Embracing Life: Thankfulness

Retrieved from:
https://busybeingjennifer.com/give-thanks-free-chalkboard-printable/

I'm sitting here on Thanksgiving night, 50 feet from the beach in a beautiful Mexican vacation home, listening to one of the worst windstorms I've heard in at least a decade. As with many rentals, it's obvious ours isn't cut out for this kind of weather. The wind is howling around and through the windows, rattling the glass and creating a noise similar to a tea-kettle whistle, with rain seeping in through the edges.

(I'm also, I should add, typing in the dark at the kitchen table, trying to provide support to a scared, tired kiddo who doesn't like the storm any more than I do. Apparently, even paradise has its rainy days.)

It's yet another reminder of a powerful lesson I've been learning, or re-learning, recently: Embrace life. All of it. The good, the bad, the funny, the downright ugly. It's all there anyway. We can hate it, and become bitter. We can ignore it, but it won't go away. Or we can embrace it. We can accept the paradoxes, the complexities that define the human experience. We can love ourselves and those around us, imperfections and all, and just be thankful that we get to be a part of this crazy thing called life.

So today, I'm starting small, and practicing this polarity embrace in my tropical wind tunnel, on a Thanksgiving that isn't even a recognized holiday here:


Today I'm thankful...

... for the people who love me, because an essential part of the human experience is to love, and to be loved. I'm also thankful for those who don't love me, because they remind me that the world doesn't revolve around me.

... for the things I'm good at, because I know I've been given those gifts to make the world a better place. And I'm thankful for all the hundred zillion things I'm not good at (that Pinterest and my kids remind me of every day), because they allow me to stay humble, to admire the strengths other people have, and to seek their help.

Backing up. One of those things I'm not good at.

... for the easy kids, who bring joy to our days and make parenting seem like a breeze. (God bless the easy kids!) And I'm thankful for the challenging kids, who teach us more than we ever wanted to know about ourselves and keep us on our knees.

They're all my favorites, I swear...

... for old traditions, because they ground us and help create meaning in a chaotic world. And for new traditions, because they fill our lives with joy and expectation.

... for sunny days, when everything goes how it's supposed to, and for stormy days, because it's in adversity that our wings get stronger.

Happy Thanksgiving from our tea kettle to yours!