drinking alcohol or smoking weed on their front porches to excess. For the past bunch of years, there rarely has been a moment where I haven’t smelled strong wafts of beer or weed whenever I’m outside. Ironically, all my neighbors have known for a long time that I’m in recovery for addiction to alcohol and drugs, yet sadly, that never got factored into their daily usage of either. So, trying to find my inner peace by working in my gardens or sitting outside has consistently been tough to cultivate when all I can smell are two things I once was addicted to that God totally removed from my life over 25 years ago now. It truly hasn’t been very relaxing to this recovering alcoholic and drug addict to have to deal with this on a regular basis. Add in repeated issues with dog poop and pee killing the grass I try so very hard to maintain, constant traffic coming and going in and out of their driveways, large group gatherings, and occasional yelling, screaming, and fighting, I haven’t felt very Zen outside around my home in some time.

So, I guess you would say I was overly ecstatic when I learned one of those neighbors bought a new home and moved out recently. Ever since, things seem to have drastically changed, as it’s extremely quiet now around my home given most of these gatherings always seemed to be on this one neighbor’s front porch. I’m so thankful I don’t smell weed or alcohol now on a daily basis, but please don’t take me wrong here either, because my old neighbors were also friendly people who did take good care of their home and offer my partner and I vegetables from their garden and fresh muffins as well from time to time. The reality is that my alcohol and drug free life made it rather difficult for me to be in the regular midst of them given how much they enjoyed drinking alcohol and smoking pot. In light of all this, I’m sure one may be wondering whether my new neighbors will be any different, especially surrounding the usage of alcohol and marijuana, or any of the prior stressors I faced as well. I’m thankful to report that I’ve already learned none of my prior stressors will be problem this time around!

So yes, I’m grateful for my new neighbors, but indeed, I’m also grateful for my old ones as well, as the lessons I learned from them are priceless. Priceless mainly for a recovering alcoholic and drug addict like myself, chiefly in regards to the level of patience, love, tolerance, and acceptance I had to develop to coexist with them peacefully, hence why I’m dedicating today’s Grateful Heart Monday to both them and my new neighbors!

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Welcome to another chapter of Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude is my only focus in my writing. For today, I’d like to express my gratitude for a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, that still seems to hold a lot of positive memories of my Dad and I from my childhood.

What’s the restaurant?

The 94^th Aero Squadron.

A long time ago, a guy named David Tallichet envisioned a half-bombed out French farmhouse adorned with World War I artifacts and old fighter planes as the foundation for a chain restaurant serving American food. He opened the first in the late 70’s near a civil aviation airport in California and later opened many other locations, including several I used to go to in New York and other surrounding states with my Dad. Inside each are six working fireplaces and a setting that feels much like you stepped back in time to circa 1918 in France.

1918 was a year my Father truly loved. He was a huge World War I buff, and World War 2 as well. Having been a Navy man, serving a number of years, finding gems like this restaurant was a big thing for him. I honestly had forgotten about this chain until I did a search one day for places to eat in Cleveland or Columbus when I was looking to take a day trip. When I discovered there was still a location of this chain remaining in Ohio outside Columbus, I was ecstatic. I decided that this was going to be the place I celebrated my birthday dinner this summer. After a delayed outing, I finally made the trip with my partner just over a week ago and man, I wasn’t disappointed one bit! It looked exactly as I remembered the chain from my early years. And I mean exactly, which in of itself was a beautiful thing, because as soon as I walked in, the many positive memories of my Dad and I visiting this chain flooded in, warming my heart.

We were seated at a table on the window overlooking the Columbus airport and pretty much had the entire restaurant to ourselves given we had arrived quite early around 3:30pm for dinner. Our waitress, Sherry, was both a gem and a gift because not only was she was super friendly, but she also had been working at the chain since the early 90’s and had a number of fond memories to share with us.

As we sat there and watched planes landing and taking off, one thing that was noticeably missing that was once a staple in this chain’s heyday were headphones at each table that used to connect to the aviation towers for the airstrips all the restaurants were on. I learned after 9/11 they were all removed unfortunately.

Nevertheless, the overall experience was still awesome. Even some of the original menu items remained from my childhood, including their signature beer cheese soup (the best I’ve ever had), their homemade bread and sweet butter, their spinach and artichoke dip and homemade tortilla chips, their thin and crispy onion straws with sweet remoulade, and their lemon mustard cream-based chicken scaloppini along with their cheddar mashed potatoes. I honestly overate, but it was so worth it.

Truly, the meal made me miss my Dad…A LOT. It was well worth it though, because it felt like I got transported back in time to precious moments with my father where we talked about his military love and enjoyed great food and connection. Except this time, I got to share it with my partner and created new fond memories to hold on to and plenty of gratitude to write about for another Grateful Heart Monday.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson