Giving Thanks
I'm afraid I've been a bit on the negative side lately - like, for my whole life. Honestly, I'm actually a very happy person and I do realize I have a lot to be happy about. For some reason, though, I have the annoying talent of overlooking the positives and focusing right on the negatives, and stress and pregnancy have further honed this talent recently.
This morning, I opened my inbox to find a very sweet e-mail that Laurie had sent on Thanksgiving simply stating that she was thankful I was her friend. Again, maybe it's those darn hormones, but receiving that little message made me feel so good and made my heart melt. It also made me realize that I tend to forget to stop and count my blessings regularly, so I thought I'd shake things up a bit on here and actually post something positive for once. No negatives. (At least not on this one posting.) I feel I need to make this list for those times in which I'm feeling sorry for myself, for when I feel like everything is falling apart, or for when I'm simply having a bad day.
The top ten things for which I am thankful this year:
(1) My husband. I could write a novel on how wonderful he is as both a person and as a spouse. He is my saner half, the glue that holds me together. He absolutely works his ass off and is always trying to better himself to provide as good a life as possible for us. He is going to be the best father a kid could have and I absolutely cannot wait to witness the bond develop between him and Baby Neener. I am so grateful that one thing I do NOT have to worry about is my child having a deadbeat dad or me having a deadbeat husband. I am thankful to have a person other than my mother in my life who will always be there for me, will always support me, and will always love me. I am also thankful to be married to a man who will actually cook me dinner, iron my clothes, and clean my toilet. It's really no wonder that I love him so much.
(2) My pregnancy. Yes, yes, I've whined and complained and moaned and groaned SO much about it over the past several months, and, let's face it, the act of being pregnant does have a lot of discomforts and scary changes attached to it. But I know the end result of this pregnancy will be the start of a new life that I will love more than my own life. It will be the start of a wonderful new chapter in my life. It will mark the beginning of my very own family. I am so very, beyond words, thankful for this baby and for everything he will bring to my life. And for as much bitching as I do about carrying him, I also know I'll miss him when he's outside of my body. After all the nausea, backaches, and exhaustion I've experienced, feeling him squirm around inside of my tummy makes it all worth it, even when it feels like he gets a foot caught in my ribs. I think I'll probably feel a little loneliness inside of me when the little critter moves out.
(3) Family. They are always there when I need them, and will do anything to help out. My life is in the process of changing radically and I'd hate to think how much more difficult this transitory stage would be without their support and assistance. And once the baby is born, I know my survival of the first year will largely be thanks to the assistance of family. I'm sure my baby will be as sweet as pie, but I'll be going crazy with all the changes - hormonal changes, sleep changes, stress changes, body changes, lifestyle changes, diaper changes - and on top of all that I know my evil perfectionist side will taunt me the entire time, reminding me that I could be doing things better, that I'm an awful mother. I know it will be family who will be there to offer advice, remind me that I'm human and am not Robo Mom, step in and help out when it's obvious I've been pulling my hair out, and most importantly, will love my child almost as much as I will. After all of that, I know they won't proclaim to the whole world what a mess I am. That would mean they would have to admit to being related to such a mess. That's what keeps family secrets within the family.
(4) Friends. They have given countless words of wisdom, listened endlessly to my whining and worrying, offered neverending support, have made me laugh and lifted my spirits. They are my family away from family, and even honorary members of my family (you know who you are, Angie). Without my friends, I seriously believe all of the crazies that live inside my head would escape through my nose and eat me alive.
(5) My kitties. They are soft, snuggly, warm, and greet me at the door in the evenings when I come home feeling like I've had the living Hell beat out of me. They say having pets lowers your blood pressure, reduces loneliness/stress/depression, and improves your mood, therefore making you a potentially healthier person. I am a firm believer in this. However, I do think that if they would use the toilet, feed themselves, and not throw up on our down comforters, they would be much more effective at improving my health. But maybe that's asking too much?
(6) Having a roof over my head. It's expensive. Like, VERY expensive. But, it sure is nice not living on the streets.
(7) Having vehicles in good running condition. Walking or riding my bike to work would just plain suck. Especially at eight months pregnant in November.
(8) Good health. (Knock on wood.) Actually, my health hasn't been the greatest this year, in comparison to most years. I've had the stomach flu twice, two or three colds, and, although it was from pregnancy hormones and not my health per se, months of nausea. However, to my knowledge I did not acquire any major STDs, leprosy, or emphysema. For this I am quite thankful.
(9) Naps. They have brought immeasurable comfort and relief to me in the past eight months. My only complaint is that I could greatly use more of them.
(10) Chocolate. I really don't think I need to say anything more.
This morning, I opened my inbox to find a very sweet e-mail that Laurie had sent on Thanksgiving simply stating that she was thankful I was her friend. Again, maybe it's those darn hormones, but receiving that little message made me feel so good and made my heart melt. It also made me realize that I tend to forget to stop and count my blessings regularly, so I thought I'd shake things up a bit on here and actually post something positive for once. No negatives. (At least not on this one posting.) I feel I need to make this list for those times in which I'm feeling sorry for myself, for when I feel like everything is falling apart, or for when I'm simply having a bad day.
The top ten things for which I am thankful this year:
(1) My husband. I could write a novel on how wonderful he is as both a person and as a spouse. He is my saner half, the glue that holds me together. He absolutely works his ass off and is always trying to better himself to provide as good a life as possible for us. He is going to be the best father a kid could have and I absolutely cannot wait to witness the bond develop between him and Baby Neener. I am so grateful that one thing I do NOT have to worry about is my child having a deadbeat dad or me having a deadbeat husband. I am thankful to have a person other than my mother in my life who will always be there for me, will always support me, and will always love me. I am also thankful to be married to a man who will actually cook me dinner, iron my clothes, and clean my toilet. It's really no wonder that I love him so much.
(2) My pregnancy. Yes, yes, I've whined and complained and moaned and groaned SO much about it over the past several months, and, let's face it, the act of being pregnant does have a lot of discomforts and scary changes attached to it. But I know the end result of this pregnancy will be the start of a new life that I will love more than my own life. It will be the start of a wonderful new chapter in my life. It will mark the beginning of my very own family. I am so very, beyond words, thankful for this baby and for everything he will bring to my life. And for as much bitching as I do about carrying him, I also know I'll miss him when he's outside of my body. After all the nausea, backaches, and exhaustion I've experienced, feeling him squirm around inside of my tummy makes it all worth it, even when it feels like he gets a foot caught in my ribs. I think I'll probably feel a little loneliness inside of me when the little critter moves out.
(3) Family. They are always there when I need them, and will do anything to help out. My life is in the process of changing radically and I'd hate to think how much more difficult this transitory stage would be without their support and assistance. And once the baby is born, I know my survival of the first year will largely be thanks to the assistance of family. I'm sure my baby will be as sweet as pie, but I'll be going crazy with all the changes - hormonal changes, sleep changes, stress changes, body changes, lifestyle changes, diaper changes - and on top of all that I know my evil perfectionist side will taunt me the entire time, reminding me that I could be doing things better, that I'm an awful mother. I know it will be family who will be there to offer advice, remind me that I'm human and am not Robo Mom, step in and help out when it's obvious I've been pulling my hair out, and most importantly, will love my child almost as much as I will. After all of that, I know they won't proclaim to the whole world what a mess I am. That would mean they would have to admit to being related to such a mess. That's what keeps family secrets within the family.
(4) Friends. They have given countless words of wisdom, listened endlessly to my whining and worrying, offered neverending support, have made me laugh and lifted my spirits. They are my family away from family, and even honorary members of my family (you know who you are, Angie). Without my friends, I seriously believe all of the crazies that live inside my head would escape through my nose and eat me alive.
(5) My kitties. They are soft, snuggly, warm, and greet me at the door in the evenings when I come home feeling like I've had the living Hell beat out of me. They say having pets lowers your blood pressure, reduces loneliness/stress/depression, and improves your mood, therefore making you a potentially healthier person. I am a firm believer in this. However, I do think that if they would use the toilet, feed themselves, and not throw up on our down comforters, they would be much more effective at improving my health. But maybe that's asking too much?
(6) Having a roof over my head. It's expensive. Like, VERY expensive. But, it sure is nice not living on the streets.
(7) Having vehicles in good running condition. Walking or riding my bike to work would just plain suck. Especially at eight months pregnant in November.
(8) Good health. (Knock on wood.) Actually, my health hasn't been the greatest this year, in comparison to most years. I've had the stomach flu twice, two or three colds, and, although it was from pregnancy hormones and not my health per se, months of nausea. However, to my knowledge I did not acquire any major STDs, leprosy, or emphysema. For this I am quite thankful.
(9) Naps. They have brought immeasurable comfort and relief to me in the past eight months. My only complaint is that I could greatly use more of them.
(10) Chocolate. I really don't think I need to say anything more.
2 comments:
What a sweet posting!! You know you rock woman! Oh but I like a little of the negative so never loose that!! Some of my best times with you have been bitching about stuff!! X0X0!!
Don't worry, Kim. We know that you are generally a fun, positive person, and that blog posts about the negative aspects of life are often for comedic effect. I think we would puke with too many more posts of this nature. Once a year on Thanksgiving is fine.
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