Schmutzie kicked off the Grace in Small Things campaign as a "daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." I've always loved the sentiment, but the idea seemed too big for me. This is hilarious, I know, considering the name of the project. But I tend to be a Capricorn in one very specific way: if I can't do something perfectly, I don't do it at all. I couldn't figure out a way to do this every single day without disrupting the rest of my blog, so I didn't participate, even though I wanted to.
God, I'm ridiculous.
Anyway, this is my year, no matter how much the Universe would like to convince me otherwise. Hey Universe, you're not going to win this one, so quit your nonsense!
A reader suggested I make a list of five things I'm grateful for, to gain perspective in light of this crappy week, and her tip reminded me of Schmutzie's project.
Here we go:
1. Yesterday, I took the day off. I shouldn't have, but I did. After spending most of the morning wallowing, Mike said, "Screw it, let's take Kyle to the zoo."
It was grand.
2. Emailing Elizabeth. I can tell her anything and she doesn't think I'm a bad mom/wife/person. Just today I told her my kid was being an asshole. If that offends you, I promise not to email you the next time I need to vent. Because, really, that's just the tip of the iceberg, people.
3. Modern Family. Are you watching this show? Oh, it's the best! If you're not, you should set those DVRs immediately.
4. These lyrics: "I let the day go by / I always say goodbye / I watch the stars from my window sill / The whole world is moving and I'm standing still." I love this song because it reminds me, always, that life never waits for you to figure your shit out. You've got to keep up and hang on.
5. I ran 2.5 miles yesterday, and it felt incredible (albeit not easy). That's the farthest I've ever run. In my life. (Pause for applause.) I'll run my first 5K in a little over two weeks. Who wants to meet me at the finish line with diamonds? Or cinnamon rolls?
You can always tell me what you're grateful for. Sometimes reading your comments is the best part of my day, second only to these guys:
Although, not the lizard. I mean, I'm sure he's nice and all (although when I say nice, I think I mean not nice even a little bit), but I imagine he doesn't snuggle nearly as well as the two on the left.