Reasons to be thankful.....

We do not have Thanksgiving here, but I wish we did. Not for the founding fathers, of course, because there weren't any around these parts, but for a myriad other reasons. I honestly feel that having a special day to stop, look around, and take stock of the enormous blessings we are all surrounded by, would do everyone so much good. Me included.

I have often talked about my habit of waking in the mornings and listing 5 things I am thankful for as a way to colour my day, and to remind me that all is not actually lost. But, like every other human being on earth, I tend to get bogged down at times with the things I do not have, and cannot do to the exclusion of everything else. Even those multitude of blessings. I am an idiot. Human, though.

So I thought I would talk to myself today a little. Bear with me, people.

1. No, I cannot run (yet) but I CAN walk (with a stick). I am thankful.
2. I cannot climb down a mountain, but I CAN climb up (a small one). I am thankful.
3. I hurt a great deal, but I CAN feel, and am not as bad as some. I am thankful.
4. It takes me longer to do most things, but I CAN still do things. I am thankful.
5. I can only drive short distances, but I CAN drive! I am thankful.
6. No, I don't have a wood burning stove or a fireplace, but I CAN keep warm. I am thankful.
7. I don't live in my dream house, but I DO have a home. I am thankful.
8. My bathroom may need to be replaced asap, but it STILL works. I am thankful.
9. I may not like what I see over the fence, but I DO have a garden I can grow things in. I am thankful.
10. My children may live far away, but I CAN talk to them, SEE them (on skype), and chat to them thanks to the marvels of modern day technology. I am thankful.
11. I can't afford to spend loads on presents, but I CAN use my time to make things. I am thankful.
12. I can't fix everyones' problems, but I CAN listen. I am thankful.
13. I may get lonely, but I DO have great friends. I am thankful.
14. Life may be a trifle challenging, but I CAN still smile. I am thankful.

And that list is just for starters. I could go on. And on.

It is so easy to focus on the stuff I can't do. Don't have. Bad stuff, and heaven knows there has been a great deal of that in my life in recent years. It has been challenging all right. BUT what have I learned from that? So much. So much stuff which has shaped the woman I am today. Not quite what I had in mind, I freely confess. I was born to glide through life. Hahahahahahahaha! Well, the thought would be great at least! Sigh. Oh well........... I do still have dreams, of course!

Actually, gliding may have been a little boring. Perhaps.

No. Everything has happened for a reason. I popped in to the doctor's today to collect a note, and I was chatting to the receptionist about how, until a few years ago, I never darkened their doors. Ah yes - the reason I said that was because she knew who I was straight away, and I said - so anonymity is out then, or something like that. And I left grinning. And as I walked out the door, she called after me and said - "At least you can still smile, Linds."

She is right. I can still smile, after all that has happened.

And for that, my friends, I am truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends for tomorrow!