Thankful Thursday on Saturday

I'm having a grumpy moment so this is an attempt to "count my many blessings" and turn the beat around...

1.  My parents - for teaching me how to clean my house.  That's not to say that it's always clean - and yes, I do have cleaning people that come in regularly to help out since I'm never home, but I am grateful for the knowledge of how and desire to have a clean home.

2.  The opportunity to volunteer.  My volunteer gig with the Hydrocephalus Association is really testing my fortitude right now, as it is usurping a lot of time.  While I feel this is a tremendous charity and I am honored to be part of it, I am super overwhelmed in many ways and adding one more thing feels like such a hard task.  Having said that, I am grateful to be in a position to give back and to feel like I have something to offer - and for that I am grateful.

3.  A fantastic vacuum.  Thanks again Auntie Pam and Uncle Tyler for one of the best wedding presents.  Honestly, this thing makes me a much happier human on many occasions.  In fact, when I am done with this post, I am going to vacuum to get over my grumpiness.  There's nothing like a freshly vacuumed house.

4.  My secretary.  I don't even care that it sounds lame.  She's been gone all week and I have struggled A LOT without her help.  It's amazing how much I rely on her to make life easier.  My self-esteem just went down in typing that, but it's true and I know I can't function on a long-term basis without the help, so I acknowledge it and am grateful.

5.  dietCoke.  Yep, grateful.

6.  My new Hint of Sapphire MAC eyeshadow.  Again, seems lame, but don't judge - it's rude.

7.  The return of the NFL.  The Cowboys beat the Broncos in pre-season on Thursday evening and it just brightened my Friday.  Go Cowboys!

8.  Kayaking.  I went kayaking again this morning with some of my best friends and it was perfect.  The weather was beautiful, the water was cool but enjoyable, and the whole thing was just exactly what I wanted today.  I am starting to think that renting is not going to last much longer and soon you will see a real kayak in my possession.....maybe.....
(Side note - the only part of my kayaking experience that was less than charmed was at the end of the run when my date and I bumped into a girl he had been out with before.  Apparently they only communicated a little and went out once, but of course she was super pretty, looking fantastic, and I was doused in river water, feeling like a soaked rat.  Needless to say, I felt like more than a plain-jane and couldn't help but want the world to swallow me whole.  Sigh.  What are the odds?!  We can't bump into people like this when I am all dolled up and feel human?  Thanks karma.  You know he had to be looking at her and then me and then again her, thinking, "hmmm....")

9.  Quiet.  It is very quiet at my house these days and while in the past I thought it was sad, I have grown to love it.  There is no noise, no distraction, no contention.  In my former life, my home was a place of contention and frustration and far too much fighting - and then after the change, I was lonely here alone, redefining what it meant to be me and determine my new existence.  And now I have come to absolutely love the quiet and repose of my home.  There is no fighting, no uncomfortable tension, no unnecessary or obnoxious sounds.  Just me and the silence - unless of course I have music on. :)  But I realized recently that I have reached a place where I love it just how it is.

10.  Tender mercies.  You know when they happen in your life - and I know I have received a few recently in mine.  Too sweet to share in this public forum, but I thank God they happen, as they refocus me on the good in life and the ways in which we are all watched over in our own special ways.

And on that note, be thankful.  I'm off to vacuum.