Hey, y’all, what’s going on? I’m glad it’s finally starting to feel like summer. I am so ready for the sunshine. I suppose this is the part where I tell a quick story to segway into telling you what this lengthy essay will be about. However, I have ‘Whatever Wednesdays’ now to tell random stories. I feel like the title is pretty self-explanatory. Still, it would have been weird not to start with a short paragraph like I usually do, so we’re gonna pretend that this was the intro and get right into it.
I hate when someone calls me ungrateful, but that’s only because it’s accurate. When I was really depressed, and people told me to look at the bright side, I’d just be like, “what bright side” and go back to my moping. Even if I want to be grateful, sometimes it can be really hard. I’ve always had a home and food and clothes, and it’s hard to appreciate something you’ve always had. Horses, on the other hand… I’ve experienced a life without horses. So it’s easier to be thankful because I understand how lucky I am to be able to ride. I honestly can’t believe how many years of my life I wasn’t involved with horses.
Food and shelter, and clothes are something I’ve always had. So I don’t think I fully appreciate them because it’s just one of the many things I’ve always taken for granted. I hope I never have to experience life without the basic human necessities that some people don’t have. Still, it seems we never truly appreciate something until we don’t have it anymore. When people tell me to count my blessings, I used to only be able to think of 6 or 7 things, but since I’ve been trying to do better, I’ll share my personal guide to being thankful.
Just because I have everything I NEED; doesn’t mean I don’t WANT a lot of stuff. Half the time I’m praying, it’s only cause I want to ask God for something else. So, before I ask God for anything, I always thank him for the things he’s already given me. This is where it got tricky for me at the beginning. Even when I’m thankful for the basics, I feel like it’s never sincere because I’ve been so blessed to never know anything different. When I think of other things to be grateful for, it goes friends, horses, dogs, and done. So, when I need to be thankful, I go big or go home.
Usually, the first thing on my list of things I’m sincerely thankful for is Chipotle. I LOVE Chipotle! It is so delicious; I could eat it every day, even though I always get the same thing. Next in line is always Starbucks. I would not have made it this far in life without their many delicious mochas and frappuccino, or however you spell it. Then it continues with a long list of all my other favorite restaurants and snacks.
Once I’ve got all that, I get to the legit stuff, like music and animals. One day when I was sick, I woke up and couldn’t hear out of one of my ears, and I was freaking out, and let me tell you, kpop does not sound as good through only one ear. Since then, I have always been thankful to listen to all my favorite groups through 2 earbuds. Next, I’m grateful for my favorite artists, both Kpop and American…… And British, Irish, and Australian). I am so thankful that I can listen to such amazing songs. Then I’ll continue with how glad I am that God created red pandas. Because let’s face it, they are one of the most adorable creatures to walk the planet, and then I continue down my list of animals I really like.
After that, if I’m getting really into it, I could reflect on my day and what I can be grateful for. Even if the only thing that was good about my day was finally getting to leave work. TBH though, even though I sometimes complain, my job isn’t that bad. Maybe the best part of my day was a show I watched or the nice weather. Today, though, hanging out with my niece was probably the highlight.
Don’t be fooled; I’m not always this grateful (hardly ever, but I’m working on it). Usually, when brainstorming things to be thankful for, only a few of these come to mind. Some days I don’t want to be thankful at all, and it’s probably terrible, but every once in a while, I just want to be a self-centered, ungrateful jerk. I didn’t think this post would be this long when I started this. I guess the point of this would be that sometimes life sucks, and it’s not fair, but we shouldn’t let that get us down. Take a few minutes to wallow in self-pity, but only a few, and then grab some paper and start your list. Even if you’re like me and sometimes all you can come up with to be thankful for is hot fudge brownie sundaes (food really makes life worth living). Think harder, and who knows, maybe your list will turn out way longer than you thought it would, just like mine did.
I’m sure I’ll still take things for granted, but I want to start learning to appreciate them as much as possible. On awful days, sometimes all you can do is think of the good, even if the good isn’t what’s right in front of you at the moment. It’s like a fruit salad; totally and utterly disgusting, but if you take out all the gross stuff, the mandarin oranges taste pretty good.
So, my dear readers, when life gets you down, pick out your favorite fruits, toss the rest in the trash where it belongs, and make a GOOD fruit salad. I don’t know, though, if it’s just mandarin oranges, I guess it’s not really a salad anymore, but I like strawberries too… I don’t know how I feel about strawberry and orange together, though. I hate when food absorbs the flavor of conflicting food……… This was a terrible metaphor. Just pretend this last paragraph doesn’t exist.
Sincerely,
LIBD
“‘Cause I, know You never left my side
~ Count That High by Jordan Felix
I try to count the blessings
I, I could never count that high
I could never count that high”
