No matter who we are or where we are in our lives, we all have something to be thankful for. Even in my darkest days when I thought there was no hope for me, I was thankful that my family was safe and alive.
When I found myself losing hope again, I reminded myself of where I was thirty years ago then twenty years ago, and that I still had hope. Then I think of the friend who lost her child; the solider I met who lost both of his legs and then his wife; the stranger I met who slept in an abandoned car in the junk yard. Yet he blessed me and offered to share his coffee that day.
Why am I writing this for you or anyone or no one to read? Because no matter where I am in life, I have something to be thankful for. It might not seem like it at times, but there is always someone who has less to be thankful for than me. This is my reminder to myself that there will always be tough times, but they aren't important. It's how you decide to handle them that is really important. Writing it down reminds me of this and thorough writing it I remember and smile and am thankful once again.
Because I've been in many of the same situations as others who feel they have nothing, I feel that I can talk about it and not be assuming in what I have to say. Attitude changes everything. I could have accepted that I had nothing and felt like I was nothing. I would have continued in that direction and ended up on drugs, street corners and panhandling at intersections. Because I refused to be a useless waste of space, I changed my attitude and demanded that people see me. I made jobs for myself until I was able to get one honestly.
It didn't stop there. It will never stop there. Once you reach some of your dreams, if you settle back and ride the waves instead of continuing to paddle the board, you'll end up crashing again. And I have, several times. To this end, I am a constantly growing human being who makes mistakes, bad choices, and poor decisions. I will have to work at my life every single day that I'm still able. I can't expect it to coast along without giving it a push now and then.
So I write the next page. I keep putting my thoughts, ideas, and dreams down on paper, forming sentences, paragraphs, and chapters until I've created another dream, another fantasy that I hope helps someone out there handle another day where all hope seems lost. For a little while when I'm in that world, building it up and giving it life, I to can forget the pain of watching my parents decline and the pain of loneliness. For that moment, I have my book friends and all is right with me.
It's never hurts to hide for a while and lose ourselves in a story as long as we don't make it the reality of our lives. Use it to regroup, refuel, and strengthen your resolve to find one more thing to be thankful for. Then take a step in a new direction in the pursuit of your dreams.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and pray that you have more to be thankful for than you realized when you first started thinking about it. Tell at least one someone today that you appreciate them, love them, or are richer for having met them. Not only are you boosting yourself, but you make someone else feel good at the same time. Seeing a smile on someone's face that you helped to put there is the headiest drug in the world.
Peace and Abundant Blessings to you and your family and friends.
Marla Monroe
www.marlamonroe.com
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