Looking at the Bright Side

Yesterday my husband came home from work, and he had found some time throughout the day to get to the mall and purchase a new coat for himself. He had wanted a jacket like this for a long time now, and he was pretty excited that he had found one.

But, he was even more excited that he had purchased a jacket for me as well. It is a very nice coat, but instead of being enthusiastic about his random, unexpected thoughfulness, I told him {rather rudely I must admit} that the specific jacket he purchased wasn't the one I had previously looked at and wanted.

He pointed out to me that I was being very negative. And who can blame him for being diappointed with my reaction? Afterall, what wife wouldn't be excited to receive a beautiful new coat for no reason, and not really needing one, from their husband? Hello?!

This made me realize that I too often look at the negative in life rather than focusing of all the amazing things that I have. I am being very ungrateful. So, in order to attempt to correct this behaviour I am going to list five things that I am grateful for right now, in this very moment:

1. I am thankful that I am able to be a stay-at-home mom.
2. I am happy that it was warm enough this morning that I was able to take Baby B outside for a few minutes to hang some Halloween decorations with me.
3. I am lucky enough to have an amazing son who brings a smile to my face just by being himself!
4. I am fortunate to have the flexibility and support from my family to be able to go back to school part time to learn more about something I am passionate about.
5. I am grateful for my mom and my sister and our relationships with each other.

If you found yourself relating to this post I challenge you to create your own list. If we all took the time to remind ourselves about what we have that we often forget to be thankful for, I'm sure we'd all gain a better perspective on life. Oh, and thanks for the amazing coat hunny... you were so right when you thought it would suit me, and it was very kind of you to think of me!