It’s hard to remember to be grateful when things are going well. Now being grateful when your whole life is falling apart? That’s just impossible, right?
And no my life is not falling apart, though I like to pretend it is every time the temperature drops below zero. Subzero temperatures here in Seattle have pushed me over the edge. Lucky for you that I started blogging in Florida and not Boston – or half my posts would have been dead and dreary like a New England winter!
So here are 5 things I am thankful for even though the cold has kept me indoors today.
1. Liberty to Stay Indoors
As a substitute I can choose to work or not to work. Some of my duties involve being outside and I found out early this year that 50 degrees F is as far as I can go. I accepted an assignment at the front desk and hardly had to step outside the building! I was praying for a permanent job but this week I’m so happy to be a substitute with a choice to stay home.
2. Grateful for My Car
The other day we were driving someplace and I saw some folks waiting at the bus stop. They either didn’t have a car or didn’t know how to drive (this part of the state has a huge population of fresh immigrants). I am so grateful for my license and a car that is in good working condition. I don’t have to commute in the cold or wait at bus stops to get to work.
3. Grateful for My Husband
My husband works and provides for us so I don’t necessarily have to work to support the family. I get assignments all over the district and if I don’t know how to get to a certain place, he drops me off, picks up my daughter and picks me up when I am done. After a long day he even helps with the dishes and some cooking. Behind any working woman (who retains her sanity) is a caring and supportive husband and I am grateful for mine.
4. Grateful for Sunshine
Fresh from the sunshine state of Florida, I do a little happy dance or yelp in glee when the sun comes out. So this week even with the temperature below zero, the sun has made its appearance every single day – very uncharacteristic weather for Seattle. I think I haven’t run out of my little bottle of sunshine from Florida – yet! So grateful for the sun this week.
5. Warm Neighbors Brighten up any Weather
I am blessed with a wonderful group of ladies in my community that make it a point to meet at least once a week, to chat over a cup of masala chai. The cold is easier to bear in such warm and comforting company. Tea with these ladies is the highlight of my week. So grateful for them.
There that wasn’t so hard. No matter what is going on in your life I urge you to look for the silver lining, the positive, something, anything and share it with us. Wishing you warmth, love and many things to be grateful for this year.
Punctuate Life 
Loved reading your post- esp about gratitude. Totally understand that sometimes we have to force ourselves to be grateful. Thanks for post. Continue to inspire others. God bless you 🙂
Thank you for the sweet comment Mabel. Glad you could relate. Love and blessings to you!
I think sometimes being grateful can pull a person up and out of the doldrums. This is a great reminder of how much that helps!
Yes Jacquie…I constantly need to do that!
I’m a little surprised to hear it is that cold in Seattle. I always thought the weather there was moderate although the reputation is that sunny days are few and far between. Pretty much all of the east coast has been getting a premature dose of winter this week so your post was very timely for us.
It was below zero last week Ken and that’s 10 degrees below normal for this part of the country. Yes, sunny days are few and far between but we have been lucky on that front. Blame the cold on the Artic blast!
This is very inspiring post and it reminds me of being grateful. Normally we forget about those gestures that can bring joy to our lives. Being grateful is a great thing and we must all admire and appreciate others. I am also grateful to have amazing friends in my life on whom I can trust.
Thank you Andleeb! Yes, being grateful for the people in your life is so important.
Great list, and I agree with you – there is always SOMETHING to be grateful for! A few years ago I went through a difficult period (okay, it well and truly sucked) and it got pretty tough to find things to be grateful for. So I decided I needed to get off my pity pot and do something worthwhile to help someone else so I volunteered at the local food bank and ended up chairing the county food drive that year – which was pretty ironic since technically I qualified to be a ‘customer’ but the funny thing was that I found tons of things to be grateful for from that experience. Plus once I got busy living again life turned around in some pretty amazing ways. Gratitude is pretty powerful. 🙂
What a wonderful story Marquita! Thanks for sharing. Like you said gratitude is very powerful! Every time I write about gratitude something amazing happens.