It started off with a bad beginning. Mondays often have a feeling of a bad beginning, but when you've just gotten used to waking early and you're still waking early, but it's an hour later, you can't help but wonder who's bright idea daylight savings time was. I mean, really?
So that was the start.
I've had too many good things happen lately to be as grumpy as I feel. It's a discontentment that for three mornings I haven't been able to shake. Today, while writing in my journal, I thought about goals, the hard weeks, and how underneath all this discontentment, I feel like laughing at myself. Thus spawned the idea of My Ridiculously Long List of Things to Be Grateful For.
It's not a new idea. I know I've posted about gratitude journals and their power before, but this would be a list to beat all lists. I would write and write until I had the beginnings of something even my feelings of discouragement couldn't stand up to. I would list everything, from microwave popcorn to prayer. And when I was done, if I still felt any unhappiness, I'd think of some more.
I know you don't want to read my entire list, what good would that do? And besides that, I've only got to fifty so far and my hand got tired. I'm not used to writing on paper anymore. So my list is to be continued. But it was fun. I feel like I fought back against something, and doing something makes a big difference. That and I had chocolate and popcorn. All vital, of course. Here's ten things to be grateful for, in random order.
1. My husband. Okay, not so random order, but this morning as he was leaving, he stopped in the door to look at me one more time. We laughed at each other, a shared "I know things have been stressful, but hang in there" kind-of moment.
2. My little boy. He had to have a green shirt for today. You gotta love St. Patrick's day and preschool celebrations that come four days early and before green shirt wash day. On the bright side, he was so excited to put that shirt back on. He usually only gets to wear it twice a week.
3. Washing machines that do a load in thirty minutes. Again, not so random order.
4. Dryers that, while not drying the entire load in less than thirty minutes, managed to dry one very important green shirt and still leave time to drive to preschool.
5. Aunts. Need I say more?
6. A Sister-in-Law who also forgot that Preschool switched days this week. It's good to have someone to text when you completely blank out important dates, especially someone who's been there too.
7. Microwave Popcorn. Yes, I am eating it while writing this post. I like popcorn.
8. Chickens who lay eggs in the straw next to my door. Fresh eggs every morning without taking more than two steps? You can't beat that.
9. Little Brothers. I think mine were sent with specific instructions to never let me take things too seriously.
10. And last, but not least, corned beef on sale. We'll have our St. Patrick's meal after all. (No, my parents and siblings, you don't have to eat
it. I still remember that one time....)
