Starting a Gratitude Practice

A blog I enjoy (and a friend) had this link to starting a gratitude practice. I read it about a week ago and in between feeling crappy, pissed, cranky, or annoyed, I thought about it. And I'm tired of feeling crappy, pissed, cranky, and annoyed. I can barely stand to be around myself let alone other people. Ugh. So WTH, it couldn't hurt and might even help. So here I go. This is my first attempt at gratitude. Here we go.

1. I'm so grateful I live in a first world country.

2. I have a safe place to live with running water, heat and air, a beautiful front- and backyard, in a low crime area. All the Navy people, police, and prison guards who live in our neighborhood helps.

3. I have three darling kitties, two of whom are so loving and sweet. I try my best with the third one.

4. I'm grateful for the good insurance that allowed me to get the DS (weight loss surgery) that is improving my health despite all my bitching and whining. I hope it will enable me to live a long, long time, but I understand there are no guarantees.

5. I'm grateful for a second chance to develop a relationship with my mother after eight years of no contact. She can be ornery, but for the most part we have a very loving, fun, cherished relationship.

6. I'm grateful for the few close friends I have. Very grateful. I don't make friends easily. (See prologue ^ ).

7. I'm grateful for my husband, through thick, thin, mis-communication, mis-understandings, fighting, trying harder, practicing compassion and kindness, loving more, and celebrating the ten-year anniversary of our first date next week with a day and a night at the beach.

8. I'm grateful I'm not blind in both eyes. So grateful.

9. Grateful for the IKEA microfiber "fake down" blanket that has kept me and then my husband warm since 2004 and is still in great condition!

10. I love my Android phone. Going a week without it during our recent sojourn to SoCal, it simply drove home how much I rely on it (Google Maps GPS in particular.) Really appreciate having that phone.

I think that's it for now.