I am blessed

I will admit that I was in a bit of a mood earlier today for absolutely no good reason. My mood turned out to be nothing that a day of no work, having Indian food for lunch, and a pedicure couldn't cure.

As I am sitting around our new house waiting on MM to get home, I started thinking how very blessed I am. I spend a lot of time thinking/kvetching about things I don't have or that haven't gone my way, but spend very little time thinking about the ways in which I am extremely fortunate. Many of the good things in my life have come to me at least in part through my own efforts: my job, our new house and furniture, Sebastian, even--to some degree--my friends. But some of the good things I have in my life can only be described as gifts; they came to me through no effort on my part.

A few examples:

**I have always had the base of a happy childhood because I grew up in a home with parents who loved and cared for me and didn't abuse or neglect me. Not once in my childhood did I ever go to sleep cold, hungry, or afraid. I always had a comfortable and safe house in which to live, clothes to wear, food to eat, and the knowledge that I was loved. That fact alone sets me apart from many people I know.

**My father's mother lived with us from the time I was 1 until I was 17. In addition to being a loving and positive force in my life, she was a woman of deep faith who had lived most of her life during a very different time. . . almost in a different world. I can't even begin to explain the ways in which she shaped my growth; I still think of her almost every day, and she's been gone for nearly 20 years.

**I have a sister who is now one of my closest friends. I didn't always value her presence in my life when we were children, and like many children, wished at times that I could have been the only one. I certainly have appreciated my sister since we have been grown. (I hope I've shown her this enough!)

**Learning always came easily to me; as a result, school was always more of a joy than a chore. My love of school is what allowed me to go back and pursue my second career at age 30. . . a career that has brought me much more intellectual fulfillment and greater earnings.

**I was born in the United States. When I stop and think about the rights and privileges that are mine solely as a result of this happy accident, I am humbled. As much as I (& many of my friends) complain about what is wrong with this country, I can think of only a handful of others in which I would be willing to live my life.

**I am healthy. Yes, I now have high cholesterol and have always struggled with my weight. I will probably continue to struggle with both for the rest of my life. But I wake up nearly every morning feeling good, with no pain, and my body has been able to do just about everything I've demanded of it so far.

Yes, I have done what I can to make "the right choices" in my life. . . but many of the things that are probably most responsible for my happiness are things that I didn't--couldn't--choose at all.