When I was about 12, I went down the street to my friend’s
house, and, in horror, discovered her to be wearing a jacket with Shaun Cassidy
screenprinted on the back. I took her to
the side, and whispered in here ear, “What are you doing wearing that?! You know you will be made fun of.” She answered me, and in a regular tone, “It
was a gift. From my parents.”
I got it. I still get
it. I have things on display in my home
or hanging in my closet (and sometimes I even wear them) that I don’t
like. They were gifts. And in my upbringing, any gift is something
to be grateful for, and, so, well, you just are. You are thankful that someone cares enough
about you to buy you something, even if they are off base. You keep it, and, trust me, much to your own
surprise you will come to treasure some of those things.
So why am I bringing this up? It’s just that I’m bothered by what seems to
be a lack of gratefulness in today’s society.
So many times I just hear, “But I deserve….” That phrase just gets under my skin.
You know what, some days I deserve a month long trip to
Tahiti and a $200 bottle of wine. What I
get? A travel magazine and whatever wine
was buy one, get one at Winn Dixie. The reason,
however, that I am happy despite that, is because I am grateful. I know that life could always be worse. There is always someone with better
circumstances, there is always someone with worse circumstances, and the
majority of the time we really have no idea who fits into which category. Happiness does not depend on what anyone else’s
life is like, it comes from accepting our own.
Sometimes life throws us some really crappy stuff, and I get that, and
it is OK to grieve that stuff, but you eventually need to look at all the
amazing things you do have.
Though my job can cause me to coming close to banging my
head on the wall, I’m grateful that I have one (and that I work from home so no
one can see me just in case I follow through with the banging). Though I suddenly have to pay a whopping
amount of money for my child’s medication every month, I’m grateful that it
helps him. Though we seem to have a
knack for adopting animals with medical issues, I’m grateful for the love we
get from them. Though I deal with issues
from 3 herniated disks in my back, I’m EXTREMELY grateful I haven’t had to have
surgery (yet). Though I hardly see my
husband all week due to our conflicting work schedules, I’m grateful for the
amazing man he is. Though my child can
have the typical teenage attitude issues, I’m grateful that HE knows how to be
grateful. I am very grateful for a want I had today that God came through on and fulfilled in an unexpected way, because it really wasn't something I really needed. I could go on and on and on,
for pages and pages and pages.
Everyone, everyone, has something to be grateful for. If you are alive, have the technology to get
to this blog, and are able to read, there are three things going for you right
there. Be thankful, see how it feels. Let it in.
Allow yourself to be happy, even in the face of struggles you may have.
And if you need a kickstart, that’s why they have wine. Dark Horse is on sale at Winn Dixie and gets you a load of fuel perks. ;)
I’m raising a glass to my family, my husband’s family, my
amazing friends, my friends to come, and everyone else in my life. I am extremely grateful for each and every
one of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment