I have the feeling that if you’re carefully examining the title of this post, you may get the impression that I jumped the gun on posting it – that I meant to save it for later in the month, around the Thanksgiving holiday. Well, maybe you’re right, but wait until you have finished reading to make your final decision.
Going through a divorce has been one of the most painful and complicated and awful and terrible things I have ever experienced. Add in the stress of running a business, keeping up with a part time job and a nonprofit chair position, and it gets pretty hairy. Just for fun, throw in a totally mad 30 day challenge (see my NaNoWriMo post), and even a normally sane person would tend to get a little twitchy.
That said: today, when everything started to go wrong and all I wanted to do was crawl under my desk and sob uncontrollably… I had a realization. Despite my deep seated fear that my life was coming apart at the seams, never to be repaired, I felt this flutter of happiness.
What was it that made me smile, despite the rage and tears?
While I was walking to the post office, I passed this small, fuzzy dog who was trying to wrap its owner around a street sign. On this beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day in November, that little ball of fuzz made me remember the big black ball of fuzz who was waiting at home for me.
I am thankful for the unconditional love I receive from my fuzzy best friend.
That small reminder caused me to think about all the other things I have to be thankful for:
- I am thankful for the love and support that I receive from my family and friends.
- I am thankful that I live in a beautiful city where I can go car free.
- I am thankful that I live in an age where, as a woman, I can vote (which I did today), have equality, and own my own business.
- I am thankful that I have the opportunity to live life on my terms and the passion to carry out that opportunity.
- I am thankful to truly be alive, and to be fully present in the moment (even when it sucks).
So, even on the days when you feel like punching a hole through the wall, or assuming the fetal position under your desk, never to reemerge into the sunlight, do me a favor.
Stop. Take a deep breath. And find at least ONE positive thing in your life.
Concentrate on that one thing, and allow yourself to be thankful. Even if that’s all you can do for today, it’s a good place to start. Be thankful for what you do have, and see if that doesn’t give you the energy to to get through until tomorrow. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
So yes, perhaps this post should have waited a few more weeks, but it felt necessary today. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t wait for a holiday to be thankful for the good things in life; maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that Hallmark should decide when you thank your mom for being awesome, or tell us that there’s just one day a year to be thankful.
What about you? What are the things you are thankful for, even on the less-than-stellar days? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or on twitter.
Leave a Reply