Gratitude

Every morning (well, almost) I post on my Facebook page three things I am grateful for. They are usually small things that strike me throughout the day: a field of happy cows, the smell of cookies baking, a kindness from a friend. But sometimes I struggle to find something to be grateful for. It's true. Recently I woke up one day and thought, I have absolutely nothing to be grateful for today. I have too much work to do. I have to drive to Orlando and I hate pumping gas. My husband is too busy lately and I'm lonely. I need to clean my house and don't have time. This cold is making my hip hurt and I will be limping all day. And so on and so on.

I put my cranky self in the shower, at the edge of having a come-apart, fighting tears, and still somewhere in the back of my head searching for something to be grateful for.

Whoa. It hit me and I wanted to slap myself. I am grateful I have a job that keeps me busy and pays the bills. I am grateful to have a reliable vehicle that gets me where I need to go. I am grateful my husband has a job he loves that keeps him busy and I am grateful for my amazing friends and family who love spending time with me. I am grateful to have shelter in a house that I love. I am grateful that I can walk! 

Shame on me. I am so grateful for my beautiful life.

Comments

  1. StephanieFebruary 5, 2013 at 6:37 AM

    Lessons for us all, Lisa. Thank you for sharing. You nailed it! It's really that simple isn't it! Have a grateful day being grateful for everything in your life...now I am too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. T.J.February 6, 2013 at 5:22 AM

    Good job on starting on blog. You do indeed have a good life. As for me, I am grateful that I am not sleepwalking.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unchecking Boxes

Image
The two most important days in our lives are the day we are born and the day we die. Everything in between is checking boxes. Graduating from the right school, landing the perfect job, choosing a life partner, having the requisite number of kids, living in the biggest house, driving the newest car... There are two things that start us on the path of checking boxes: Guilt and Fear. Guilt is a completely useless emotion. Fear is what rules everything we do or don't do. Remove guilt and fear and the obstacles disappear. As children, we want to please our parents. As adults, we want to fit in. We want to check all the right boxes so we can tell ourselves we are normal and happy. We are afraid to offend or disappoint. We are afraid to discover who and what we really are. We keep checking boxes until we realize it's too late. Maybe college wasn't for you and your parents didn't take it so well. Or maybe they did. So what, if they are unhappy that's their problem
Read more

The Thing About Grief

Image
Grief is love with no place to go. In the last decade I’ve watched love ones succumb to cancer. I’ve lost beloved pets. My marriage ended. I'm well-acquainted with grief. Here’s the thing about grief: It isn't linear. It isn’t something you get through. It is waves pounding the shore over and over again. There are moments of calm and there are moments of near-drowning. It changes you. It becomes a part of you, forever. You will never completely let go. But you will survive. You will keep swimming. Here’s the thing about love: It doesn’t diminish. The well is full, and always will be. Always. You will love again. Love is abundant in you. Do not quench it in the name of grief. Feel the loss. Feel the love. Feel gratitude for the time you shared with those you loved. And know that you're okay. Grief doesn’t end, but one day, when you are holding a memory, it won’t hurt quite as much, and you will smile through the tears.
Read more

8 Haunted Places in Central Florida You Didn't Know About!

Image
I thought a blog about haunted places nearby would be apropos for Halloween. When I began researching I was blown away by the number of haunted places in Florida! Some of those I will revisit later but for now here are eight places within swimming distance for me. Enjoy! LAKESIDE INN - MOUNT DORA Several ghosts are known to reside in the charming Lakeside Inn, which was built in 1883 and is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Florida. Two of the inn’s ghosts are young girls from the 1890s to 1920s. One is about nine years of age who wears a frilly red dress. She is believed to be Amy, a little girl who disappeared from the inn in 1892. The other is a girl around 12 who wears a blue dress and is often seen in the dining room. She’s been known to move the chandeliers and chairs. Also seen at the inn are the apparitions of a man in a top hat and a gangster in a fedora. Locals say there is a hidden speakeasy from Prohibition days somewhere in the inn.   BEEF O’BRADY’S (FORM
Read more