Theme of the Week ~ Gratitude

1. I’m grateful for my car. It had been about 5 years I was without my own car. I’m grateful for all of the vehicles I was able to borrow, without which it may not have been possible to get my car, but not as grateful as I am for my new (to me) car. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks. It’s a 2004 Impala and it’s in amazing shape for a 14-year-old car. Next week is spring break, so I’m taking a day off work to bring the kiddos to the ocean.
2. I’m grateful for my apartment, and the program I found that makes it affordable. It’s really not much. We could really use an additional bedroom. But it’s home. I’m definitely grateful that it came with a brand new dishwasher, grateful that the washer and dryer are close by.
3. I’m grateful for my job. It would be nice if it paid more, but I actually enjoy it. Plus, I’m getting management experience, which looks great on a resume!
4. I’m grateful for my kids. They aren’t always perfect. It would be rather un-perfect and boring if they were perfect. I love them, and I can’t imagine life without them.
5. I’m grateful OD is back. I’ve tried handwriting in a journal. I’ve tried text documents. I’ve tried apps. I’ve tried social media. Nothing is right. The closest thing I’ve found was last.fm, back before it was acquired by some large company. But that’s quite a different platform.

It’s funny how hidden in all five of these things are memories of difficulties and hardships – things I’ve had to go through to get where I am today. It doesn’t make me less grateful. The interconnectedness of things… Maybe if, perhaps my old car had never died, or the old place had a working dishwasher… maybe the things I’m grateful for today would be different. But again, it doesn’t make me less grateful.

Oh and just for kicks – I often feel like these don’t count, but I try not to take them for granted:

1. I’m grateful I have clean water to drink.
2. I’m grateful to be able to afford food and shelter and transportation.
3. I’m grateful to be able to walk and run and smile and speak and hear and see and understand.
4. I’m grateful to be warm enough.
5. I’m grateful to be able to drink coffee, and to be able to afford going out to eat occasionally, and to have the ability to do things on a whim sometimes.