Throughout the month of November, I have been posting things I am thankful for on Facebook. Now, I will admit, I got the idea after seeing other people doing the same thing, but I probably will continue this even after the month is over. For me, this is more than some idle meme or gimmick – it is an opportunity to pause, however briefly, and think about what in my life is making me happy, making my day a bit easier, or just having some sort of positive impact on my life. For many years, I took things somewhat for granted. I didn’t pause to smell the roses so to speak. I lived in a place where I focused on what was hard or bad or negative. I let these things define my attitude. I resigned myself to the fact that “eh, this is how it was meant to be, so I’m just going to wallow and not do anything to change things for the better”.
This is not to say I didn’t embrace the good things in life. I was, for all intents and purposes, a kid. I was learning how to make my way through life, as we all do, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and moving forward. Plus, I think it is a rite of passage to have the “ugh woe is me” period during our teenage years, right? 😉
What changed? Honestly, I am not sure I can point to one thing. It has been a process. A process of growing up, learning, and getting used to the curveballs of life. Today, I found myself at a loss as to what I was thankful for. I had a bad night of sleep the night before, just felt very frustrated (I am just going to blame the snow), and I just wasn’t feeling the day. After posing the question on Facebook “What should I be thankful for today?”, I was reminded of a very important thing – perspective matters.
Perspective, I’ve learned over time, is my friend. It helps me to realize that even when it seems like nothing is going my way, if I look hard enough, I can find that one thing that eases the trouble. These are the things I am, and should be, thankful for. Sometimes it may be something trivial – like the color of my shoes – other times it may be a memory or something more significant. Regardless, I am thankful for these various things and how they enhance my life. This awareness has also made me want to spread thanks and happiness to others. Again, sometimes it may be a small action like sharing a funny link with a friend, or a more significant series of actions to help someone in need. You never know what this may mean to the other person, but it could be that one thing that someone is thankful for when they are having a bad day.
The moral of the story? Be thankful for things in your life. Tell people if they do something you are thankful for. Take the time to reflect.
It is never as bad as you think it is. Sometimes you just need a bit of perspective to realize what you are thankful for.
Wow. I can’t believe that I’ve been back from Nepal for three weeks already. The past three weeks have pretty much been a blur, between catching up on sleep, getting caught up at work, traveling to Chicago for a weekend, and then a beyond busy week at work, I’ve barely had time to just relax and get caught up on stuff for me.
This weekend will be for that, for the most part. I was going to do a bunch of stuff yesterday, but then had a slight hiccup with those plans, so spent most of the day on the couch trying to feel better.
Even though I was only gone for 2 weeks, it almost seens like I was in Nepal for much much longer. More on this later. . . 🙂
Today I’ve got a lot I want to do, a few things I need to do, and some stuff I should do, but totally won’t. It’s just going to be one of those weekends. However, one of the biggest things I need to do is enjoy some down time, some me time, some time to do things that aren’t work or uber serious. I am pretty drained after the whirlwind that was the last week especially, and know that I need to recharge the batteries in order to tackle many of the things on my plate.
As is my normal, I, of course, turned to music to help me focus, get a temporary boost, and just make it through the long days and stress. What songs were the most helpful? What songs pretty much were on repeat over the last week? Keep reading. . . .
There’s just something about this song that makes me smile and reminds me of good times past and present. It is a reminder to be in the moment and experience what is going on around you. Life is a series of moments – things we learn from, grow from, and make us who we are.
Enjoy these moments. Be happy. Don’t let fear stop you. Learn. Grow. Love. Share.
Usually when I find an article I like, I’ll post it on Facebook or tweet it, add some appropriate commentary (often witty and/or snarky), and share with others. There is no rhyme or reason sometimes to what I find interesting in a given day – sometimes it’ll be an article about some current event, something about a new movie, TV show or movie, or something completely random. My interests are varied (as anyone who has spent any time with me can attest to) and I have the attention span of a small animal at times (again, as anyone who has spent any time with me can attest to), so I’m going to try something different. Not only will I aggregate a few things in one place, I’ll also post them once-a-day (when the mood strikes) and try to write a bit more than would fit on Twitter or work on Facebook. Feel free to add your own comments to my thoughts – I am always interested in hearing what others think about things I think about. . .
So, I am kind of special at times. Yesterday was one of those times. Why?
I was so excited about getting my haircut, that I left my keys on my desk. Which I realized *after* my appointment, looooooong after everyone had left my office and locked up for the day. So I decided to walk home, or at least to Cotter’s. This morning I was saved by a roommate who gave me a ride to work (thanks, Meredith) so avoided having to walk all the way to work. Yay, go me!?
As a result of this “issue”, I again realized how much I like walking places. Granted it was getting dark and kind of chilly but I enjoyed the time to listen to some music, take in my surroundings, and think. It just makes me a bit sad to think that prime walking weather in Minnesota is pretty much behind us. Gone are the days were I could just go as I am and take Scout for a walk in the neighborhood. Now I have to find a jacket and shoes and socks, and soon even add a jacket for Scout. I think I am going to try to walk this winter as much as I can, if only to tire out the dog during the long march through winter. Plus, I do enjoy the beauty of Minnesota after a fresh coat of snow.
In other news, I am happy it is Friday. I am still feeling a bit blah post-trip. I can’t wait to spend this weekend sleeping and/or napping and doing laundry. I hope to also finish the last few recaps of my trip for here and also finish uploading photos. I am still riding the high from my trip, however. I really really really loved that trip. But I shall ramble on this subject more later. 🙂
I hope you all are well. Cheers and namaste.
