Gratitude Journal // Three - One - Twenty Four

Gratitude Series: Sometimes, the bad days get the better of me. Other times, I get so caught up in my little world that I forget to give thanks for all of the blessings in my life. And sometimes you just need to write down the things you're grateful for to see all of your blessings. Though I admit that sometimes I find myself taking things for granted, I'm doing my best to be thankful for all of the good in my life. So, today, I’m choosing to give thanks for all of the things.

  

Lunch w/Friends: I’ve been making it a point to have lunch with work friends at least once a month. It’s a way to get out of the office, and just talk about how things are going on campus. It also gets me, a highly introverted person, out of my comfort zone. This year, I've wanted to put more time/effort into my friendships too. Scheduling a lunch once a month is a great way for us to come together and nurture those friendships. 

Running: I spent a good amount of January and February sick. Which meant I missed about 4 weeks of running. And nothing makes you more grateful to be able to run than NOT being able to run for a while. Today, I’m super grateful for my body’s ability to keep moving. To keep running. Not only does it help me physically, but also mentally.

Ice Cream: We disregarded our dietary restrictions a few times last month. Granted, we were upfront about when/why we would be disregarding it - birthdays and events with friends. One of my treats was a DQ Choco Brownie Blizzard, and it was amazing! My stomach hurt for several days afterward, but it was WORTH every bit of that pain.

My Planner: While I’m doing my best to approach life with the idea of simple/slow living, I love my planner. It’s not as jam-packed as it used to be, thankfully, but it holds the essentials and allows me to jot things down that need my attention. It also helps me refocus on prayer, and journal a bit at the beginning of every month. I only use it at work and make a note to not schedule things outside of working hours UNLESS absolutely necessary. Anyway, I have this planner, and it’s my third year with it. I love it.

My Home: I look at my house, and I see so many things wrong with it. The siding is terrible. The windows are old and single-pane, which means our electricity bill is never under $250/month (and that’s during the winter). There are so many nooks and cracks that let bugs in too. It’s small and we don’t have a lot of room. The interior needs a lot of work & could use some paint. We constantly have ONE issue after another (plumbing, water, things breaking, electrical issues, septic problems, etc). BUT it’s our home. It’s a roof over our heads. It’s the place where we can live with affordable rent - which is not an easy thing to find these days. It has running water, electricity, beds, and a place for our things. And I am so GRATEFUL to have it. While one day I hope to have something a bit more, our home is more than enough right now. And for that, I’m blessed.

And that wraps up my gratitude post for this month. What are you grateful for today? This week? This month? What do you do to help bring some positivity back into your day if it's been a bad one? How do you make sure to stay grounded? Will you be taking some time off during spring break? Any vacation or staycation plans? Let me know below. Until the next post, I hope everyone has a great weekend! Adios!

“Will you loosen your grip on all that was “supposed” to be and look at Me?” // Shalini Blubaugh

❤