Day Twenty-Four: 30 Days of Gratitude

My apologies to the Bangles, but it was anything but a manic Monday, and that alone is reason enough to give thanks.  It was more of a mellow or mundane Monday, which was a great way to ease into this final week of November.  Despite the strong winds we had in Louisville this morning, it still felt like the calm before the storm, with the storm being the frenzied holiday season that is right around the corner.  These three things found me giving thanks for them today:

1. Feeling better physically.  Last night I went to bed feeling a bit under the weather, and this morning, I woke up still not feeling quite up to par.  As the day progressed, I noticed that the fatigue and achiness that greeted me this morning were barely noticeable.  I have to wonder if part of the reason I began to feel better was that I was too busy with tasks at work to focus on feeling badly.  Maybe, it was a case of mind over matter, as mom would say.  No matter what the reason was for my improved health, I was and am grateful for it.
2. Coming home to minimal damage and electricity.  As I mentioned before, we had strong winds throughout the morning, and I wasn’t sure what I would find when I came home.  I was relieved to discover that the only damage sustained was my backyard littered with various sizes of branches, which won’t take much time or effort to clean up.  Bonus: our power, which has been known to go out for days under less turbulent weather conditions, was on and apparently never went out during the day.  So, as I sit here typing on my laptop with the lights overhead, being warmed by the furnace, listening to the whir of the washing machine, and watching television, I am feeling all kinds of gratitude for things I usually take for granted.
3. Decimating my ‘to do’ lists.  After a sluggish start to my day, I wasn’t overly confident about how many items I would be able to cross off of my ‘to do’ lists at work and at home.  Much to my surprise, I am basking in the glow of the satisfaction that comes from two greatly shortened ‘to do’ lists.  I am grateful that I found the energy, motivation, and time to accomplish even more than expected, as I feel more relaxed and content as the day draws to a close.

While today will not go down as one of my most exciting ones ever, it will take its place alongside the previous twenty-three days as a day of gratitude.  Not too shabby for a Monday!

Just one thing each day . . .