Gratitude

Today, I'm not going to complain or be negative about a single thing. Today my mantra is "swimming in gratitude". I am leaving for work in a few minutes and I am going to do my best to treat every potentially negative thing that comes up today as a possibility for greatness.

So, to start this process I thought that I would start with a little stream of consciousness regarding things that I am thankful and/or grateful for. Please don't get your feeling hurt if I don't mention you specifically...if you are reading this, I am grateful for you.

Additionally, I might list something that someone thinks I shouldn't be grateful for...maybe that's the point. I am grateful for my mother and her mistreatment of me...it taught me how to be a better mother. But, I'm not going to list why I am grateful for each thing, person, feeling, emotion. I am just going to make a list and live it today.

So here it goes...

I am grateful for Amy, Steve, Matt, Shannon, Jill, Julia, Brennan, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, brother, mother, father, Fred, Leland, Jason, Tiffany, Scott, Cassie, Heather, Sarah, all the Jens in my life, life, health, creativity, Dr. Gray, Ms. Rhodeman, Dr. Sonnenschein, Dr. Conces, Pastor Foreman, Mindy, Dave, Renee, Nancy, Marv's, Kristopher and Jennifer, Barbara, Lisa, Danielle, Dez, Kandi, Dr. Bingham, Shawn, Josh, Joey, Justin, Tracey, Tim, Sarah, Alan, Brian, Tim, Jaki, Michelle, Ed, Mona, Shannon, Tara, Mark, Kim...and so many more. I am thankful for wine, cupcakes, rain, food, books, the bible, my faith, tears, heartache, love, children that I'm able to miss because I loved them as my own, music, electricity, degrees, culinary school, dance, Scottsdale, New York City, the beach, disney, running, shoes, LOVE and so many more things.

I thought of some more...I'm thankful for my first job, my faith, a great tattoo artist named Donn, New Orleans, the ballet, Nina Friday's art, the mountains, the trees, people that impact me (and don't even know it), people I impact (and maybe don't know it), Maya Angelou, this chick I met years ago on a plane and I can't remember her name..

I'm on a time budget today...I could go on for hours. But, I think just a daily reminder.

Until later mwah