To The Points

Webster’s dictionary defines “thankful” as the following:

1 : conscious of benefit received
2 : expressive of thanks
3 : well pleased : glad

I’ve been through a lot of changes this year – among them, becoming a mom, going back to freelancing, and learning a lot about myself.  Since Jason and I decided that the traditional Thanksgiving AM tradition of the annual Belgian Society event – mass at 8 and breakfast until 11 or 12 – would be too long of a day for AJ, I spent a good portion of the morning thinking about the concept of thankfulness.  The definition above helped me hone some of my thoughts – specifically the part about being conscious of benefits received.

This time of year there’s a lot of focus on acknowledging and giving thanks for what we have – but how many of us recognize what we have?  This year, I’m determined to continue to look at what I have, make myself conscious of them, and be thankful for them.  One of the things I’ve always struggled with is the need for perfection – that is, everything has to be “just so” before I start something, or I think about something I’m lucky to have only to trot down the road of “What’s not good enough about it”-itis. Like so many people, I’m more conscious of what I don’t have than what I have. Because of that, I’ve written down the things I’m thankful for, and plan to think about them as often as I can – and catch myself if I drive down the road of “it’s not *perfect.*

So what’s on my list?

1. My family. I’m thankful that I get to wake up every day and see my son, and I’m extra thankful that I get to share him with my husband.

2. My job.  I’m thankful that I’m able to do what I do, do it at home, and do it on my own terms.  It can often stress me out, but I remember that the me from ten years ago would be THRILLED at what I’ve done.

3. My talents. I’m thankful that I’m spreading myself out a little bit more and honing my talents in areas that I’ve been scared of before.  I’m thankful that I am starting to figure out what I do well and what I don’t and start making my way to appreciating both.

So there you have it folks. The list that took me many days to write.

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