Dispelling Thanklessness

Today, my happy list came slowly.  I felt drab.  And trite.  And petty.

But finally, amidst the cathartic rhythm of scrubbing countertops and chopping vegetables, my mind cleared and I began to notice my blessings again:

- Freshly-vacuumed carpet

- A working freezer

- Ajax

- Paper towels

- Fondue

- Board games

- Prayer

- Work.  Even housework  =)

- Newly-engaged friends

- Newborn babies, complete with Facebook photos!

- Electricity

- Batteries

- Voicemails from far-away friends

- Hummed music

- Quotes from wise people (see below)

- One more day of breath in my lungs, the ability to walk, and the freedom to blog

* * *

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.  And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.”

– Charles Swindoll