Thank Goodness It's Friday #1

Thanks Mary for the inspiration. I do try to be grateful, but sometimes a gentle reminder isn't remiss. So, to add to all my new changes, I'm adding Friday as my day to stop, take a breath, and reflect on things for which I'm grateful. Not the only time, of course, but a scheduled time to consciously focus on all my blessings.

I am richly blessed by dear friends who accept me as I am, warts and all. More particularly this week, I found I had lied to a couple of close friends in addition to myself. Both dear friends didn't berate me or call me on the carpet, they looked a little deeper and understood why it had happened and helped me to be gentle with myself, refusing to allow me to sit in sack cloth and ashes.

I am richly blessed with a great counselor. Someone I with whom I am able to reveal my secrets and know they are absolutely safe. Perhaps more importantly is that my counselor has made it safe enough to explore the dark and unpleasant corners of my life, and when I call myself on the carpet for selling myself short, my counselor is there to praise me for being willing to explore and face myself with whatever I find.

I am richly blessed with a love for reading, so I'm always learning new things, exploring new places, and happily losing myself in novels that leave me feeling uplifted and wanting to be a better me.

I am richly blessed by where I live. This morning, it wasn't the typical clear blue skies that can be redundant after days and days of it, but today, there were clouds. Puffy cotton ball type clouds and mares' tails. The sky was blue with the clouds brushed with varying shades of pink and yellow as the sun came up. I like being a morning person because I love sunrises. (There was a time when I loved sunsets - still do - but I didn't need to rise early. My schedule changed. Since I am already up for the sunrise, I figure I'll savor it and find joy in it.)

I am richly blessed by my work that is interesting and varied enough to not be monotonous. On good days, I finish early and am able to indulge in other fun things, and on bad days, I'm still able to finish, even if it takes all day and into the evening hours; I'm able to finish, and that is a satisfying feeling. I also enjoy the people with whom I interact.

There's more, and I'm grateful I'll have an opportunity to share it, next Friday.