What I am Grateful for Today

I have been waking up between 3 and 4 a.m. lately and wonder if this is to become a new routine. I usually try and go back to sleep after making a visit to the restroom and find that it is impossible. Yet, I still try. Most often I finally turn on the light and start reading waiting for my lids to get heavy enough to fall back asleep again. I think of all the things I could be doing instead. Like getting an early start on my list of gratitude.

Why do we procrastinate and then feel like we're rushed when we've postponed the inevitable? What is it within ourselves that allows a bit of laziness to win over duty? The task will ultimately reward us, yet we seem to choose the one that gives us instant gratification. Like in my case, warm blankets and a novel that takes place in Venice in the early 1600's.

Let's work on this together shall we? It feels like you're part of my team with daily updates and signs of progression. I start "working" today and am filled with anticipation of all that I can accomplish. So if I've developed a new habit of waking early, I shall try and ease myself up and out of the covers and begin my day with gratitude.

What I am grateful for today:

I am grateful for the blue skies that I see out my window and know that I will be able to take a walk down in the valley today.

I am grateful to have the technology to talk to potential clients and offer them support in any way that I can.

I am grateful because I have experienced so much and can use the lessons I have learned to help others.

I am grateful when my husband brings me socks and puts them on my feet because he knows I'm cold.

I am grateful for all the mini bottles of lotions, shampoos, conditioners and great smelling soaps that I have saved from different hotel stays. It has been so fun to discover these treasures and remember the time away.

I am grateful that I can fit into a size 8. I still have a few more pounds to go, but I'm happy with the progression. It's all about intentional choices. The food I reach for, the movement I create. I take pride in this achievement without the aid of diet concoctions.

I am grateful for family. I found my birth father in 2005 and have created relationships with cousins, aunts, uncles, and siblings. From that very first phone call that had the potential to be a negative reminder, my dad and I have created a new beginning with lots of honest discussions. It is amazing to see similar gestures, likes and dislikes in a person I didn't know.

I am grateful to have independent thought. I can weigh and ponder and ultimately decide in what direction I want to go. I am not forced into anything. Ever. Think of what it would be like if the opposite were true...

I am grateful to be in the perfect place at the perfect time. How did I get to be so lucky to be born in 1959 and not 1608? What prayer was answered that allowed me to be raised in the United States and not a country with a dictator? I feel that I take my rights for granted and don't even consider what others have to suffer.

I am grateful for the strong military presence that our nation has built. Sons and daughters that are in far away places without their family for Christmas. Mothers and fathers who miss the laughter and joy of their children opening presents in their absence.

It seems when I complain about all that I don't have, I can look at so many reminders that point to what I do have. I have blessings, and love and safety.

Take a moment now and write down 5 reasons why you are grateful today. Do it!