ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

I came across a funny quote in a blog I follow. In Type M For Murder, fellow author Rick Blechta wrote, “In 20 years when kids ask about the 2020 Toilet Paper Shortage, I’m telling them we had to drag our butts across the lawn…in the snow…uphill. Both ways.” It made me laugh out loud. I nearly spewed the tea I was drinking over my keyboard.

I think we can all agree this year will go down in history as a memorable year. And not in a good way. Between the pandemic, shortages caused by the interruptions to our supply chain, civil unrest, rioting, and most recently the political unrest around the 2020 presidential election, it’s been a sh@#$t show of epic proportions.

And yet…

If you look hard you can usually find rays of light & hope even in the darkest times.

One of the biggest challenges in my daily life has been finding things to be grateful for when I’m having a bad day. Today is such a day. Blame it on a combination of jet lag, election day nerves, and uncertainty about the current state of affairs in the world and my situation in general. All of the above had me scraping the bottom of the barrel searching for the blessings in my life when I got up this morning. Then I saw Rick’s post and it made me laugh. Okay…right there was a blessing: Something to smile about.

Then my husband, Sandy, said, when he kissed me good-bye before leaving for work this morning, “I am so happy to be married to you. You’re still as beautiful to me as you were on our wedding day!” Mind you, when he spoke those words, I was still in my PJs with bedhead & morning breath, I imagine. Yet there in the dark of my funk at oh-dark-in-morning was another blessing: the abiding love of my husband.

Later, I was texting with a dear friend. I shared with her how I was feeling & she texted me back with a funny GIF and the words: “I can’t imagine my life without you.” Another blessing: The love of my friends.

All this before 9 a.m.

Okay, maybe it’s not gonna be not such a bad day after all. I’m back from my travels, and as I write this, drinking tea from my favorite teapot, which my late sister Patty made for me. I always miss it when I’m gone. My morning tea never tastes as good as when it’s brewed in my Patty pot. Oh, and will you look at that? The sun is peeking through the clouds. Last but not least, I just crossed off the first thing on my to-do list for today: the writing of this post.

I hope you’re having a good day. And even if you’re not, I promise something good will happen at some point during the day. It usually does. Could be something big enough to have you celebrating like an animated figure in a “Congratulations!” GIF. Or it could be something small enough that if you blink you might miss it: a hug, a compliment, a phone call or text from a friend, a cup of tea. When you see it, hit Pause, take a breath, and say to yourself, “Life is good in this moment.”