Giving thanks

Even though in New Zealand we do not celebrate Thanksgiving, we can all probably do with finding a moment, an hour, a day to give thanks for the things that we do have to be grateful for in our lives. I know recently, for the past four months in particular, I have struggled to find the silver lining, the golden moments, the glimpses of a happier day amongst the tough ones.

What do I have to be grateful for?

• My husband. He will always be top of the list. He is the one that picks me up when I am down. When I am tired at the end of the day, he steps in and helps me with my medications, when I am too tired to think and do it for myself. He drives me to all my appointments and makes sure to get me out of the house for a drive and often for a coffee. He takes me away when he can for a change of scene for both of us. The last few months have been hard with the pain and not just on me, on him as well. I don’t think I would be able to manage as well as I usually do without him. I will be forever grateful that he picked me and that despite all my health issues and complexities, he continues to love me and be there for me. I am truly blessed to have him.
• My children and grandchildren. Even though we may not be in regular contact, I know I can count on their love and support when I need it. I love all six of my grandchildren, three boys and three girls. They are at different ages and stages, but I love being with them and watching them grow. I think they are all amazing, but I may be a bit biased!
• My blog, that helps me to figure out what I am doing with my life and why. It helps me think by putting the words down that buzz around in my head if I let them. I also like that at times my followers reach out to me and comment on my blog and that it helps them too.
• My home. I love our house. Four years we will have been in here at Christmas. It still feels like a new home, but we are settled and happy here. We have amazing neighbours and a lovely home that I have tested for accessibility, and it works well with a walker. My recent problems with my back and legs means I am currently using a walker. The positive is that it gave us the opportunity to test our home environment, and it passed with flying colours. Our garden is beautiful too and just coming into summer with flowers just starting to appear hopefully to be a mass of colour for Christmas.
• A good GP. My doctor has been so supportive seeing me every week, while I battle my pain issues and try to come up with solutions. I am grateful that I am on the list for surgery to fix my back and hopefully that will happen soon and I will be recovering and being able to walk again unaided.
• My cousin. Who is like the sister I never had. She is an amazing support and does so much for me, without fuss and I am so grateful for everything she does for me. I couldn’t imagine not having her around for support and just for being her. My Op Shop and Spa Pool buddy, hopefully in a few months we can get back to both.
• A select few that I can count as friends. I don’t have a lot of friends, but I do have a few that keep in contact with me. I believe in quality not quantity when it comes to friends. Some people may seem to have many friends, but when the chips are down they are likely to only have a select few that they can count on to support them.
• My Parkies. It is under control and behaving itself at the moment. I am grateful for that. As I enter my fourth year post diagnosis, may it continue to behave and just simmer quietly in the background and not cause me any issues for a long, long time.
• My projects. I am working on a few projects at the moment and these keep me busy and focussed and can help to give me positive things to do with my time. I will always try to have projects that are positive to occupy my mind.
• My town. I love living in Kaiapoi. It is a beautiful little town, friendly and easy to live in. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else now. This is our town and we are lucky to have found such a lovely place to live.

So, there it is. Just some of the many things I have to be positive about. The things I should be grateful for every day. Although life can be tough with my pain issues, etc., there is so much to be grateful for and I will try to remember that and not dwell on the less than positive things in my life.

What brings you joy?

What are the positives in your life?

Who are the positive people you can go to if you need to?

What are you grateful for.

What fills your tank?

How can you tap into the positives when life gets hard?