lucky me

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the everyday things....annoyances, aches and pains, insecurities, stress and fears...and focus on what's not going your way. 

Like...this annoying cough that WON'T. GO. AWAY.

Or....feeling like even when I stay late at work I'm still just keeping my head above water. 

And the fear that every time we get a lot of rain in a short period of time (like last week) I'm going to have water in my basement.

That tire that needs replacing.

Those meals that I haven't been cooking.

That stack of bills I need to pay.

Since I'm human, I worry.
About the little things.
The big things.
And even the non-existent things.
(like worrying about book characters-- seriously, I do that)

What I'm deciding to do....actually, what I often decide to do, is stop myself on that worry track. 
Turn around.
Look at what's important.

And count my blessings.

Because.....those things I listed above? 

They are greatly outweighed by the magnitude of how lucky I really am in life.

I often joke that I'm the world's most unluckiest person, but really I'm just talking about the little things-- I don't win contests, I pick the wrong line/lane/route, I'm extremely clutzy (like you-wouldn't-believe-it-if-you-weren't-there clutzy)....all things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

When it comes to the big picture.....I'm very, very lucky.

(Really....what's luckier than seeing a double rainbow?)

My parents- amazing role models

My family- fun and loving

My friends- supportive and generous

My job-  being able to do something I love and that inspires me everyday

My coworkers- so hardworking, dedicated and thoughtful

My home- having my own place, being able to have an outlet for my creativity, and feeling safe where I live

My health- I can walk, talk, see, hear, breathe, smell, feel.....I'm alive.

My mind- I can think clearly, problem solve, remember, comprehend, and feel compassion.

I've had a pretty stressful couple of weeks where I had a lot of those "poor me" moments.   It's prevented me from doing a lot of things that I wanted to do, or even really needed to do.  After a much-needed fun night out with a great group of friends, I felt the urge to turn my thoughts to the positives in my life.

Lucky for me, it wasn't hard to do.

changes are coming...

If you have visited my blog in the past, you may have noticed a different, stripped down look for the past couple days.  That's due to my old blog template (which was free) not being free anymore.  Until my new template can get loaded, I'm in temporary free-blogger-template mode. 

Stay tuned to see the new look for my blog....and although it's not going to be a custom look (yet), I definitely think it will be cute!  I wouldn't have it any other way.  :)

On a different note....today is my dad's birthday.  While he passed away over twenty years ago, I still think of him all the time, and November 9th definitely puts me in a bit of a sad mood. 

Rereading last year's post about my dad last night did help me to recall all of the cherished memories I have of my dad.

If you'd like to read more about the wonderful man who was, along with my mom, a huge influence of who I am today, go here.

Happy Birthday, Dad!