An Attitude Of Gratitude

Just about every year in November, as Thanksgiving approaches, I'm given to begin thinking in a bit more of an appreciative way.  We probably all do this in one form or another.  And as for me, I know I should do it more.  Every day.  It's one of my many important life lessons that I'm still working on and will continue to do so indefinitely.

This year I am particularly grateful for these things:
 1)  We finally managed to leave Seattle.  It was way beyond time and we needed to make the leap.  Seattle is good in many ways.  Being able to choose our own path is even better.
 2)  Major relief from allergies has been such a blessing.  A whole long summer of being allergy free was like a miracle.  And having noticed a more 'normal' seasonal bit of Fall allergies with the leaves finally on the ground- and full of mold and mildew spores- tells me that being born in a place with perpetual mold and mildew, I should have relocated sooner!
 3)  Connections with friends have been imperative to my sanity this year especially.  Move 1200 miles away and you really do find out who you're friends are!  And some new insights into putting a positive spin on just about anything have been a fabulous gift from one particular friend.
 4)  Dogs are just awesome.  They are there for you, give you purpose, love you unconditionally, and are the best form of entertainment around.
 5)  Seeing things with new eyes.  Slowing down and really looking at all the beauty, strangeness, people around me.  I have found so many things right there in front of my face that I know I would have missed had I kept up the rapid pace I had been and continued on in a subconcious way.  Really living conciously takes effort and it's worth it!
 6)  Being open to more change.  Embracing the unknown really does allow for greater possibilities.  I used to think that control over your life was the ultimate freedom.  That always knowing what comes next was the best way to meet goals.  I have truly changed my mind.  I'll always be a 'planner', but I now know the detours are often the best part.
 7)  I am super grateful for anything that makes me feel useful and productive.  Without much work since moving to California, I have needed to reform my idea of what makes me feel worthwhile.  I have a newfound deep appreciation for everything that anyone brings to the table of life.  We all have so much to offer in so many ways and realizing all the different ways that is manifested is awesome!

 Please do hit me up with some of your own favorite 'gratitudes' of the year!

Bullets In The Moment

Sometimes it seems like it's easier to blog when there's not so much that I could blog about, you know what I mean?

There's quite a bit going on around here.

It's not so much that I feel overwhelmed.  It's just that I'm not sure how to break it down into digestible pieces, rather than yammer on in a not so interesting way.

For today, let's go with the bullet points...

o  I have discovered that there is yet another layer of stuff that I am ready to have out of my life that is still currently residing in my house.  I am in the process of purging more things again, even though I am probably the least pack-rattish of any of my friends. 

o  I have spent many hours with my little chihuahua doing more kinds of training than I have ever done with any other dog that I've ever had.  It turns out that although he is still quite typically 'toy dog' shy with strangers and we can't seem to change that about him, he has an extreme ability to learn tricks very quickly.  Although I wish that more than just our closest friends could see what a happy go lucky little guy we have, I have decided that it is not any more likely that I will ever truly change my dogs personality than changing my own innate self, so we are going to concentrate on his strengths.  Since he loves attention when he is 'performing' and almost completely forgets his shyness, we will soon start agility training!

o   On the way back from our July 4th trip to Yellowstone, my suv's A/C went out as we were traveling over 100 miles of eastern Oregon desert and it was 100 degrees out.  Now a month after having it repaired for $900, it is out again.  Did I mention that we are leaving on Friday to go back down to Palm Springs?  Yeah, another desert.  If this car is not careful, it will find itself in the pile of things that I don't need in my life anymore!

o  Here in Seattle, this summer has honestly been the nicest, warmest, sunniest summer of my life.  I wish it would never end.  I am trimming back all of my trees and shrubs as much as I can to maximize the light later on this Fall.

o  I have become very interested in the idea of people deciding to live where they like to vacation.  Why do so many of us spend so much time convincing ourselves that we couldn't do that? 

o  I love that my husband is easily the most easy-going person that I have ever known.  I used to find this a tad annoying and now I don't even know why I was ever annoyed by that!

What about you?  What's up in your life these days?  
Sometimes the fun is in the details!

Dreams Don't Believe In Statistics

***Note:  to my faithful readers who would rather stay out of the politics- this will NOT be another political post!!!***

We've all seen the staggering statistics about what happens to kids whose parents are drug addicted. 
Then there are the issues presented for kids who have parents that suffer from mental illness.  Previously, I have touched upon the fact that my husband and I are both people who grew up in these types of households.  And we both want nothing more in this life than to break that mold and have truly happy lives that affect others in a positive way. 

My husband and I especially want to be an alternative view for our nephew and other kids who have had a rough start in any way that we can.

One phone call I received on Friday afternoon has hit me like a giant firework covering the entire night sky on the 4th of July!

My husband and I have been dreaming of many things over the past few years.  We have had big ideas about what kind of life we want.  We have worked diligently to move in a direction that will fulfill some hearts desires for us and also some things we believe will allow us to be the people we are meant to be.

Along the way, we have learned that sometimes things don't happen the way we imagine that they will.

Just as I have come to accept that some things will have to wait, I have also realized that the bigger we dream and the harder we work- the more there is that is possible than either of us could ever have imagined!

As kids who were repeatedly reminded that their world was small and they should never expect to amount to anything, my husband and I are especially thankful for anything that comes our way and we always look forward to how we will be able to share and hopefully motivate others to strive for more.

As for this moment, I wish I could just shout from the rooftops how much I feel validated in always knowing in my heart of hearts that nobody can ever stop you from dreaming and that eventually even really big dreams can be realized.  Never doubt that anyone can become their own tiny statistic.  And then influence others to make that statistic grow.

Along with the picture at the top of this blog, my little cactus garden on my dining room table has served as motivation to scrimp and save and plan and dream.  It will now be a reminder of my own little place in the sun.

We are buying a vacation condo in Palm Springs, CA!!!

That's right.  This 'Yellow Rose Of Texas' may not be in Texas yet, but I'm going to have a whole lot more sun in my life starting about 45 days from now when my husband and I close on our property purchase.

As I cruise off to continue on with my weekend long happy dance, I'll leave you with this:

Whatever's Supposed To Be Will Be

I have said that a lot.

I feel like lately I mean it more than ever.

It seems like especially because my husband and I were given an opportunity that we chose to pass up (in Arizona), I am really staring straight in the face the fact that I have to trust that things will all work out.  I know I want to do that.  I know I believe I am capable of doing that. 

I still have issues with trust that linger a bit.  But I'm not going to focus on that.  I will focus on my desire to know in my heart that everything will work out better than I ever could have imagined and have a positive outlook on every day, even when things are frustrating.  Even when I can't know where things are going.

Not knowing is not a place I have ever been comfortable with.

I think I have found a good constructive way to deal with my uneasiness.  I might seem a bit simplistic, but... I have taken to thanking God and the universe for everything that comes my way, even the things that are not instantly positive.  It has been amazing!

It turns out that:

Credit:  http://silverlipsbeauty.com

In the moment, being grateful helps me to get through any anxious feelings.  And as time passes, this process of finding something, anything to be thankful for helps my overall outlook.  In an absolutely huge way.

It feels like even though I don't have any more control than I ever have, I do have control over how I react.

How about you?  Whenever you face times of some sort of uncertainty, what are your tricks of the trade?