Weekend Recap: Gratitude Week 1

November 3, 2014

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{It’s November, Thanksgiving is right around the corner…}

Thursday evening arrived and I was like a kid in a candy shop, and not because Halloween was the following day. I was only one more wake up from one of the greatest loves of my life: The Weekend. Yet, our on-going love affair was riddled with those “unexpected” events all throughout the weekend. You know, just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. It all started with one car having problems, then the other car the following day, followed by what would have been relatively trivial annoyances had the other few incidents not have occurred. And as I sat at dinner this evening, I vented at how much the weekend really, for lack of a better word, sucked. TJ, typically ever the optimist, kindly pointed out all that we had to be grateful for. As did my wonderful mother, who sat with me in the parking lot, tears streaming down my face, as we waited for the tow truck driver to arrive. Yet, here I was, stuck in a Sunday evening pity party, playing to the world’s smallest violin for an audience of one (myself). Then, I remembered that it was November, a month typically associated with having gratitude for all the blessings that have been bestowed to you (disclaimer: I’m not saying that gratitude is not something to be engaged in on a regular basis). So, Allison and I got to talking and decided that in each weekend recap we would list the seven “things” we were grateful for throughout the past week.

We’ve written about gratitude and the role it plays in overall happiness several times. Plain and simple, the more TRULY grateful one is, the happier they tend to be in life. I’ve seen it in my work and in my personal life. So, in an effort to increase our overall awareness of all that we have to be grateful for, I have decided to keep a gratitude journal throughout the week. Below you’ll find the beginning of our list (only two since as I write this there have only been two days of November), some deeper than others, naturally! Will you join us in our gratitude journey?

Shannon:

1. That with all the “unexpected” events of the weekend, all that was inconvenienced was time, and maybe some tears. We were blessed to be able to afford all the set backs that were placed in our way, both financially and emotionally.

2. I am grateful for TJ, my parents, and Allison! Without them, I may have lost my sanity this weekend (I may be exaggerating, but only slightly :))!

Allison:

1. On this Sunday evening, anticipating the work week, what would be more appropriate than expressing gratitude for my job? Though it’s full of challenges, it has made me grow professionally and personally in ways I can’t measure… and it pays the bills!

2. Safety…of all of us. Shannon, TJ, and I have all been in some potentially dangerous car-related situations in the past week, and it’s truly something to be grateful for that we are all unscathed.

{A pre-weekend date night that involved his & hers pumpkin carving, skinny baked apples, and a little vino.}