What can I say? I’m single and it’s Valentine’s Day. I bought myself breakfast this morning and last night I gorged on candy that I bought for myself while I drank a glass of wine by myself. Before you start feeling sorry for me, though, let me just say that I’m not feeling sorry for myself today. I refuse to. I have too much to be thankful for! Yes, I realize that if you go through my posts you will find me lamenting my losses and wallowing in self pity sometimes, and we all do that occasionally, but not today! Today is about love, and I have had too much love in my life to feel sorry for myself today. So, I decided that this morning I would make a list of things I’m thankful for, things and people that make me want to celebrate on this holiday. They are in no particular order, just the order I wrote them in…
I am grateful for:
My kids
Kids in general
Friends
Family
Love
Sunshine
Cars
Food (chocolate in particular)
Water (and wine)
Rain
Light
Energy
Nice people at the drive thru
Nice people in general
Mean people because they make the nice people seem even nicer
Grace
Mercy
Joy
Girl Scout Thin Mints (I have a love/hate relationship with these)
People who I love enough to miss
Being born here in this country and to my family
Being female
The senses of smell, touch, taste, sight, oh, what’s the other…seriously! I can’t remember!
Music…gotta love music…oh yeah! Hearing!
Dancing….we should all dance more!
Good cooking and not so good cooking that anyone but me is doing and sometimes cooking that I’m doing if I’m in one of those creative cooking moods as long as someone else is cleaning because I mess up the entire kitchen!
Life
Death, because it makes me appreciate life more and if it didn’t happen this world would be really really crowded
The belief that there is something more, something positive, something beautiful just around the corner
HOPE
Joy…oh, I already said that, but I can say it twice!
The belief that there is something bigger than me that is in charge of the insanity in the world and that it will all make sense in time
Christians and Muslims and Jews and Atheists and Agnostics and Quantum Physicists and people who have no idea what they believe or what culture they belong to
Blacks and Whites and American Indians and Asians and Hispanics and Pacific Islanders and people who are a mix of races and ethnicities and people who don’t know what race or ethnicity they are
Straight people and gay people and bi people and transgender people and people who don’t identify with any sexual preference or gender
Married people and single people and people in transition
Conservatives and liberals and those in the middle and those who don’t care and those who care but have no idea where they fall anymore
Men, women, children, and men and women who act like children and those who are more mature who try to keep the rest of us in line.
Old people and young people and middle aged people and people who don’t act their age
I guess I could have just said PEOPLE, but it seems everybody tries to identify with something these days, so I thought I’d try to catch us all without going into all the different countries or states or towns or teams we identify with…we don’t have space here for that…I’m positive I missed some, so just consider yourselves people, okay people?!
Okay, what else?
OH, how could I forget,… Chick-fil-a…I know a lot of my friends don’t agree with the politics and I don’t always agree either, but they make a MEAN chicken sandwich!
Ben and Jerry’s (had to balance it out!) cause I LOVE their ice cream!
Jesus (Yes, I mentioned Chick-fil-a, Ben and Jerry’s and Jesus in the same blog post!)
People who tell me the truth when I ask for it
People who make me think
Days when I feel good
Times when I don’t feel good because it makes me appreciate how good it feels to feel good (yeah, this is a stretch…)
Stein Mart
Costco
Health
Insurance (even though thinking about it and dealing with it makes my brain hurt)
My fingers and toes and all my other body parts
Air conditioning and heat
Makeup, because I’m getting older and like to pretend I’m younger than I am
Tissues, because I’ve used a bunch of them in the last few years!
Kindness
Charity
Ice pellets in large glasses of water with lemon
COFFEE!
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs…where is winter this year, btw?
Flowers
Animals! How could I forget animals!?
My animals, my dog and my cat (and my teenage son)
Movies
TV
Did I say wine?…it’s worth mentioning again!
Trees
TURTLES! My favorite animal! (besides my teenage son)
The ocean
Water in any form
Warm sand between my toes
Mountains
Grass (and I’m not talking about marijuana, though I sure was thankful for that when Ellis was sick, so I guess I’m thankful for that too!)
The color green, because it’s my favorite!
The awesomeness of the universe
Beauty
Love
The Creator
Oh, I could go on and on and on and if you’ve made it this far in this, the most rambling blog I’ve ever posted, I’d like to hear from you about things you’re thankful for too. Today is Valentine’s Day, people! Its the day that we celebrate the love in this world, and there is so much of it! It’s a day to be grateful, too, for the love that we have and even for the love that we’ve lost because we can be grateful that we had it to lose. If you’ve ever loved someone, a mother, a father, a child, a friend, a lover, a husband, a wife, then you have every reason to celebrate today! Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! By the way, I’m thankful for YOU!!!
I am grateful for Love and that my Creator has exemplified His love for me through people like you!
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And I am grateful for people like you and Madeleine and the rest of the GROW Girls who keep me (somewhat) sane! Love you!
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You make my ❤️ Happy!
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❤
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I’m thankful for Brad, B, Branson….who brought you into my life and was so generous and funny and loving and open!!!!
I’m thankful for sisters…..blood sisters and sisters of the ❤❤!!!
I love you, my ❤ sister!!!!
Thank you for spreading love today and every day!!
I wish you LOVE!!!!!
😍😍😘😇💋💋❤❤💓💓
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So so so grateful for B and for you and for the entire Wetzell and Massey bunch! You all bless my life so much! I’m so thankful for your friendship, Mary, and the sweet relationship we share! I love you too!
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This is great therapy and advice in encouraging countless people who are feeling down on this special day. You have inspired me…Thanks!
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Glad I could inspire one of my favorite teachers! Thanks for reading, Mr. Williams!
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Lovely. Thanks for the recommendation of this article. Had a nice few chuckles reading it and some beautiful scenery playing in my mind. Love how you reveal your vulnerable, true self in a way through your writing. 🙂
I’d say I’m grateful for my parents supporting me in my decisions and that I have the basic necessities of life. Sometimes I forget that and get dented over the little things. Thanks for reminding me of the many other beauties of life.
Cheers and have a great day. ^_^
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We all get beaten around in life, some more than others. It’s okay to wallow in it a bit at times, but if we stay there too long we do ourselves more harm than good. I did this as an exercise to bring myself out of that place of self pity. Glad you enjoyed it. I’m enjoying reading your writing as well!
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True. It’s good to lament but important to move on once you’ve done your fair share. 🙂 Thank you.
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Reblogged this on ReVitellect and commented:
If you’re single and down because of Valentine’s, don’t be. There are many things you should cherish and many things to love. Here’s an article by Righting Now talking about the many beauties you miss and should be grateful for
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Thanks!
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Thank you for this wonderful post. Love is something to be grateful for. We are privileged to be able to think about these things and not be living in fear of death or worse or struggling to survive in abject poverty . Like you I am grateful for being born in a country like mine ( Canada).
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If we have the ability to read we have something to be grateful for in this world. If we can breathe, if we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell, that is something. It is about perspective. I have met people in the most dire of circumstances in some of the poorest countries who have offered me hope. Me, someone from one of the most privileged countries on earth! I am always amazed at how much those of us in the “civilized” world have and how much we take for granted! Thanks for your comment and thanks so much for reading!
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Yes.I have also found that people in what I would call dire poverty or desperate situations are able to find joy and hope in small details. I should remember that!
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We really do have so many things to be thankful for!! In fact, I’m thankful you stopped by and visited our blog and followed us! I was able to find this great post and follow you. Have a great day!!
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I’m thankful you stopped by and followed us too! Love your garden posts! Have a great day!
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Hi, Rightingnow,
I nominated you for the Versatile Bloggers Award. If you choose not to participate, that is fine. The nomination is on my page at http://www.combingthecatacombs.wordpress.com Thanks so much. I really enjoy your blog.
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Thanks so much! I will post as soon as I am able to! I really appreciate the nomination!
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There’s no rush, just work on it when you have the time. I had a hard time doing it myself. You are very welcome. Your blog is great. I need to read it in its entirety.
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Thanks!
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I am grateful for:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My dear sweet puppy – who keeps me company and makes me laugh;
The miracles of modern dentistry;
vaccinations so that plagues of the past no longer stalk the country;
medication, when needed and appropriate;
Therapists and doctors who actually know what they are doing, remember why they chose the field, and keep UP with the science;
The Brain Science Podcast – and science bloggers who keep me from becoming one of those in the “helping” profession who doesn’t actually doesn’t help;
anyone who actually reads what I write as I do my best to help those who can’t afford professional services;
my clients he CAN afford professional help, because they allow me to do things at no charge without becoming a bag lady;
my friends who stick by me through thick and thin (and a bazillion ADD oopses);
popcorn with butter; coffee – strong, hot & plentiful;
a roof over my head, food in my belly, electricity and running water (hot and cold) IN my home;
a choice of warm clothes and coats when it’s freezing outside;
grocery stores, so I don’t have to grow what I eat;
that my mother insisted that I learn to touch type;
that I jumped into computers early enough that nobody can call me a luddite, now that I struggle to keep up with new technology;
and a bazillion other things that would turn this into a blogpost of its own!
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
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So many,many things to be thankful for, aren’t there? When I started making my list I had to make myself stop too. It could go on forever! Thanks so much for reading and commenting! Love your blog!
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Thank you – and ditto (this particular post especially)
With what is happening politically and the resultant increase in rabble-rousing and hate-mongering, it is important to remind ourselves that ALL is not lost. That’s why I put some of my “gratefuls” in my comment – for my own peace of mind after a tough day.
xx,
mgh
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One might be single but not alone or married but is alone. I liked how optimistic your topic is. If this of any help, Valentine was a man with no indication to love in his life story… Yes, we’re all thankful for many things in our life that can’t be counted in one post
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The list could go on forever, couldn’t it? Thanks for reading and thanks for your blog too! I’ve enjoyed reading it!
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Loved the ramble, and I’m grateful for so many of the same things. Blessings!
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Thanks for reading and following!
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That is seriously fabulous. Quantum physicists – have a soft spot for them myself. (& the colour green).
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I do too, Daria. One of my dearest college friends recently converted to Quantum Physicism. They tend to be an energetic bunch, and they’re allowed to drink on Sundays before 1 pm! I’m considering claiming dual faiths.
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Hi! I love your blog’s theme, it seems like I’m looking at a very big picture because of the way every image is above the other. You made a really extensive list of things to be gratetful for. I’m thankful for mean people, chocolate and people I love enough to miss. You are funny 🙂 thank you for your light
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Thanks so much for reading!
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This is really good! I found you through Linda’s meet-up. Will definitely read more😊
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Thanks so much for reading!
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I’m with you. There’s plenty to love in this world that has little to do with Valentine’s Day. Here’s hoping you’ll post again soon.
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