Gratitudes on a cranky day
2009 Vintage Fairytale, Flickr CC-BY via Wylio
I was very annoyed to see that I was tagged on Facebook a couple of days ago to (of all things! gasp! splutter!) write three positive things every day for five days.
Gah. Do people not realise I am C.R.A.N.K.Y at the moment? Why can't they let me simmer in bitterness and cynicism all on my own?
I thought briefly about not doing it, but it occurred to me that the person who tagged me might think I was being rude or ignoring her (which I didn't want to happen) and that really I could probably find three little things per day that are at least Alright and Okayish and could reluctantly, growlingly put them up, I suppose.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
I am the woman who, two or three years ago, wrote glowing reviews of that poetic, glorious book, 1000 Gifts, about being thankful in hard times etcetera etcetera. "This will change my life!" I excitedly blogged. I even started a blog series listing 10 gratitudes a week. I think maybe I got to like, 60 items.
You see, all these *good* things I discover and do and blog about and tell everyone else about, like exercise and eating well and praying about anxieties and being able to be patient with children, blah blah blah are basically forgotten in time. And then when I rediscover that being thankful makes me feel better, I hit my head with an 'A-ha!' all over again. I knew that! Why wasn't I doing it?
If the good actions slip away so quickly, what are the things that take their place? And why do I let them in? Life is a constant struggle and sometimes I'd just like a holiday from it. In the meantime (because let's face it, I've got about 10 years left before I'm actually going to get a holiday) I'll practice being grateful, at least for today.
So: here you are. Gifts given to me, for which I am thankful.
