Today I was overcome with gratitude.
{photo by me, but having nothing to do with this post or gratitude, although
I guess I am thankful for flowers, so it works, right?}
Not for any reason in particular, but I was just completely overwhelmed with it. I was reading a book on the bus this morning and something in a passage I was reading just struck a chord with me. Does that ever happen to you? Anyway, it got me thinking about what a very blessed life I lead and how thankful I am for all the people, places and things in said life. Then I started feeling guilty. Guilty, because usually still find something to complain about. Apparently, seeing the glass as half-empty is like a gift I have or something.
Well….today I am going to look at the glass as being half full. I’m going to call these “Gripes V.S. Gifts”, where I put a positive spin on the negative things I gripe about.
GRIPE:
-Craig leaving a mess in the kitchen for longer than I’d like.
GIFT:
-Having a sweet husband who loves me even when I sometimes nag and who always cleans up after himself, even if it’s not on my timeline.
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GRIPE:
-Marley getting dirty footprints on my pretty chevron rug.
GIFT:
-All the times she makes me laugh with her silly tricks and how she always comes over to give me “high-fives” when I’m feeling sad.
————————————————————————————————–
GRIPE:
-Having a job where I’m stuck with crazy 3 & 4 year old for ten hours/day.
GIFT:
-When said crazy preschoolers throws their arms around me and say “Teacher, I love you!”.
————————————————————————————————–
GRIPE:
-Winter. Cold. Rain. Gloom.
GIFT:
-Layered clothing.
————————————————————————————————–
GRIPE:
-Going to the gym.
GIFT:
-Having a body that is strong and capable of working out.
————————————————————————————————–
GRIPE:
-All the little things that seem to go wrong with our house….like the garbage disposal breaking.
GIFT:
-Being a homeowner and even more than that, simply having a roof over my head and a place to call my own each night.
————————————————————————————————–
GRIPE:
-Having an overly busy calendar.
GIFT:
-Wonderful friends and family who fill the dates on our calendar.
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I know this is kinda cheesy, and maybe obnoxious, if you’re feeling complainy today. I apologize, but this is what I needed today. Maybe try making a list for yourself. I feel less gripey already :).
xo
{Lauren}
Lauren, thanks for such a lovely post! I’ve been making mental lists for the past couple of weeks (must be something in the air??) but after reading yours, I’m going to write one down today. High fives from Marley – German Shepherds are the most wonderful dogs ever! Have a lovely Thursday! ~Siobhan x
Hey Lauren, this is beautiful 🙂 I keep a grateful journal, each night I right down a bunch of things from the day that I’m grateful for…
♥simply beautiful.
Yes! Great attitude.
I really enjoyed reading your blog today my lovely daughter. You are truly growing up to be a fine young lady, and I am so very proud to be your mom. Thanks for giving us the idea of gripes vs. gifts to think about and incorporate in our daily lives. Oh, and congratulations on having 1500 blog followers.Wow, simply amazing! Keep keeping it real. LOVE YOU LOTS!
Not cheesy at all, it’s a great post and a great reminder to start the day out right 🙂
what a GREAT post. I too fall into the ‘glass half empty’ mantra and i am trying to change my outlook!
I love this! I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I catch myself complaining about all the little things that go wrong or that weren’t exactly part of my plan, but you just have to take a moment to realize how blessed you actually are and put everything in perspective.
Hmm…
Gripe: Old people complaining when I can’t get their food to them fast enough.
Gift: Um… I have a job at least?
Sorry, too early in the morning for me to be nice 😉
Ah, Lauren, this is perfect! Thanks for the positive influence today! I think I needed it, too. 🙂
I’m am so with you on this! I try to do this a lot, but I often forget when I have a really irritating gripe. If this helps you, I’m all for you posting it more often. 🙂
Have a grateful day!
What a beautiful post!!!
Sometimes it’s hard, but I try and do this too!
It makes everything seem better! 🙂
xoxo
Listing things to be grateful for is something I learned to do every morning right when I wake up. I read the book “The Secret” a few years ago and recently “The Power”. They touch heavily on the power of intention, and it’s very true. I suggest checking one or both of those books out! 🙂
Today I’m grateful for…
oatmeal
my new laptop
my patient boyfriend
an education (I’m a senior in college and graduate in 8 weeks. Patience is very hard for me right now!)
🙂
I love this post! I call this the yay & boo game! like boo for having to work for a living, but yay for having a job! definitely helps to put things in perspective! 🙂
Great post Lauren — a good reminder every day of the week. I think I will make my own gripes vs gifts list.
xo anna
I loved this post! Sometimes we all need to be reminded of this little thing, being thankful for what we have.
totally inspired me to be a little more positive today! thanks
i love this, and i do this too! the other day i was complaining about my dirty car, etc and had to stop and remind myself that i should be grateful that i HAVE a car.
this is really important, and i’m glad i’m not the only one that does this!!
It always amazes me when I think about how much I’ve been blessed with, instead of thinking about all of the things that I want, or can’t have. What a lovely list, I’ll definitely try to think of some things I’ve been blessed with.
Thanks for this! I complain about way too much and really (REALLY) need to reframe my way of thinking. I’m going to try this!
love this post lauren!
every time i let my mind wander into a pit, God totally brings me out of it by showing me the blessings in the things i get annoyed by.
Haha, tonight I might just tell Jeremy, “thank you for cleaning up after yourself, even if it’s not on my timeline.” He does the same thing although about half the time I get tired of waiting and just do it myself.
Great post, I’m feeling sick today and I really didn’t want to do all of the things I need to do this evening, but I am blessed to be able to do them.
I love doing things like this! It’s always sure to remind me how many things I have to be truly thankful for. I like how you matched up a “gift” with each “gripe”…creative!
i think it’s awesome!
Well said! Thank you for this post because it really made me stop & think…how much have I been complaining lately? Too often we become overwhelmed with stress and struggles that we forget to be thankful for all that we have. Great job!
I love it! We all need to make lists like this sometimes 🙂
it’s funny. when i got home this evening, i logged into blogger and deleted my last post where i complained all about school. i don’t think i have ever deleted a blog post before. but i’d been thinking about it, and i just don’t want to let my negative feelings fester. i also know that i have SO much to be grateful for.
now, a couple of hours later i stopped by your blog and you’re also talking about seeing the glass half empty (which i’ve been doing this wee). i think that it’s nice you’ve added a gift to each gripe to balance it out. it’s okay to complain, but like you said, we are very blessed. we have homes, husbands we love, happy & healthy pets. life is pretty good.
I loved this post – this is exactly why I blog, because it forces me to put a positive spin on things in my life. Life is good.
i love this.
gripe vs. gift.
i must remember this.
I love this post! I don’t get that when I read books, but more so with music. Something will just strike up a chord and there’s that burst of thought that lingers in my mind.
Thanks for posting this…so good to look at things this way. Could not agree more. xoxo