First off, I am crazy grateful. And I’m grateful to have a response of gratitude for things. This is not something that came naturally to me. I have worked for years on practicing gratitude.

Not long after I started my blog, I even wrote a series of posts on gratitude including The Power of Gratitude.

It’s amazing to notice the times when it does come naturally now.

In February I started a new job as a software developer. I was super excited. The company was low on cash to start with and hired me on part time with hopes they could move me to full time as their revenue increased.

And then, you know, the Coronavirus thing. After four weeks, they let me go.

I was bummed out and worried about what is next for me. I felt a little hurt and angry and shocked.

But I also immediately started coming up with reasons why it was a good thing.

• I have more flexibility to be home with my partner and son during this crazy time.
• It was not the best fit for me anyway but I would have tried to tough it out for way too long even though I already knew that.
• I have some time to learn new skills and work on projects that interest me.

And then I started coming up with more things in my life that I have to be thankful for:

• I have another job that was also part time and now I can focus on it more. I can put more into it and get more back out.
• I have a house in the mountains and it is gorgeous up here and a really, really nice time to live somewhere with lots of outside space.
• Then there is my son who always, always ranks at the top of the list of things I am grateful for even when he drives me nuts.

It’s just amazing to me how easy it is for me now to automatically find things to be positive about even when things don’t go my way.

It doesn’t make things all better. I still had some negative feelings about the company that let me go but they have tapered off quickly. I still have some anxiety and concern about looking for a new job with the current state of things.

The thing is that I don’t stay in those feelings. I remind myself of the positive things I can be doing.

And I see so many people finding good in these tough times. Ironically, it seems like maybe even more people than find good in the good times.

I hope that whatever struggles you’re facing right now that you are able to focus on some positives along the way.

The post Gratitude for losing a job? appeared first on Live Hoppy.

Wow!  Looking back at the last year, I’m struck by how much has changed for me.  I am so grateful for where I am in life today.  A year ago, I had no clue what was in store for me.  I make a short gratitude list at least a few times a week.  (My 2017 lists have all gone into the same document which is some 26 pages long now.)  It’s still nice to sometimes sit down and do a bit of a more thorough inventory of what I’m grateful for.  So, without further preamble, here’s what I’m grateful for this year.

Baby B is by far the thing I’m most grateful for this year.  Having him come into my life has been so amazing.  My love for him is overwhelming.  Each day with him is precious.  His smile brings me so much joy.  He is the snuggliest thing ever, even when he’s flailing his arms and legs around and doesn’t want to snuggle.  He has changed my priorities, and my perspective on myself and the world.  When I think of all the cool stuff he has to learn and experience ahead of him, I remember how truly awesome the world we live in is.  Also, I hear stories of colicky babies and I am so ridiculously thankful that baby B is incredibly good-natured.

I am also grateful for S for being such a great dad and partner.  Seeing him with Baby B makes my heart melt.

Moving to Albuquerque.  It has been such a nice change of scenery.

Costco.  I’ve become such a Costco convert over the last few months.  I love the option to buy things in bulk.  The majority of the time, I like having only one or two different options for a type of product.  There’s no wasting time comparing the differences between four dozen types of toothpaste.  And I’m newly addicted to their cheesecake.

A new monitor.  Speaking of Costco, I picked-up a new monitor there on sale yesterday.  I had my previous monitors for close to 10 years.  They served me well, but it felt like time for an upgrade.

Developing a new relationship to stuff.  I know that minimalism has become a popular topic over the last few years.  I’m sure I have way too much stuff to call myself a minimalist.  I have, however, gotten rid of a lot of stuff over the last few years.  I don’t miss any of it.  It’s become more of a habit to think about what I don’t really need.  I constantly have a box for the thrift store going and I donate it when it’s full.  When I was considering a new monitor, I decided I’d pass my old ones on to somebody else.  They’re still nice enough to be usable and I don’t need to have them cluttering up my house “in case I need them some day”.

So much love from friends and family.  We had so many people that have shown their support for us this year.  It’s incredible how many people gave us (baby B) sweet cards, emails, baby clothes, hand-made quilts, baby books and a whole lot more!  It’s heart-warming knowing how many people love baby B (and maybe his parents too).

My gym.  I love my gym here in Albuquerque.  It’s a huge facility – a group fitness room, a yoga room, a free weight room, a weight machine room, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a basketball court, a spin class studio, two areas with cardio machines, large and (more importantly) clean locker rooms, and a childcare area.  There are great classes included in my membership.  It’s two minutes from my house.  And did I mention the childcare area?  I feel so spoiled to go there.

That button in my car that makes the garage door open.  My house in Socorro didn’t have an automatic garage door opener.  Now, I’m always so darned pleased with that little button that makes the door open for me.  I even have a garage door opener that goes with baby B’s stroller!

The library.  There is a cute little library just down the street from my house.  I’ve actually been going on a regular basis.  (Checking out books each time ensures I have to go back to return them.)  It’s so much fun to have a reason to pick up kids books these days!  We’ve been reading a ton of Dr. Seuss.  (Goodnight Moon seems to be Baby B’s favorite book, but we own that one, thanks to R.)

Family.  I am looking forward to seeing my family for a few days.  I’m also looking forward to eating pie.  Yum!

Some other stuff that sticks out from my 2017 list.

• Coffee
• Blueberry pancakes
• Sunshine
• Head cat
• Hiking
• Walks to the park
• Thai food
• Seeing the solar eclipse
• Being able to wear non-maternity clothes again
• Being able to sleep on my back
• A ton of other things that involve not being pregnant anymore
• Rain
• New pillows
• Chirpy birds
• My mom
• Mountains
• Naps
• Red drink
• Reflexology appointments with M
• Bedtime

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you find a little time to reflect on the things that you’re grateful for.

The post Gratitude List – 2017 Thanksgiving Edition appeared first on Live Hoppy.

It’s amazing looking back at a whole year at all of the things that can happen in that amount of time.  So many different things can fit in to a year.

There are some things that come to mind instantly when I think of this, but others that I only remember when I read through my gratitude lists from the year.  One thing that sticks out reading through my lists is that often the things that I’m thankful for are pretty routine things: a good meal (breakfast sandwiches came up more than once), a productive day at work, or some time outside.

Here’s a sampling of what was on my daily lists from 2016:

Yoga retreat in T or C (and one later in Ghost Ranch)

Blogging- so thankful for my readers (you!).  Playing around in Photoshop, making ‘cartoon Hoppy’, and the turkey, writing and having a place to express me.

Biking

Hiking

Travel- seeing places and being out-doors

Drinking my morning coffee down by the creek and watching the tree branches do their gentle dance in time to the music of the creek

People- family and a couple of other special people

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Naps & Maps

Sunshine

Albert and Lester, Chester or Pete

Chirpy Birds

Little frogs

Seeing the Socorro isopods

Room service breakfast!

My traveling companion & little buddy Hoppy.

Getting a picture of Hoppy with Hal Elrod

Campfires

Swimming in the creek

Tall trees and expansive grassy meadows

Being not normal and liking who I am

Being in good shape and having all my parts

Spoons

Secret ice cream

Tacos and guacamole

While we all have our own experiences, so many of us share common themes.  Whatever I’m going through, I know I’m not the first.  With the help of the internet, I can always draw on the experience of others.

Green Chile cheeseburgers

Playing Scrabble

Twinkley stars

Christmas bows

Smilodons

It really is a magical world out there and I’m excited to see what things fill my gratitude lists for 2017!

What are you thankful for from 2016?  What were the highlights of the year for you?  And what were the small, daily sorts of things that you enjoyed the most?

The post Things I’m thankful for from 2016 appeared first on Live Hoppy.

Being grateful for oneself and focusing on the good things about who we are can be hard.  It can feel cocky or conceited.  It’s all too easy and natural to get down on ourselves about things, but actually being willing to focus on our positive qualities and enjoy them isn’t so easy at all.

Honestly, writing this post is almost hard.  Writing about how I’m grateful for other people in my life seems easy.  Saying, “I’m grateful that I’m a beautiful, intelligent, creative, funny, loving person with lots of cool interests, and a passion for travel” is not as easy.  Especially not sharing it publicly.

I don’t know, maybe it’s easier for other people.  My guess though is that there are at least some other people out there that have the same struggle I do with owning up to my good qualities.

There are also times when my self-esteem seems to suddenly nose-dive.  Times when I feel suddenly like I’m not any good at all.  Times when I’m sure nobody likes me and I’m not sure I even like myself.  Maybe if I spent more time on a regular basis to appreciate my good qualities, this wouldn’t happen so much.  (It does seem that the older I get, these times become less frequent and less intense.  This is probably normal.)

I think it’s important to take the time to focus on our good qualities.  After all, it seems that the things that we focus on and are grateful for somehow kind of grow in our lives.  When we want to encourage a behavior in a child, we take the time to recognize when the child does something good and reward it.  So why not encourage our own good qualities by taking the time to be grateful for them?

So… a few of the things I’m grateful for about myself.

• I am genuinely curious and love learning about the world.
• I’m always seeking to improve- to find better ways of doing things and to become a better person, but at the same time, I try to be grateful for where I’m at and accept that perfection is a goal to work towards, not arrive at.
• I care deeply for other people and love it when I can make a difference for somebody else.
• I’m creative- I like to write, take pictures, draw, play drums, mess around in Photoshop, make pottery, sew or engage in just about any creative pursuit.
• I love to travel, explore, find new places and see new things.
• I’m out-doorsy and love hiking, biking, camping, just walking around outside and other naturey activities.

I hope this list has made you think a little about the things about yourself that you’re grateful for.  How about getting out a piece of paper or opening up a document on your computer and taking a moment to write down 5 or 10 of these things?  Here’s a few ideas to inspire you a little more:

• What qualities tend to run in your family and which of those do you also have?
• What are 5 (or 10 or 20 or 100) qualities that you like about yourself?
• What are some major things that you’ve accomplished that you’re proud of?
• What are some small things you’ve done well in the past day or week?
• What are cool interests that you have?
• Are there some qualities that you get down on yourself for that actually have a positive side too?  (For example, sometimes I can be too stubborn and don’t know when to give up on something.  This can also be a really positive thing.)

Do you practice daily gratitude?  If so, consider aiming to pick one good thing about yourself to add to the list each day.

The post Gratitude for myself appeared first on Live Hoppy.

I wanted to wish each of you a Hoppy Thanksgiving.  I hope you have a day with lots of family, and friends and of course some good food!

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite holidays.  I probably don’t need to mention how so many holidays have become commercialized.  And sure, they work to sell lots of food for Thanksgiving.  Still, it lacks the sales of presents, massive numbers of decorations and excessive amounts of candy.  (Which may be why most stores seem to want to pretend it doesn’t exist and put out the Christmas stuff the day after Halloween.)  But I digress talking about commercialism.  My real point is that one of the reasons that I like Thanksgiving is because it’s not so commercial.

Thanksgiving is still all about time with family, lots of food, and being thankful.  These are some of the very best things in life.  (And with a name like Thanksgiving, how could a gratitude junkie not be pleased?)

A few of the things I’m thankful for this week:

• Contemplating how my life has continually gotten better over the last few years
• My family, friends, and other people in my life
• Making lots of progress on work things this month
• Getting outside and going on a cool hike over the weekend
• Little oranges and cookies
• Rain and sunshine too
• Fuzzy slippers
• Yoga
• Breakfast sandwiches
• Looking forward to going to Best Year Ever Blueprint next month

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday?  Or just in general?

P.S. Hoppy’s turkey friend I drew myself following this YouTube video.  OK, he looks a little ridiculous, but I had tons of fun making him.

The post Hoppy Thanksgiving appeared first on Live Hoppy.

“I’m grateful today won’t last forever.”

OK, I don’t mean that about today.  But I have written that on gratitude lists in the past.

Sometimes, I try to be grateful for things I’m not really grateful for or I try to find aspects of awful things to be grateful for.  I say or write things like “I’m grateful for this challenge because I know it’s helping me develop coping skills.”  Or perhaps as above, “I’m grateful today won’t last forever.”  This doesn’t make me like the challenge or the day really.  It doesn’t make my heart blossom with gratitude or make rainbows come out.  But it does actually help in some way that I can’t explain.

If I look back at the challenges in my life, I can generally see where there was a lesson learned or where I somehow developed into a better person because of it or things worked out OK and I’m in some weird way glad things happened how they did.  It’s a lot harder to have that sort of perspective on a challenge when we’re in the middle of it.  It takes an extra effort to find something about a tough time to be grateful for in the midst of it.  Even finding something to be grateful for doesn’t necessarily make going through the challenge less painful, but it does sometimes help.

Going through a painful breakup, I might take the time to remind myself that I am fortunate to be the sort of person that feels deeply and really cares.  To me, there is very little worse in the world than having to break up with somebody that I really care about, in part because I genuinely care about others and I don’t want to cause anybody else pain.  Of course, this can’t always be avoided, but it is such an awful feeling.  Still, I am thankful that I’m the sort of person that is sensitive about such things.  I would take that over being some heartless person that doesn’t care and has an easy time of it.  This doesn’t exactly make the whole thing less painful, but it does somehow help me to feel better about the pain.

Working to be grateful when facing a challenge is also like making a statement to the universe, “I am going to face this the best that I can.  I may not like what is going on, but I am going to show up as the sort of person that has coping skills and uses them.”  It shows that you’re not just going to be a victim about the circumstance, but you are going to make an effort to control your mind and your reaction.  This aspect may be one of the most powerful things about working on gratitude in the face of difficulties.

There are some questions that can help one to find things to be grateful for in challenging situations:

• What skills or strengths do you have that will help you to get through it?
• Who do you know that can offer support or help?
• What things do you have that you can do to feel better?  (Go for a walk, curl up with the cat, make a cup of hot tea, etc.)
• What can you learn from the challenge?
• What other things in your life are still going good?  (It’s easy to focus on the 1 bad thing when there are 100 good things.)

Another thing that can help is looking back at a challenge from you past and thinking about how you learned from it or grew because of it.  Think about how while that challenge may have been awful to go through, whatever was wrong at the time no longer bothers you at all.  Then try to have a little faith that whatever you are facing now will be the same in 5 years: just something that you look back on and are grateful for the lessons.

Above all, be gentle with yourself.  It takes a lot of strength to even think of being grateful during a challenging time.  When we are stressed, afraid, or struggling, gratitude can be the furthest thing from our mind.  Those can also be the times when we stand to benefit the most from it.

Further reading on gratitude:

• The power of gratitude
• Daily gratitude
• Gratitude for my home
• Gratitude for my job
• Gratitude for people
• Gratitude for things

The post Gratitude for challenges appeared first on Live Hoppy.

There are so many truly amazing things in this world and it’s powerful to take the time to be grateful for them.  Liking things, or admitting to liking things, can have a bad rap despite the materialism that permeates our society.  Practicing gratitude for the things we have can remind us how lucky we really are.

Words like ‘materialistic’ and ‘greedy’ can make us feel like enjoying things is a bad thing.  So can sayings like ‘You can’t buy happiness’ or ‘Love people.  Use things.’  There are valid points to these ideas that things or money don’t make you happy.  Yet I think the idea that things don’t contribute to happiness at least a little is false.

Putting an undue amount of value on things and the desire to obtain things isn’t healthy and doesn’t lead to happiness.  It’s certainly harmful to think that we can’t be happy until we have a certain thing.  There is nothing wrong with being truly grateful for things that we have and like.  Of course, there are more important things like the people in our lives.  That doesn’t mean that we can’t be thankful for the people AND the things.  (The post in the gratitude series prior to this one was actually gratitude for people.)

We are very fortunate to have the things we do.  And not just for the things, but for the comfort, enjoyment, experiences and opportunities that these things offer us.

There is no shame to owning the pleasure you get from things, and it’s good to be grateful for the things that you wanted and worked to have.

I find that gratitude for things also inspires me to take good care of the things that I have.  I wrote about this same concept in gratitude for my home where taking time to be grateful makes me want to take better care of my house.

Things I’m grateful for

I am particularly grateful for the things that I use.  I like things that add to the quality and joy of my life.  My bicycle and camping gear fall into this category.  It’s not so much about the things, as about what I can do with them and how they add to my life.

I’m not really into things to show social status.  Although I am pretty into clothes that are comfortable and that I think make me look good.  I find that I am generally attracted to quality, well-built, designed-to-last sorts of things.

I am grateful for many quality things I have- my favorite hoodie, my cell phone that I still think is pretty amazing for all the things it does including taking gorgeous pictures of places I go, my car that takes me places in much greater comfort than my last car, and frequently little things like a cup of coffee.

I am insanely grateful for my computer.  I liked my old computer, but I am so crazy for my new Microsoft Surface.  Beyond that, I love a lot of things I can do on it- from reading books, to working on this site, to researching trips, playing around in Photoshop, having a job, and the list goes on and on.  I’m also grateful for my phone and a lot of technology-related things.

I wrote a post recently about my favorite travel items and I’m extremely grateful for all of those things too.  Traveling of any sort is one of the things that I feel really enriches my life and those things that I feel are important enough to take on trips make a big difference to the comfort of my travel

The last few months, I have gotten very into mountain biking.  I am grateful to have a bike and all of the gear that I really need.  OK, I occasionally do have thoughts about upgrades to these things, but I am still so thankful to have what I do.

I’m also grateful for books,  my yoga mat (and Hoppy’s too!), my drums, my favorite cooking utensils and my favorite frying pan.  This month, I’m grateful for my miniature pumpkin that’s sitting on my windowsill, making me think of fall. And I’m grateful for open windows and the pleasant fall weather.  Hmm, weather might not be a thing, but gratitude just tends to grow and permeate more parts of our lives when we start thinking about it.

I am grateful that I am able to afford quality things.  While my funds aren’t unlimited, if there is something that I really want, I can buy it.  (Of course I’m careful not to start wanting really expensive things like luxury cars or this wouldn’t hold true.)

What are your favorite things?  What things are you grateful for?

If you liked this post, you’ll also enjoy The Power of Gratitude and Daily Gratitude.

The post Gratitude for things appeared first on Live Hoppy.

People are arguably one of the most important aspects of life if not the most important.  Heck, I am an introvert and I still realize that the people in my life are more precious than anything else.  I am deeply grateful for the people that are in my life today and that have been in my life.

People I am grateful for

I’m going to share about the people I’m grateful for, but hopefully this will inspire you to think about the people that you’re the most grateful for.

I am grateful for many of the people that have been in my life in the past.  Some of those people I miss sometimes, but I try to focus on being grateful that they were in my life at some point.  I am the person that I am today because of those people.  When I look back at my life, I have been very blessed to have many amazing people in it.

There are some people that I’m grateful aren’t in my life anymore.  I think that’s an OK thing to be grateful for, even if it sounds a little spiteful.  Hey, none of us are perfect. Many of those people I’m even grateful that they were in my life for whatever lessons I learned from dealing with them.

I am grateful for my family- especially for my parents, both biological and otherwise.  Family aren’t always the people that we’re related to.  I am grateful that I was born into a family that has the values it does.  My parents have differing view on many topics but they both always valued education, reading, logic and thinking for oneself.  They taught me to be independent, but have supported me along the way.

I am grateful for the people that are kind of in my circles like the friendly people at yoga that I see on a regular basis.  Sometimes I’m grateful for encounters with strangers- a friendly smile, a kind word, an unexpected compliment or a door held open.

I am grateful for the people that motivate and inspire me like the musicians I listen to, the authors I read, and the podcasters I listen to.  There’s tons of people on this list but lately I’ve been digging Anne Lammot (author of Bird by Bird), Hal Elrod (author of The Miracle Morning and host of the Achieve Your Goals Podcast), and Brian Johnson (Philosopher’s Notes).

And the best for last.  I am grateful to the small handful of people that I am closest to today.  OK, maybe it’s not even a full handful.  Maybe more like just a few fingers.  Hopefully fingers that are still attached to a hand because otherwise it would be creepy.

A few more thoughts on people and gratitude

Gratitude can help you to feel better about relationships.

Gratitude can be a powerful way to change the way we feel about a relationship.  Remembering to focus on the things that we appreciate about others makes a huge difference.  It is often all too easy to think about the things that we don’t like about people.  Putting the focus on the things we do like helps us to feel better about the people in our lives.  Maybe it’s a little morbid, but one thing that can help with that is thinking about what you would miss about them if they died or to be less permanent, broke up with you or moved away.  Of course, if you can’t think of anything you would miss, maybe you shouldn’t keep them in your life.  I’ve written recently in gratitude for my home and gratitude for my job about how taking time for gratitude can really change our perspective about something and our relationships are no different.

Express gratitude for other people.

Everybody likes to hear that they’re important, that they mean something to you or that you appreciate whatever they’ve done to contribute to your life.  Take time to let other people know that you’re grateful for them.

Gratitude is a great thing to share

Share your gratitude with others.  Let the people in your life know what you’re grateful for.  Tell them about the positive things and your successes.  Take time to do things with others that you can be grateful for together- enjoying the sunrise or accomplishing a goal or seeing little frogs.

You might also like to read the power of gratitude and daily gratitude.  

The post Gratitude for people appeared first on Live Hoppy.

Gratitude applied to my job has the same sort of effects as gratitude for my house does.  It can flip resentment, procrastination and resistance into pleasure, motivation and drive.  When I take the time to feel grateful for a productive day, it sets me up to be more likely to make the next day productive.

Last week I wrote about my challenges and solutions for dealing with too much to do at work.  I thought it would be a fitting time to remind myself of everything that I am grateful for about my job.

Let me be frank: I don’t have my perfect dream job.  I’d love to make a living as a writer or musician or be paid to travel the world or perhaps to pet little kittens or baby rabbits.  I’m rather partial to rabbits too.  I don’t feel that I’m necessarily contributing to some higher good by helping to make sure that land ownership in counties if accurately mapped for tax assessment purposes.  There are parts of my job that I don’t like.

Gratitude for the parts that I do like is more important than dwelling on the parts that I don’t.  Mapping land ownership may not be a passion of mine.  But I have the opportunity each day to help other people with their jobs, to train them, to help things run a little smoother for them, to diagnose problems so that they have one less thing to stress about.  Each time I answer a support call, I have the opportunity to make somebody’s day a little bit better.

My work is much more than a job to me.  It even goes beyond being a career.  My work blurs the lines a little between working for myself and working for a small family company.  Either way I look at it, I have a deep sense of ownership, responsibility and pride in my work uniquely common to entrepreneurs.  I have been working at my current job for almost nine years and I am grateful for all that I have learned in that time and for feeling like I finally almost really know what I am doing now!  I am very grateful to really care about my business and customers.

Speaking of my customers, I am grateful for them too.  I try to keep in mind that they are the people that make my work and lifestyle possible.  Beyond that, they are always friendly and welcoming when I am in their offices.

My job also gives me the opportunity to be the sort of person I want to be- creative, diligent, hard-working, and a bit perfectionist.  It gives me the opportunity to grow.  I have opportunities to contribute.  I can experiment and come up with new ideas.

I am also thankful that I am able to travel and see places I wouldn’t otherwise see.  I have been able to see so many places in Texas and Oklahoma that I never would have gone to if I wasn’t working out there.  I am afforded flexibility and freedom.  I can take time off when I want it.  I answer mostly only to myself (which is actually good and bad, but I can choose to focus on the good aspects).

And yes, I am grateful for the money I earn from my job.  That money means security, comfort, bills paid, freedom, travel, fun, being able to give gifts to others, and the occasional purchase of things that I enjoy.  I am fortunate to be able to honestly say that if money wasn’t a concern, I would continue doing the work that I do.  I might not put in as many hours at it and take on some of the projects that I do now, but I would still want to continue with many aspects of it.

Gratitude helps me to perform better.   When I’m grateful for the opportunities that I have, I am more likely to make the most of them.  Remembering how lucky I am to have a job where I pretty much get to work for myself helps me have the motivation to hold myself accountable to work even when I may want to go outside and ride my bike.

There is just so much to be grateful for!  What things about your work are you grateful for?  Answer below in the comments.

You might also enjoy the power of gratitude and  daily gratitude.

The post Gratitude for my job appeared first on Live Hoppy.

Gratitude can be a great way to change perspective on things. For example my house sometimes feels like a bunch of maintenance, bills, responsibility and ties to a town I’m not sure I want to be living in.  It seems as though there are always dishes that need washed, the grass needs watered and mowed, there is cat hair on the carpet and furniture, and the list goes on and on.  Focusing on that makes me feel drained and trapped.  It makes me resent the things that I feel I need to do or ‘should’ do.  Even reading those last few sentences makes me feel worse.  When I apply gratitude, my whole outlook on it changes.

I have to consciously remember sometimes how much I have to be grateful for about my house.  There are the tall trees that shade my front yard, my fenced-in backyard that is private and spacious with my grass and fire pit and large wooden deck where I like to sneak out for a few minutes of sunshine when I take a break from working.  Inside are my bright, white walls that always seem so clean and cheerful and are home to various pieces of my artwork.

There’s a room for each part of my life.  My office that houses all of my vital business tools like my comfy office chair.  My drum/yoga room where I get to relax and have fun.  The bedroom, the kitchen, dining room and living room.  Each providing places for the important things in my life: rest, cooking and eating yummy things, spending time with those close to me, and doing those introvert things I love like reading, writing or pacing around talking to myself and thinking.

The things in my house reflect my taste, my personality, my history, the places I’ve been.  I am thankful for having places for all of my favorite things.

Then there are my amazing neighbors who are always willing to watch my cats when I travel and check the mail.  Going a little further out are my friends in town.  It’s a sleepy sort of town, but it’s a good community and there are a lot of cool people around.  Going even a little further out are the places nearby that I like to go: the river, the bike trail, the yoga studio, the Magdalena Mountains, the Manzano Mountains and the expansive desert.  I’m surrounded by amazing, gorgeous places.

Things go much beyond the physical aspects of my house too.  I like having a place that is mine, a place that I feel secure, where I make the rules, and where I get to drink hot tea and sit on the couch and read or write with my cat curled up at my legs.  A place that has sheltered me for the last decade of my life, setting the background for challenges, for people that have come and gone from my life, for learning, and working, cooking and cleaning, failures and victories.  It’s my place in the universe, waiting for me when I venture out to explore the world.

Then too, there are the comforts and privileges: hot water, electricity, heating and cooling, a fridge and stove and the fact that I am fortunate to be one of those people on this planet that has a comfortable, safe house.  It’s easy to forget that I really am lucky to have these things.  Although frankly, I don’t like to get caught up in thinking I’m supposed to be grateful for these things when I really just take them for granted.  It’s OK to not be too grateful.  It’s OK to take some things for granted.  The point isn’t to feel guilty about doing that sometimes.

I still hope/plan to move in the not too distant future.  In the meantime, I’m grateful for where I am.  When I do move, I’ll probably be a bit sad to leave but I will be grateful for all of the memories and the time here.  I’ll be grateful for the things I’ve learned from my house: how to fix a toilet, use a drill, replace every possible part on a swamp cooler, fix leaky faucets and the list goes on and on.

Looking back through all of my pictures over the last few years for pictures to go with this post, I realize that I have very few pictures taken at home or of my house.  Those that I do have aren’t really of my house, but are of things like my cats or Hoppy or parts from home improvement projects.  It makes me realize that home really isn’t about the structure.  It’s about the life that happens there.

Gratitude for my house goes further in changing my actions too.  With this sense of appreciation, I feel more inspired to take care of it, to tidy and clean and keep it nice.  Gratitude for my house made me change the title of this post from ‘Gratitude for my house’ to ‘Gratitude for my home’.

You may also be interested in reading about the power of gratitude and daily gratitude. 

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