Gratitude (And it's not even Thanksgiving!)

About a year ago, I was feeling very sorry for myself. My skin just kept breaking out. I said to Bill, "I would be happy if my skin was just sixty percent better." (Because I always think in exact quantities and percentages.) Well, when I went on bed rest shortly after that, my skin did clear up. It probably was about sixty percent better. A few times I think I felt grateful for the improvement, but most of the time, I still mourned the blemishes that I continued to have. Now that I am back to having acne like a teenager (while at the same time having wrinkles like someone in their thirties has), I realize that I should have been more grateful for that time, albeit brief, that I could go without makeup without being completely humiliated.

I could use that story to talk about how we should be happy with what we have because we will never have enough and always want more. But I was thinking more about gratitude tonight. So, in an effort to show (and feel) a little more gratitude for some of my blessings while I am still experiencing those blessings, here is my list of things that I was grateful for today. 

1. That person who invented Kleenex. As someone who is allergic to most of the world, what a necessary thing for me! What did people do before that invention? So nice when I needed to use almost a whole box today!
2. Kids who are funny.
Avery: Mom, I found this picture of you when you were little. You were cute. You looked just like me. Sadie: Squeal, Squeal, Squeal, Eat everything I come in contact with, Squeal, Laugh, Squeal, Half-crawl-scoot-roll to get whatever I want, Squeal until no more noise comes out but keep squealing.
Bill: I found your old white laptop...UNDER Preston's bed and on.... (that sneaky little guy....)
Bill: Carter, stop shaking your booty! (He is CONSTANTLY dancing and shaking that skinny little bum.)
Avery: Sadie, stop being inappropriate. We can be inappropriate, but you can't because you're just a baby.
3. A husband who makes dinner.
4. E-readers. I bought and read a book and never had to leave the couch. (I realize the potential for laziness here, but I'm claiming sickness for today.)
5. Books in general. Especially Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer when I am in this kind of mood. And other books inspired by these authors. Maybe I'll stop being lazy and do a post on my book blog about Georgette Heyer. I bought a lot of twenty books by her on ebay today, with only three repeats of books I already have or have read. I am so excited to get them. Somebody can have the repeat books if they want.
6. Running water and heated water. I would not have felt well enough to go fetch my own water. Plus, I really needed that shower.
7. A new couch. Eight months with only a loveseat in my upstairs family room makes me really appreciate this cute new contemporary/transitional textured gray couch with chaise lounge on one side that we got at the Fischer Furniture outlet in Logan for only $699! Especially good for setting up my sick station with Kleenex and books and phones and laptop. Comfy too.
8. Brother(s) and Sisters! I have the best, of course. (I am including in-laws here.)
9. Friends. If you are reading this, you likely fit into this category. Thanks for being awesome and for at least pretending to like me.
10. Black licorice that doesn't have corn syrup. I ate a couple of pieces today, and the bag is still right in front of me. (Not that I can't understand if you do not agree with me here. It is definitely a strong flavor.)
11. Conditioner. My hair smells nice now, and it is super soft. Funny looking because it is drying weird, but soft.
12. Pajamas that are comfy.
13. Chocolate. I didn't have any today, but in the book I read, they were eating chocolate, and I was thinking about how good it is. I could write poems about chocolate. If I had an appetite, I would go eat some right now.
14. Costco. I like their diapers that rarely leak. And their book prices, usually better than Amazon. And we usually buy Kleenex in bulk there. Just buying contacts there, for just one of us, saves us enough money each year to pay for our membership. Then we use that money we saved to buy more books...
15. A baby who slept in late so that I could also sleep in late and have weird dreams that included Chris Johnson and then driving some weird van/bike combination, maybe like a Flintstones car I had to pedal to escape the mafia.

What were you grateful for today?