Thankfulness

Last year, I made a "Gratitude List" of 100 things I was thankful for.  A year later, many things on this list remain the same, although there are some modifications.  Life has changed for me.  I am grateful now for people and things that I did not know existed.  I have found more qualities within myself to be grateful for.  I've read more quotes.  I've experienced more of life, both good and bad.  I've grown, as we all should, over the past year.  That, in and of itself is worth celebrating and being thankful for.

1. Friends still remain at the top of my gratitude list.  Although the dynamic of my friendships have changed, and some have been added, and others taken away, these are the people who are the core of me.  Some of these people know everything there is to know about me and then some.  Others many not know me very well, but support and encourage and love me all the same.  Friends will always be at the top of my list, and the biggest reason that I consider myself wealthy beyond belief.
2. Followed closely by family.  No question, I would not be where I am today without the support and love of my family.  They've given me tons to be grateful for, they've bailed me out when I needed it, they've supported me in many ways, they're always there when I need them, and they're always fun to be with.  I am extremely lucky and thankful to have such a large, close-knit, loving family.
3. My kids.  These 3 little humans are the light of my life.  Without fully understanding it, they've helped me grieve, helped me heal, made me smile, made me laugh, and made me the richest person alive.  There are days when I would like to sell them to a zoo, but I could not imagine being without them.  Every single day, I am thankful for them.
4. My passion for scrapbooking.  If there is one way to make myself cry in an instant, it's to crack open any of my scrapbooks.  These books are tangible documentation of how incredibly full and blessed my life truly is.  Others may think it's "just a hobby" or a silly waste of time, but scrapbooking is a serious matter in my life.  Scrapbooks bring people together, they allow us (and others) to appreciate what and who we have, they give our photos purpose.  If I have it my way, I will never give up my passion for scrapbooking.
5. The ability to be home with my kids.  For years, I wanted nothing more than to stay home and raise my kids.  I was finally given that opportunity... granted, not by my own accord, but the opportunity all the same.  Finances have been difficult, and some adjustments have been made, but everything works out in the end, and there is always a silver lining.  My silver lining is that I get to walk my kids to school and pick them up at least 3 times a week, and I don't have to shuffle them around while I'm at work.  
6. Regardless of my financial situation, I have a house to live in, a car to drive, the means to put food on the table and clothes on my body, and the resources to fend for myself.  I'm grateful to have these things, when I know that there are plenty of others who don't.
7. Music.  Always inspiring, sometimes tear-jerking, a taste of mine that is ever-changing, and something that will always be present in my life and the lives of my kids.  Be it jazz, pop, hip-hop, grunge, metal, dance, country or anything in between, live or via radio or satellite, I will always soak up whatever music I can.
8. Dance.  One is never too old to dance with your kids, nor too young to dance with your grandparents. Dancing is good for the soul, no matter what form it's in.  I'm a firm believer of this.  And, now, so are my kids.
9. The ability to write and use words to express myself.  Writing has always been a natural ability and a favorite thing to do, ever since I can remember.  I've not won any Pulitzer prize because of my writing, but it's satisfactory enough for me to be able to write this blog, share my words, and bring some level of comfort to myself and others through my writing.  To me, that is successful enough, and well worth my efforts. 
10. To be an inspiration to others.  In my own small way, I am changing the world.  In sharing my positive thoughts with others, I have the ability to influence them and the way they think.  This is a big deal, and every compliment I've ever received because of this has immeasurable meaning to me.  Priceless.  If I can make just one person smile in the course of a day, getting out of bed in the morning was totally worth it.  

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more.  If you concentrate on what you don't have, you'll never have enough." -Oprah Winfrey

Everyone has things to be thankful for.  This Thanksgiving, take a moment or two to seriously contemplate how awesome your life really is, and how awesome you really are.  Each of us make a difference in someone else's life, and we all have at least one other someone who makes a big difference in our life.  And that right there is a damn good reason to be thankful.  

A New Direction

A month ago I was given the chance to take on a new opportunity, something I had thought about over and over again for years, but could never bring myself to carry through with.  Being let go from my job could potentially be one of the best things to happen to me.  I could never allow myself to voluntarily quit, but when they asked me to leave, I had no choice but to rethink my career direction.


For some time I have been considering how to put together my talents and allow myself to move in a new direction.  What am I good at?  What do I like to do?  How do these things mesh together?  I am still working on the exact answers to these questions, but I have a better idea now than I did previously, when I was simply focused on the thing that I had been doing for almost 20 years.  


Haley Williams is quoted as saying, "Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand."  I truly believe this.  As much as we think we know or understand ourselves, sometimes once we take a fall (and we WILL fall, because we all do) we come to realize that what we had thought of ourselves is not necessarily true.  We may not be as strong as we thought, or maybe we're stronger than we imagined.   Either way, we can learn to adapt to these new boundaries and adjust accordingly.


I think people are afraid (or at least reluctant) of change.  Especially big change.  So when changes in direction are thrust at us, we tend to recoil and resist.  As always, with change comes growth.  Once we can get past the reluctance and embrace new patterns, our eyes are opened to things we never would have thought of otherwise.  We learn new things, we challenge ourselves, we adapt, we grow.  


When I was in that last meeting with my supervisor, I was mad.  Boiling mad.  Red hot, can't speak, wanna punch a wall mad.  But in my head, all I could see was a set of large doors, opening wide.  Sometimes opportunities are subtle.  Sometimes the sirens blare.  That day, the lights were flashing and the sirens were louder than I had ever heard before.  Change was being forced onto me, and I was resisting, but there was also a new opportunity waiting for me with open arms.  


No matter how horrible a new direction may seem to us at first, I'm a firm believer that every now and then we have to step off the beaten path.  Take the road less traveled.  Do something completely out of your realm.  Be crazy (reasonably, of course).  Take the unexpected and run with it.  This is how we grow.  We never know what we will find in a new place, unless we go there.