Most of us can say that we have had a “Love/Hate” relationship with at least one job in our lifetime.  Whether it was babysitting for your neighbor’s kids, or the first “real” job you had as a teenager, or a “filler” job you had to take as an adult…..we’ve all had one job in our lives that we didn’t love and didn’t look forward to. 

I started working when I was in the 8th grade. My Dad went down to buy potatoes from a local farmer that lived down the road from us. When my Dad saw the farmer’s daughter riding her bike around the farm, he informed the farmer that his daughter (aka – me) was looking to find babysitting jobs and would be available to work at anytime. The farmer’s wife called me, and I was babysitting for them by the end of the week.  Not only did I end up working for them for the next five years until I graduated from high school, we’ve become family to each other. 

I’ve “fallen” into every job I have ever had, and I have been lucky enough to like each one. It’s always worked out that another job opportunity has always fallen into my lap before I’ve ever even thought of leaving the job that I was at. I’ve worked for the same organization that I’m at now for over 13 years.  We all have some days at work that are more stressful than others, but sometimes I think that distracts us from realizing how lucky we are to be able to work.  To have the ability to be able to earn a living for yourself is a pretty big deal.  

This month when I have stressful days – and I’m accountant, so this is budget season! – I’m going to remind myself what a TRUE blessing it is to be able to earn a living for myself.  I’m fortunate enough to love what I do and have a great group of people to work with. 

There’s more at every job we have than just “work.”  Sometimes working with numbers all day, it’s tough to remember that!  I’m going to make a conscious effort to find the “more” in my day – every day.  

Even though I don’t have pictures for these two days, looking at the theme of gratitude…..I’m not sure I should. This past weekend was a little crazy with schedule changes and a whole lot of different things going on.  Plans changed at the last minute, and other things didn’t go as planned….but I rolled with the punches and got as much done as I could. On top of all of that, I’m fighting off a cold – and needed all the extra rest I could get. For the first time in a LONG time – I allowed myself the time to rest that I needed, and I didn’t feel guilty about it. 

I feel more prepared for the week ahead as a result, and I’m happy about that. Sometimes allowing for some downtime in your schedule helps come out further ahead in the end. 

So – when I saw “Smells” for Day 3, I thought, “Okay. This is weird.” But then – on my way home last night, someone in town was burning wood to heat their home….and the smell of smoke from a wood burning stove took me back 35 years in an instant. 

You see – whenever I smell “wood smoke” in the cold air, my memory immediately goes back to playing in the snow in my grandparents’ front yard and smelling the smoke from their chimney when Grandpa would load the wood stove in the basement.  Whenever I smell that type of smoke, I feel just like that little girl again – all bundled up in her snow gear, carefree and happy.  

So very thankful for those memories – and the special scents that can take me back in time. 

Today’s theme for gratitude is “movement.” This morning as I was getting on the treadmill at 5am, “gratitude” wasn’t exactly what I was feeling. It’s not easy getting out of bed when my alarm goes off at 4:30am (and let’s be honest, I hit snooze and don’t get up until 4:45), and it’s not easy getting in an early morning workout. However, it’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that those early morning workouts aren’t chores – they’re a privilege. I know so many people that aren’t blessed with the health that allows them to do what I am able to. 

So tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off – I’m going to try to remember to say a prayer of gratitude for the gift of “movement”…..

……but I’m still gonna hit the snooze button. 

#livethankful

It’s November 1st – and number 39 is an EPIC fail.  I have not taken a picture every day, and I’m realizing it’s not realistic to think that I could every day going forward for the remainder of this year.  So, I’ve come up with a compromise.  Instead of taking a picture every day for a YEAR, I’m going to take a picture every day for a MONTH – and not just ANY month.  I’m going to take part in a “30 Day Photo Gratitude Challenge” during the month of November – a month that is filled with Thanksgiving.  (Pun intended.)

Day 1 – Something I See Every Day

This is a photo of something I see everyday – my coffee maker and one of my favorite coffee mugs.  This photo makes me think of a lot of things.  First, it makes me think about how much I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.  Second, it makes me grateful for the quiet time I have every morning while I’m enjoying that cup of coffee.  Normally, this is the time that I read my daily devotional and bible verses.  It is the perfect way to start my day, and I’m thankful my schedule allows for it.  Third, that coffee mug makes me think about when I received it – and it makes me thankful for so many things.

A close friend gave me that mug as a gift when I was going through a very rough time.  She gave me that mug along with a beautiful card in which she wrote “Even though it didn’t turn out like it was planned, someday you will see it was just a step along the path of where you were meant to end up.”  Whenever I use that mug, I think about that.  I don’t think about the rough time I went through – but I think about everything that has happened since, and how immensely blessed I’ve been.  Thinking about all of those blessings helps me begin my day filled with gratitude – and that’s exactly how I want to start this month.

I’ll save my “lesson learned” on this item until the end of the month, but I have a feeling I’m going to learn A LOT.  #livethankful