Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Expect nothing. Appreciate everything.



Appreciation to and for

Tribe -  MFD, my dogs, my niece Lola Jean, my two brothers, all of my parents, the kids in my aunt army, old friends, new friends, family I like enough to consider friends; people I'd lay down in the street for and who would do the same for me. Friends I've made through blogging, people who stand up for themselves and others, strong women, funny people, people who empower others, people with conviction, people who work for worthy causes, guardian angels.

Basics - food, shelter, heat, air conditioning, electricity, access to clean water: things that are basic to us but not to everyone, things to be thankful for on the days you think are bad...imagine those days without these things and it gets hard to breathe.

Opportunity - to travel, to try new restaurants, to seek out beauty, to affect change, to get a great education, to try new things, to drive a reliable car, to rest and practice self care, to see a great roster of authors at my local library, to support charities who do good work, to observe and write about my observations, to spend so much time at the shore, to see the sunrise, to sit outside in the shade and watch the day go by, to apply the salt air cure as much as I need to.

Freedom - to pick up and go away for the weekend, to climb into bed early with a book, to read what I want; of speech, assembly, the press; to choose, to build the kind of life I want, to speak out against my government, to voice dissent, to say no, to say yes, to encourage others, to tell others to fuck off; to, in general, do what I want.

Shitstorms - because while it is easy to exist and be grateful in those halcyon days, character is built in the dark; because nothing tastes as good as rising from the ashes; because refusing to sink shows you your backbone; because life requires yin and yang; because we all have comeback songs on those playlists and we identify with them for a reason.

Cherries on top -  sunglasses, books, coffee, Instagram, fresh sheets, LulaRoe leggings, fall foliage, nail polish, Tom's slippers, sun flare in photos, Amazon Prime, pedicures, Netflix, lists, people who make images out of my favorite quotes so I don't have to, Le Pen colored pens, PaperMate Sharpwriter pencils. I could go on about the little things for days.

Everything. I am grateful for everything I have, big and small. I think I'm allergic to being generally ungrateful. Ingratitude pisses me off.

Last but not least, you. Thanks for reading.

MFD and I will not be together on Thanksgiving for the first time in a billion years but I am one of those the actual holiday is just one day and you can't do it all in one day types. We see each other most days and we are grateful for each other and the life we have built together...check back when we are decorating for Christmas together later this weekend to see if this still holds true. LOLOL

Wishing my fabulous friends Gwen and Jenn happiest birthdays today.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

20 comments:

  1. Gratitude = unending happiness. Every nanosecond more to be grateful for. Agree with all of yours. This baking and cooking time of year , I love my Kitchen Aid convection oven and mixer big time. My extra little GE microwave/convection oven over the stove. Grateful to have had tons of large holiday gatherings in the past and grateful for not having them due to 3 big gsds! Love my life. I'm a lucky duck ����✨��☮️��������! #dreamskeepcomingtrue! Love. Your. Momma ! Happiest holidays to all!

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  2. Unicorns and lights and Angels emojis didn't come up. Jmj

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  3. Perfect post and you hit the nail on the head about all of the things in life to be grateful for, and there is so much. We all need that reminder right now as we come to the close of a VERY trying year. Happy Thanksgiving, friend! I'm thankful for you!

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  4. I love the set up of this post. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

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  5. Haha, yes. Jason and I don't always agree when Christmas decorating. I know you have plenty of framily, and hope you enjoy the holiday!

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy all the festivities.

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  7. Such a wonderful post!! All your posts about being grateful have really helped me become more grateful I thank you for that. All this time, I really thought I was grateful but I really wasn't. You showed me the light! Being grateful does lead to happiness. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

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  8. Love all of these things!!! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

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  9. Character is, I'm pretty sure, only built when there's a shitstorm. It's a hard lesson to learn, but we'd never learn anything (seriously, ever) otherwise.

    Happy Thanksgiving Steph! I'm grateful for blogs like yours that I look forward to reading :)

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  10. I love all of these. I especially love the "cherries on top" category! Lots of things, big and small, to be thankful and grateful for!

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  11. A big YES to everything. And I really like your take on shitstorms. It feels like my life has sort of been one for the past 3 years. I need to reframe how I look at it and climb myself out of it. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  12. Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful for all of the things you mentioned, especially the freedom to climb in bed early with a book. An addition to the cherries on top: that the maid is coming today while we're both at work so that only relaxing and gratitude have to happen at our house this weekend.

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  13. "The things you are thankful for on the days you think are bad" I love this. And it's so true at the end of a really awful day when I'm laying in bed I always take a minute to be thankful that I'm laying in a bed, with sheets and blankets in a bedroom that's my own in a warm house with people I love and a fridge full of food and pipes full of water. They are basics but without the basics everything else almost fails to exist.

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  14. This is a great list. It hurts my head and my heart when I think about people that don't have these things- whether it's the freedom to speak out again their government or the clean water running through their pipes. We have a lot to be grateful for...

    Happy Thanksgiving, Steph!

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  15. We really do have so much to be thankful for! I love when you have family members that you love but that you actually like as well and consider them friends! I hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

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  16. Every time I feel like a day has brought me nothing to write in my gratitude journal, I look around and see the paper I have to write on, the pen to write with, the desk, the apartment, the heat, the clothes--all of which would mean so much to someone who doesn't have them. The "basics" are so easy to lose sight of, and in a way I'm also grateful for the days that force me to realize how very fortunate I am for those simple things that don't make my heart aflutter, but that allow me to live with comfort and ease that others just don't have.

    Sorry you and MFD won't spend the day together, but hopefully whatever's keeping you apart brings you both joy in other ways. Happy Thanksgiving, Steph. I'm thankful for you too.

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  17. Your list rules the gratitude lists. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  18. I love just how grateful you are, not just today but always.
    Happy Thanksgiving Steph! Xo

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