Kelly’s Thankful List

Someone I know recently told me that to get through the hardships of life, you must focus on what you have. It is great advice for both the bad times and the good times. I try to be thankful every day, but I am not always successful, which is why I made this list. It will be nice to reference on days that serve up too much grief, frustration, or melancholy.

*I am thankful for GPS on my phone because I once had a job as an insurance inspector, which meant half of my time was spent looking at paper maps and creating handwritten routes.

*I am thankful for my new baby boy because for a long time I thought my chance at having one more kid was gone.

*I am thankful for diet fountain pop because every person needs a vice.

*I am thankful for my geriatric dog, who even at 13-years-old, can make me happy with a cuddle. (Yet annoyed with insane bouts of barking.)

*I am thankful for coffee. And coffee shops. And coffee creamer. And tall coffee mugs.

*I am thankful for Goodreads, a website and phone app that allows me to catalogue books as I read them. It is a great platform to find new authors. It also reminds readers about which novels were loved or detested. (Friend me on Goodreads, to share opinions on books!)

*I am thankful for STEM Education and the positive influence it has on my daughters who enjoy math, science, technology, and coding, in addition to reading and writing.

*I am thankful for Tessa and her idea to start Family Footnote because it makes me write AND think like a writer every single day, which is good for my brain and my heart.

*I am thankful for podcasts and audio books because they entice me to exercise for longer periods of times. (My latest podcast faves are: Someone Knows Something and S-Town. For audio books I tend to go for funny, non-fiction, girl power reads. I have recently enjoyed: The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer and Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick.)

*I am thankful for Saturday Night Live, because these comics are making me and my husband laugh during critically messed up times.

*I am thankful for my oldest daughter’s fact finding missions. Did you know a lemon has more sugar than a strawberry?

*I am thankful for my younger daughter’s hand actions while she talks. It is inherited proof that she belongs to me.

*I am thankful for my four-year-old and the loss of his front tooth because that goofy grin matches his spirit. The premature absence of his central incisor means he will have that gap for years, but it also serves as a good parental reminder that there are way worse things in life than a traumatized tooth.

*I am thankful for dental insurance.

*I am thankful my husband had a mom who made him tidy up as a kid. It is wonderful to be married to someone who can share in the domesticity that is washing dishes, scrubbing toilets, and making beds.

*I am thankful for my Roomba. It just gets me and my need to see vacuum lines on the carpet and rugs.

*I am thankful for my brothers, who are the bookends to the birth order of my childhood. They did everything in their power to make me the “fairness queen” middle child I am still today.

*I am thankful for hiking trails that typically cost nothing to visit and offer up large doses of beauty, fresh air, and fun.

*I am thankful for PINK’s new album Beautiful Trauma. It is so good I bought both the clean and explicit versions.

*I am thankful for wristwatches. Even though my phone knows the time I still need a clock strapped to my wrist in order to face the day.

*I am thankful for my parents, grandparents, and in-laws because they are the type of people who make families great.

*I am thankful for white noise machines. That static sound consistently lulls my family to sleep for naps and nights.

*I am thankful for nap time.

I said this at the beginning and it is worth writing again: I try to be thankful every day, but I am not always successful. I vent too much and am prone to pity parties because sometimes life is really difficult and frustrating. Daily tasks have been known to get the better of me, and harsh realities of true loss are capable of knocking the wind out of me at unforeseen moments.

For those times when I am less than gracious and not nearly thankful enough, I need to check myself. I also need to turn on a white noise machine, grab a coffee or Diet Coke, and take the time to look around at what I have, because I am incredibly fortunate.

What are you thankful for? What positive things can earn your focus and make for better days? We love our Family Footnote supporters, so please let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on our website or Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter at: @FamilyFootnote.