Inhale with Gratitude

A few years ago I was at a spin class the night before Thanksgiving.  The instructor opened the class with this line, "Inhale with gratitude."  To this day, it remains one of my favorite quotes.

We all have something to be thankful for.  Even in the worst of times, there is something... for all of us.  For those who may be in the pit of despair, it still exists.  It is just hiding, but if you can hold on long enough, it will reveal itself and hopefully comfort you, especially when you realize its been there the whole time.  For those who may be walking on cloud nine, it is easy to lose track of your blessings.  It's easy to take things for granted. Those who find themselves in this position can be blinded from the same true blessings as those in despair.  It's so important to look at ourselves and our lives with clear and honest eyes and "inhale with gratitude."

When you realize what you have, it is easier to realize who you are and where you'd like to go.  When I think about my short list of my gratitudes, it really is my foundation.  They sit right at the core of who I am.  When I began my first blog three years ago, I did so for therapeutic reasons.  It was just months after Dale died and I was rather lost.  My very first post was (unconsciously) about the blessings that I did have in my life and it set the pace for what I believe to have been an extraordinary 3 years.

Here is my short-list, the 5 things that I am most thankful for...

1.  My son....  No words can do justice for what he means.  <3
2.  My family... My close friends are considered family too.
3.  My health... Good health is what I wish for anyone and everyone more so than anything else, even happiness.

I feel those top 3 are probably close to most people's top three (with children ;)).  My last two are more personal and unique to me.

4.  My independence...  I need to feel like I can breathe and to be able to make choices for myself.  I am very grateful for having been able to not only financially, but to mentally be able to take care of myself and my son on my own.  We were able to maintain our home and our lifestyle despite everything else in our lives changing.

My last one.  It's tough to narrow it down into five (I've actually had to think on this one a bit).  But last but not least...

5.  Second chances... Sometimes we don't get a second chance.   But when we do, we need to learn from our mistakes, from our experiences, trust ourselves and our guts and make it count!

What are you most thankful for?  Please comment and share.  I'd love to hear them!