Thankful Thursday

Dear friends, Welcome to Thankful Thursday. It is a joy to remind you of all the blessings we have to enjoy. I have been through challenging times. Moments that were painful and lasted too long. Those were times when I needed to focus diligently on the good, even though I felt surrounded by misery. That was when this blog originally began. Humble beginnings. I grew into a strong person from that experience but I didn't know it at the time. I am visiting wonderful friends and family in Alaska.
In honor of this trip, I would like to share a short story. Anchorage, is not a huge city but it is the largest in the state. While we lived there, a Chili's was being built. I was ecstatic since Chili's reminded me of home. While sitting at my desk mindlessly not working, I saw the huge pepper for the signage drive down the street. At school I talked to my friends and classmates and quickly discovered I was not the only person who saw that massive pepper. Yes, Anchorage is not a huge city. When the day arrived for the opening, I am sure most of Anchorage went for dinner. I was smarter than that and waited a month. Sadly the buzz was not over and we had a long wait. We left Anchorage in 2004. So much has changed and much more has been built there. It is still not a huge city, but it is gorgeous!
What are you thankful for today? I love to hear your stories too. 

Make a difference Monday: soap box edition

Welcome to Make a difference Monday. The tragic news has left me thinking, what can I do? I would like to encourage you. Have you been left distraught and upset by the tragedy? Don't wallow in misery but rather use that energy for good. Find a local organization that needs volunteers.  Your sadness will be transformed into accomplishment and you will feel better. Giving money is good too but that doesn't give as many warm fuzzies.  I started giving blood after 9/11 because I know I'm helping to save lives. I was not personally affected by 9/11 but was still quite upset. The act of giving back, helped me feel good. Please stay tuned for tomorrow's vigil for Newtown, CT.

True story

While reading in the living room, I heard a plethora of scratching on the refrigerator followed by a loud thud. I looked over to the kitchen and noticed a very embarrassed Chomps coming out. Its true, cat's can look embarrassed.

I imagine Chomps was fast asleep on top of the fridge when he rolled just off of it. He immediately started scratching to regain his top position but gravity took hold too quickly. I don't know if he landed on his feet but he was fine afterwards albeit his ego was bruised.

I still laugh about this story because another's misery can be quite funny to us.

Distractions are good

Today’s rating is Positive.

Work was less demanding, I had a good conversation with HR at a company for a potential opportunity, and scheduled an appointment to show off the home. A lot was completed today, which is always very good.

I read an article about what to do when you hate your job. I found it useful because it is so important to distract yourself from a stressful situation. I find that I need a new distraction every day. Some days, I’m distracted by tv and other days I’m distracted by an activity with friends. This has been an effective strategy for me. If you find yourself blue and wallowing in misery, find something positive to distract you from the tough situation. You’ll feel better, like me.

Winning

Today’s rating is Positive.

When there are events that can’t be controlled and it gets to be too much, follow my lead and go to Starbucks. There are plenty of things in life that we can’t control but when at Starbucks there is complete control over your beverage of choice. It gives me a sense of power over the chaos I call my life. In fact, I have full intentions of enjoying the free treat being offered at Starbucks starting tomorrow.

I got a great laugh at Charlie Sheen’s shenanigans and that helped soothe my soul from the last two days of misery. I thought it was more than two days. Apparently, time stands still when pain is pressing in.

Blogging for me

Today’s rating is Positive.

I am blogging to keep myself honest about how I feel. When I look back at 2010, there were not enough positive times in my life. I couldn’t laugh, I was stressed, I had headaches, and I hated just about everything in my life.

I am learning about myself. After reading some books, I can see where I run into problems. I’m a first-born and I’m constantly looking for perfection. I’m hypersensitive to most everything that goes wrong. Add in some loneliness and there’s the recipe for 2010’s misery. Now I can see where I’ve gone wrong. The true test is if I have learned how to get past these innate personality quirks. The test isn’t over yet but so far I am doing good. THANK YOU GOD!