It’s always good to have a nice chunk of ‘me’ time to reflect. It makes me appreciate everything I have in my life that much more. And it is always good to articulate what one has to be thankful for. It makes you far more likely to appreciate what you’ve got when you take that time to reflect.

  1. I’m am grateful, first and foremost to have great health. I attribute it to lifelong good eating habits eating REAL food, not over processed junk. Home cooking, and care and attention to what I put into my body. I have always exercised in fits and starts. I usually get plenty of sleep. Lastly, I just have good genetics. We age gracefully in my family provided we keep our weight in check. I do tend to have upper respiratory problems which bothers me. But it’s not at all like having a serious illness that debilitates you, or causes a lot of pain over a sustained period of time. I am SO LUCKY to be healthy.
  2. I am happy to have my family. They have always had my back in hard times. I am glad that I have a great relationship with my parents and my ex-husband. We speak regularly about most things and I can be completely honest with them about my life. We rarely fight. Life is too short to waste it on needless acrimony. It serves no one well to be like this. I even rubbed off a little on my ex who has a lot of anger issues and is always plotting revenge schemas. I’m like, “Why? What do you have to gain?”
  3. I love my daughter. I had to break her out from the generic “family” because she is just so darned, tuttin’ special. I love her to pieces. She can be quite a challenge as she is extremely demanding of my attention. This weekend she was with her daddy. She cried for me.  She told him she loves me more. Poor guy. That’s harsh. She’s a little girl and I’m her mommy, that’s nature’s law. She’s always been obsessed with me. I can still hear her little voice all gravely and determined, “Mommy… where’s mommy” in search of me when I was hiding from her under my blankets. She’d be on a mission. LOL. She is so special, smart, a chip off the old block. Someone told me the other day she doesn’t look at all like her daddy. I don’t agree. She certainly doesn’t look like me save for the hair color and eye color. I’m happy she is who she is, even when she’s being a handful. I have to give myself permission to not be perfect the perfect mom so I can enjoy parenting more.
  4. My job can be boring at times, but at other times, quite stimulating. Nevertheless, I’m really lucky to have a job. So many unfortunate people do not have that. Not only that, but I have a job stability in an economy with 9%+ unemployment. I also have unmatchable benefits. How many people have 7 weeks vacation/sick days combined per year, plus all school holidays, plus free health insurance and dental, plus summer Fridays, plus pension and 401K and match. I even have my own office with a door I can shut. It really works for me at this point in my life and I’m tremendously thankful to not have to worry about that part of my life so I can focus on other things.
  5. A roof over my head. While it isn’t much to write home about, I live in a safe place that I can afford. I feel comfortable. I can pay my bills with a little extra. I have plenty of space. The neighborhood isn’t a place I’d like to play. The commute on weekends to other places can be rough. The schools are terrible but I’m unlikely to afford a neighborhood with better schools. I have a small mommy circuit here of my daughter’s friends. I’m not just friendly, but I’m actually friends with the mommies. It works for my life at the moment.
  6. My friends. I have some of the most amazing diverse group of friends spanning a long period of time. Some are merely acquaintances, some are deeper. People in my life are so caring and thoughtful and interesting. I feel lucky.
  7. Fitness. I’m feeling fit and I love some of my new hobbies, biking and swimming. Still having trouble with shin-splits. I weigh less now than I did before my kid was born. That’s great considering I was 34 when I was pregnant, and now I’m almost 41. I’m still flexible and spry enough to do things on the floor with my daughter. (Sometimes we do Yoga together.) I’m a great and fast swimmer. Biking is something that I acquired and now that I can manage traffic, it’s great. I want to get a tag-along for my bike so I can take my daughter with me. It will make biking something more doable.
  8. I look great for my age. I know that sounds arrogant and superficial. Then again, I’m a single woman and guys can be quite ruthless. I’m just embracing myself and giving myself love. It makes me feel good to dress up and size myself up in the mirror and feel pretty. I haven’t always done that and it is important to never give yourself negative self talk because then, you start to believe it. I look quite a bit younger than my age. I feel more attractive than I did in my 20′s. My body is a little softer than it used to be, and a little heavier. But I’m not trying to compete with a 18 year old. I’m quite ok with my figure the way it is. I just wish I were more photogenic. It seems I always take bad photos.

That’s all I can think of for now.