I feel like I’ve done a lot of complaining lately. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this feeling might have something to do with all of the complaining that I’ve been doing lately. Considering the fact that I’m usually one of the first people to get annoyed when someone starts to use social media for the sole purpose of bitching, I’m feeling like a bit of a hypocrite. I also feel like I need to add some positivity back into my life.
I went to the gym yesterday. I forgot my headphones at home, so I had a lot of time to spend in my own head. It can get a little scary in there sometimes, but it’s not a bad place to be. You could make jokes about all of the open space, but I find that it gets pretty cluttered up in there. I thought a lot about resiliency and optimism and the best way to see all of the good things in my life that I have going on for me. And there are a whole lot of them.
In a little over a year, I’m going to marry this guy.
If there was nothing going well in my life, I would still consider myself to be lucky, just because I have Kristian in my corner. He’s been doing most of the work around the house since I hurt my foot (I can’t remember the last time I walked the dog). He brings me flowers when I’ve had a bad day. He brings me flowers “just because.” He makes me laugh. Out of every person that I know in this world, I can’t think of one who doesn’t absolutely love Kristian. Perhaps people are lying to me because of my blatant and obvious bias, but I choose to believe that it’s just because he’s that awesome.
When I’ve had a bad day, I can curl up on the couch with this cutie.
I don’t think I ever realized how much joy a dog could bring into my life. Gracie drives me crazy sometimes, but you can’t spend five minutes with her and not be completely charmed by how sweet and hilarious she is. She’s always happy to see me. She instinctively knows to come over and snuggle up to me when I’m in a bad mood. And she is keeping the neighborhood skunk-free, one skunk at a time.
(Ok, that last one is not so great.)
(Especially for the skunks.)
I got to spend a good chunk of the summer with these two.
When Dmitri first came into my life, it stunned me how much love I had in my heart for him. Then a few years later, we found out that Ruby was on the way and I wondered where I was going to find the room for her. I shouldn’t have worried. Like the Grinch who attempted to steal Christmas, my heart grew 6 sizes that day (rate of heart growth is approximated). I asked my doctor if I should be nervous about my enlarged heart, but she just told me that it’s customary to love your nieces and nephews like this. And to be prepared for further growth when we have little ankle biters of our own. When it comes time for that, I may find that my center of gravity has shifted appreciably.
I consider myself lucky if I get to see my sister and her beautiful family a few times in a year. I’ve seen them four times since Memorial Day. And I loved each every moment of every single visit.
This fall, I’m going to be the maid of honor for these two.
Not only has my sister been the complete and utter opposite of a bridezilla, she’s made helping her with wedding family a lot of fun. It doesn’t hurt that I take every opportunity to express my joy at “roasting” her instead of the wedding. “Toast,” she says. “Roast!” I says.
(Shhh, don’t tell her, but I have already thought of at least two whole nice things to talk about.)
I could go on and on about the people (and animals!) in my life who bring me joy and contentment. They can’t take away the foot pain or fix my gum recession, but they make all that crap fade into the background. I think that’s all we can ever really ask for. Life can sometimes suck, and things are never perfect. But it’s our job to find happiness in the good moments and to let the bad ones simply wash over us. You can focus on the things that go wrong (something I’ve gotten quite good at doing lately), but it would be a shame to let it distract you from all of the things that are, quietly, unassumedly, going very, very right.
I love this post! It’s true. It’s OK to have a pity party for a little while, but then I look at all the amazing things in my life, and I pick myself up.
Thanks! I consider myself a stellar party planner, so my pity party has had favors and a punch bowl. But I think it’s time to send folks home. :p
Don’t forget about your awesome tunes, too. Just the thing to send those pity party guests dancing out the door. 😉
Dan, you’re so right! I feel like I need to write a song about plantar fasciitis. I wonder what it rhymes with…
There are a bunch of other medical conditions that you could use, like bursitis. Perhaps not the cheeriest song lyrics but I think you can, in the immortal words of Tim Gunn, make it work!
“I married a man and he was a lout.
It took me a while, but I did kick him out.
Now I’m paying his bills and it’s stressing me out.
Lordy almighty, I’ve got a case of the gout.”
Awww, you’ve got all sorts of awesome people and animals in your life and a heart that will always be big enough to hold them all — and then some.
Glad you’re embracing it, and celebrating it today!
I absolutely adore my nieces and nephew as well 🙂
And my cats
What a wonderful post. I’m in quite the funk at the moment myself and maybe I should spend some time to think about all the wonderful persons / things to look forward to I have in my life as well.
nice perspective hope. you are blessed for sure, and we are blessed to have you in our lives. can’t wait to dance with you soon!
how come so many of your loved ones are holding iphones? even gracie’s got one in her paw!
iPhones are standard issues amongst my loved ones!
liljan98 – It’s been so great for me to focus on the positive the past few days. It doesn’t make the crappy bits of my life go away, but I’ve been so much happier. Forcing myself to see the positive got me out of a nasty feedback loop.