Gratitude

I'm a little late to the gratitude party. Several of my friends posted on facebook daily during November. Each day a different thing to be grateful for. I didn't participate in this meme. I enjoyed reading about what people are grateful for and it was often inspiring (although occasionally it was annoying-- along the lines of "I'm grateful that I'm so awesome and that I'm lucky to have such a wonderful life that other people don't have").

In my own life, I honestly try to be grateful every day. I've had some sadnesses, but on the whole, I have a pretty wonderful life. When I think about it, I have just about everything the younger me thought would make a "good" life:

• awesome kids
• a house of my own
• an education
• a job I enjoy that doesn't require that I punch in, that offers autonomy, that challenges me and that I'm good at
• fantastic friends
• enough money to pay my bills
• a life filled with books, crafts, music, laughter and nature
• good health and a strong body

That's it really. All of the annoyances of life are truly minute against the backdrop of so much to be thankful for. And anything else is just icing on the already moist and delicious cake that is my life. (Did you like that metaphor? :)))))

It's easy to get frustrated.... with my kids, my housemates, traffic, finances, the weather... sometimes in the morning, I'm tired, the kids don't want to get up. They're cranky. We're rushed. I'm making their lunches feeling stressed and harried. And I'm grumbling in my head about how tedious it is to pack school lunches for ungrateful people who probably won't eat half of what I pack.

But then I think that one day I won't GET to pack lunches for them. It's kindof a privilege to get to care for people. It's fleeting. And reminding myself of that makes me more patient with the lunch making. It makes me remember to slow down and do it with love.

And it reminds me that all that we do is a privilege. Every dish washed, every whiny child, every minute sat in traffic, every unfulfilled wish... I am so very, very grateful for all of it.