Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay– Song of the South, Disney
These are just a few of the things I’m grateful for this week.
What are you grateful for?
Browsing Category
Gratitude
For several months now I’ve been doing a “Links for the Weekend” post every Friday. But, well, I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to feel compelled to put this list of random things together every Friday. What I’d rather do is share interesting links that I come across in my Internet travels either on Facebook or Twitter and use this space for something, well, more inspiring.
This week two posts that I came across on the Internet inspired me: one called Things I’m Afraid to Tell You, about transparency in blogging, and another from Karen about the top 10 ways to put more good out into the world.
First, I read several of the Things I’m Afriad to Tell You posts and I thought, this is great. These women are brave and authentic and shattering the myths of perfection you see online. As a blogger I certainly know that what you read on any blog is an edited version of reality. People never share everything, they share only what they want you to see. Some people share more than others but there’s always something they hold back for themselves. I do that too. Our life isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I have dishes and laundry that are never done, beds that aren’t made. I procrastinate and care WAY too much about what other people think of me and sometimes it’s paralyzing.
But as I was writing up my own Things I’m Afraid to Tell You post a little lightbulb went off in my head and I remembered Karen’s post about positivity. Because it seemed like all I was doing was putting together a list of negative things about myself and I realized I didn’t want to do this. Did I really want to write a post about all the things that aren’t perfect in our life? Isn’t that just giving those things more power over me than they already have? Because here’s the thing, ask me to come up with all the things I don’t like about myself, no problem. But ask me to come up with a list of the things I do like, things that I’m grateful for, well that’s really hard. As Karen says:
Our ability to look at the negative, if exercised like a muscle, gets stronger and more robust, to the point where all we can see is negative.
So instead, I want to put more good out in the world. What am I grateful for this week? Well,
- I’m grateful that I have sweaters that are stretched out and have holes in them. Holes created by one amazing little man who has pulled and tugged on them a little too much.
- I’m grateful that yesterday we got some good news from a doctor for a change.
- And I’m grateful that I have family who love and support me.
The best lesson I’ve taken away from Things I’m Afriad to Tell You is that “comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s way too easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others either online or in real life and thinking that someone else always has it better than you. I am terrible at this. But, while there are beautiful things “out there” that might inspire us, it’s recognizing the beauty within us that is the first step in being more positive. And, I’m going to try to remind myself of that every day. Maybe I’ll do it with words, maybe with images, but I’ll remember that everyday there is always at least one good thing.
Finally, I’ll leave you with this brilliant and entertaining video about how positive thinking can change your whole outlook on life.
Last month was Spring Break, the longest Spring Break ever! It was also a month where my little man has pushed lots of boundaries as he wants to be increasingly independent. We don’t want to get dressed, or eat, or get in the car seat. All little things that require me to just take a deep breath and remember that it’s just part of growing up and it’s a phase (hopefully!) and that he’s still my little miracle. My fiercely independent little miracle.
…walking around shirtless and describing the look as “naked with trousers.” I’m mostly fine with this look except when he insists on going “naked with trousers” when we go out.
…insisting on wearing his “stripey” jumper to bed. And, suddenly being old enough to start making his own fashion choices.
…pretending to be the “tickle monster” and chasing me around the kitchen.
…playing house with the sofa cushions. His sofa house has walls and a roof and he takes all of his trains in there with him.
…making the statement “we don’t eat poo.” This makes me feel like I’ve taught him well. Except that he’s also said “mummy has a big willy.”
…doing Waybuloo yoga together. “Mummy come do it,” he says. I think it’s the most exercise I get these days.
…getting out of his comfort zone at the soft play and climbing around like a mad man. Still doesn’t like the bouncy castle though.
…squealing with absolute delight when Daddy was cleaning the back porch with the hose and squirting the back door. “Do it again Daddy. You funny Daddy.”
…doing a stand up wee for the first time. Hooray! Even though he did tinkle on the seat.
…entering the “what’s that?” and the “what’s that do?” phase. And using “let’s call his name” as his way of asking me to tell him what something is called.
…blowing “bubbles” on each other’s bellies. He can make some good belly raspberries.
…planting strawberry seeds in a pot together and then dumping it all out on the ground to make a “sand castle.” Who knows where those strawberries might come up at this point.
…Daddy: “Sit on Mummy and do a ‘toot’ (aka fart) on her.” Little Monkey: Sits on me and lets out a fart. On purpose. Farting on demand!
iPhone Processing: Shot with Hipstamatic (Roboto Glitter lens, Cano Cafenol film)
How is it that all of a sudden I have a child who talks to me in full sentences? I look at him now, this little chatterbox who continually narrates his life and creates dialog between his toy trains, and I can barely remember the baby who just laid on the floor mute.
I want to remember him
…placing the football as close as possible to the goal and then kicking it in. Goal!
…having the confidence to raise his hand and shout out the answer in a group of kids.
…lifting his arms to get sprayed with Daddy’s deodorant and then giggling with absolute delight.
…roaring like a dinosaur repeatedly at me. He roars, I roar back, he laughs. His roars are much better than mine.
…showing me the picture he made at school of a “Lion” that was “smiling.”
…deciding that licking mummy’s face is a really fun game.
…standing up in front of the entire class and singling Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all by himself.
…telling me about his day on the car ride home after school.
…moving over on the see saw to make room for his friend saying “I make a space.”
…desperately trying to hold his friend’s hand on the walk home from the park. She wanted nothing to do with it and resisted as long as she could. But he was persistent and she finally gave in.
…telling me I’m a “bossy lady” after a phrase he picked up from Thomas the Tank Engine. I find this funny as I’m not very bossy at all.
…playing hide and seek with his toes in the sandpit. I cover them up with sand and then we try to find them. Peep-o.
…eating his ice cream cone from the bottom up. Me, struggling not to intervene to just let him make a mess.
…asking me to put my arms around him for a snuggle.
This weekend I took the little man on what was quite possibly the most perfect day out for a little boy in love with trains and with Thomas the Tank Engine. I always want to remember how he smiled and squealed with delight when he realized where we were going and set his eyes upon Thomas.
Some of the other things he’s done this month that I want to remember:
…carefully spreading yogurt onto his croissant with a spoon.
…wrapping up in our warm heated towels after a shower and having a big snuggle. Me, cradling him like little baby as he smiles up at me.
…singing the “Sleeping Bunnies” song and then very specifically requesting that we do not just sleeping dinosaur but sleeping Triceratops, sleeping Tyrannosaurus, sleeping Stegosaurus and sleeping Styracosaurus.
…doing fish lips to each other at dinner. He had me in stitches as he tried to copy me.
…reading the first two pages of “Go Train Go” to me verbatim. I cried tears of joy.
…being so engrossed in a book when I picked him up from school that we HAD to bring it home. And then being SO excited for me to sit and read it to him as soon as we walked through the door. I’ve never seen him that excited about a book.
…pretending that parts of his train track were a dragon and making it fly around. Until its head fell off.
…narrating the story of what he sees on TV. (Bad mummy, too much TV.)
…laughing with delight when I tickled his feet on the swing.
…playing hide and seek. He is the worst hider and seeker ever. But when he covers his eyes and tries to count, it makes me laugh and smile.
…doing pretend bodily functions. Burp, yes. Sneeze, yes. Hiccup, yes.
…giving the Valentines Day card he received from his best friend Zebra a big hug and a squeeze.
…making pirate eye patches out of plasticine.
…singing the “Rainbow Song” all by himself with hand motions.
…using my makeup brush and smiling at himself in the mirror saying “I got makeup on.”
…randomly breaking out into “Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour” and then “Thank you. Merci.” In a year he’ll know more French than I do.
…doing “Round and Round the Garden” on my hand first thing in the morning when he woke up.
…taking a break in the middle of football class to run across the gym and check on his dinosaur book.
…walking around sometimes on his tip-toes.