I've been thinking a lot about blessings lately. We are all so blessed. I'm blessed with a hard-working husband, a beautiful daughter, two spunky dogs, a comfy home, a job that I love, plenty of good books to read, a strong body, and an able mind (plus so much more).
How in the world could I ever complain? How in the world could I ever have a bad day when I'm surrounded by so much good- when my life is overflowing with blessings?
I just don't know. I don't know how people can complain about the very things that make their life wonderful. I honestly get tired of hearing/reading complaints. People whine about their jobs (which is really annoying considering the unemployment rate), their families, their children (seriously, people? just, no...), their houses (which keep them warm and comfy) not being big/fancy/awesome enough, their bodies (which I've been guilty of myself) not being good enough, and their day/week/month not going as well as they'd like.
We all have bad days/week/months/years. We all dream of having more and being better. We all want bigger/better/more.
Sometimes we get bigger/better/more. Sometimes we don't.
That, my friends, is life.
It's nothing to complain about. It's nothing to begrudge. In actuality, it's something to celebrate. Life, in good moments and bad, is something to celebrate.
Life is a precious and almost unbelievable gift. It is something that we should embrace each morning, even if we are up for work at 5:00 am (which I am, every day of the week), with joy and with gratitude. If we felt a little more thankful for our houses, children, pets, families, and possessions, maybe we wouldn't feel so inclined to complain about them. Maybe we would stop seeing them as always being less-than adequate/awesome/perfect.
Let me just tell you something. If you have a home, a family, a pet, a healthy body, and a working mind, YOU ARE BLESSED. You are a blessed person. Embrace your blessings and give thanks for them every single day. I've been trying to do this and it's been amazing. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to have an awesome day when you are constantly noticing and appreciating the world around you.
The people, pets, and things that are a part of your life are special and to be frank, they aren't constant. At any moment, you could loose them. You could find yourself jobless, childless, or even homeless and that, my friends, is when you will be allowed to complain about a bad day.
Until then, join me in being blessed. Seriously, it's a choice. You can choose to complain or you can choose to be thankful.
I choose thankful.
Hazel is among my favorite blessings.
She makes me happy every single day with her sweet Grinch kisses.
Harper is blessed, too.
Every Wednesday, she gets to see the garbage truck.
This post just touched me so much. I have been acknowledging my blessings of late and even wrote a post about it today.http://emmyel.blogspot.com/2011/09/fortunate.html
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, sister. I have a relative who has this weird habit of complaining about the things for which she's most proud. "Oh, my 4 year old is reading! She's too smart! I can't keep her entertained!" "Oh, my husband's in law school and gone all the time! Life's hard" "Oh, I'm pregnant again! How does this happen? What am I going to do with all these kids?"
ReplyDeleteI don't know why she's like that, but it kinda drives me batty. Just acknowledge that your child is brilliant and you are in awe of her. Or think of the millions of women longing to be pregnant. It seriously drives me crazy when people can't just be THANKFUL for what they have.
Thank you for sharing. I needed this beautiful reminder. I've been tired lately and that tends to make for a little bit more complaining and being annoyed more often. So thank you for helping me remember the many many blessings I have.
ReplyDeletei couldn't agree more! it's all about the recognition of blessings. it's amazing how powerful that is!
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