TEN THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR...

I was working late one night last week. That night seemed like the millionth night in a row I had been working late and I felt nothing but mentally and physically exhausted, tired, cranky, upset, drained, and concerned about how everything that needed be done was going to get done on time. So I just stopped, took a breath, and got my personal notebook out of my purse. I then started this post. When I am feeling that mix of emotions, it's so easy for me to be more forgetful of just how thankful I should be in spite of the circumstances. So I took a break and decided to write down some things that I'm thankful for. They are just little things, but it's always the little things that can turn my feelings around in a big way in a short period of time. This list did just that for me. So here are some of the things I wrote down that night + a few I've added since then. I've sprinkled my list with a few never-before-seen photos taken by my inspiring photographer - whom I am also thankful for.

ONE: A friend who recently invited me to an upcoming Cirque du Soleil show. Seeing Cirque shows makes me feel like a kid again.

TWO: And another friend who has graciously decided to plan my upcoming birthday celebration. Without her, I'm almost positive I would be having another "low-key" birthday for about the 4th year in a row.

THREE: Fall. Crisp morning air, sleeping with socks on, sleeping with an extra blanket, turning leaves, fresh apples, planning Thanksgiving dinner (Yep- I'm already on that!) - I could go on and on and on. I love so many things about it...

FOUR: This vacuum cleaner. I have a pet, which means I vacuum a lot, which means I've owned my fair share of vacuum cleaners. I've had this new one for about a month and it is BY FAR the best one I've ever owned. Period.

FIVE: Speaking of pets, I'm thankful for Max. He can quickly get me out of my 12 hour workday funk and wakes me up every morning by licking my right earlobe. Not the left earlobe, but the RIGHT earlobe. I haven't quite figured out his thing for my earlobe, but he loves it.

SIX: Service providers who show up on time, call if they are going to be late, and properly provide the service or product they are paid to provide. People like that seem to be far and few between these days...

SEVEN: The Golden Girls. I love the news, but lately I have just refused to start every day off with the latest on Ebola, he said-she said campaign commercials, ISIS, etc., So stressful. I recently found a station that airs The Golden Girls in the mornings. I've been watching it in lieu of the morning news a few times a week. That way, I'm guaranteed a really good laugh before my day starts- and I like that.

EIGHT: Pinterest. It's the highest source of traffic for my little blog and I often wonder if the blog would have survived this long without it...

NINE: Fear. Fear is not fun, but at the moment it is propelling me in a new direction - a good direction. I'd be crazy not to be thankful for that...

TEN: Tomorrow. It might be better to be thankful for today - the now - and I am. But tomorrow I have a day off. Tomorrow I will sleep in, get a good workout, treat my body to a healthy meal, sleep again, wake up, and begin to catch up with friends and family with a fresh state of mind, instead of giving them my leftovers. I'm incredibly thankful for that. :)

Now your turn!!! What are you thankful for??

Photos by Paula Coldiron