When was the last time you took a breather? When was the last time you took some much needed time out? One thing is for sure, though, I don't know when I last did any of those things.
Ever since the semester started, I couldn't, for the life of me, seem to get some downtime (as much as I wished I could. But today, after having most of the afternoon off, I was able to just cuddle up in my bed and do nothing but think. It was really nice to get even a brief reprieve from all the stress and I realized one thing as my thoughts kept running through my mind all afternoon.
Everyday, we seem to be so hooked on one thing or another that we often fail to appreciate the little things. There are many times in our lives when all we really need is a park bench and some time. I know many of us find time hard to come by but... is it, really? Or is it just becoming another excuse?
As I sat on my bed and thought about the events of the day, I realized that I haven't really taken the time to be grateful and to appreciate everything in my life. And now that I've though about it, I guess I really do have so much to be thankful for.
Aside from all the obvious stuff like having a bed to sleep in, a roof over my head, food on the table... there are other, smaller, less conspicuous things that we should not forget to be grateful for everyday. We often take these things for granted because they've always been there. They may not be that life-changing but that does not necessarily mean that they're any less special than the big stuff. In my opinion, these little things are the ones that really matter in life.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that being able to appreciate the little things in life gives us the ability to appreciate the bigger things better. When you already see the everyday things as something special, when something really truly great comes along, I guess, it would add another layer of special! It's no longer your garden-variety kind of special; it becomes all the more sweeter, all the more special, all the more remarkable.
Learning to appreciate the little things, to see the silver lining in the direst of situations, also helps in giving us a positive outlook in life. And sometimes, having that tiny edge of positivity can make a huge difference. It's a fact of life that at one point or another, something in our life would not go according to plan. Some people succumb to the desperation or the heartache or the pain. But it takes a special kind of grace and strength to be able to look up and say with all conviction that "I'm okay. I'm still here. I've still got a few punches in me left. And besides, I've got this and that to hold me up."
So yeah, I don't know if this makes sense or if it's just my brain throwing up again. One thing I can say though is that I'm grateful for the things that I receive everyday and I'm grateful for the things that I don't. There are so many good things in life to appreciate so why should I waste all my thoughts and energy focusing on the should have beens, could have beens, would have beens? Regret is easy. It's being thankful that defines a person. We get so focused on the things we can't have that life would seem to pass us by... and we don't even realize it! We're so sure that the little blessings we do have will always be there that we often take them for granted as we want and need and pine for the things we don't have. Then, the day will come when we won't even have the little things anymore. What's that saying? You don't miss the water until the river runs dry? Or something like that. Well, I for one won't be waiting around wishing for the lake when I've got that river. I won't be waiting around for the day when my river would run dry.
Everyday, I'm taking the plunge,
Everyday, I'm going to enjoy my river while I can.
And everyday, I'm going to be thankful.
I was inspired to write this because of this book/blog that I've been following FOR YEARS! It's amazing. The title says it all: http://1000awesomethings.com/
Check it out if you have the time. :)
I also got an idea from this book that I just started reading (will definitely post a review when I'm done! It's awesome!). In it, the character writes her fears on a strip of paper, folds them into stars and collects them. I figured I could do the same. Not with my fears, but with everything I'm grateful for. :)
Okay, I am so gonna do this thing!
Thatnow, I need to learn how to fold paper stars first haha!
Ever since the semester started, I couldn't, for the life of me, seem to get some downtime (as much as I wished I could. But today, after having most of the afternoon off, I was able to just cuddle up in my bed and do nothing but think. It was really nice to get even a brief reprieve from all the stress and I realized one thing as my thoughts kept running through my mind all afternoon.
Everyday, we seem to be so hooked on one thing or another that we often fail to appreciate the little things. There are many times in our lives when all we really need is a park bench and some time. I know many of us find time hard to come by but... is it, really? Or is it just becoming another excuse?
As I sat on my bed and thought about the events of the day, I realized that I haven't really taken the time to be grateful and to appreciate everything in my life. And now that I've though about it, I guess I really do have so much to be thankful for.
Aside from all the obvious stuff like having a bed to sleep in, a roof over my head, food on the table... there are other, smaller, less conspicuous things that we should not forget to be grateful for everyday. We often take these things for granted because they've always been there. They may not be that life-changing but that does not necessarily mean that they're any less special than the big stuff. In my opinion, these little things are the ones that really matter in life.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that being able to appreciate the little things in life gives us the ability to appreciate the bigger things better. When you already see the everyday things as something special, when something really truly great comes along, I guess, it would add another layer of special! It's no longer your garden-variety kind of special; it becomes all the more sweeter, all the more special, all the more remarkable.
Learning to appreciate the little things, to see the silver lining in the direst of situations, also helps in giving us a positive outlook in life. And sometimes, having that tiny edge of positivity can make a huge difference. It's a fact of life that at one point or another, something in our life would not go according to plan. Some people succumb to the desperation or the heartache or the pain. But it takes a special kind of grace and strength to be able to look up and say with all conviction that "I'm okay. I'm still here. I've still got a few punches in me left. And besides, I've got this and that to hold me up."
So yeah, I don't know if this makes sense or if it's just my brain throwing up again. One thing I can say though is that I'm grateful for the things that I receive everyday and I'm grateful for the things that I don't. There are so many good things in life to appreciate so why should I waste all my thoughts and energy focusing on the should have beens, could have beens, would have beens? Regret is easy. It's being thankful that defines a person. We get so focused on the things we can't have that life would seem to pass us by... and we don't even realize it! We're so sure that the little blessings we do have will always be there that we often take them for granted as we want and need and pine for the things we don't have. Then, the day will come when we won't even have the little things anymore. What's that saying? You don't miss the water until the river runs dry? Or something like that. Well, I for one won't be waiting around wishing for the lake when I've got that river. I won't be waiting around for the day when my river would run dry.
Everyday, I'm taking the plunge,
Everyday, I'm going to enjoy my river while I can.
And everyday, I'm going to be thankful.
I was inspired to write this because of this book/blog that I've been following FOR YEARS! It's amazing. The title says it all: http://1000awesomethings.com/
Check it out if you have the time. :)
I also got an idea from this book that I just started reading (will definitely post a review when I'm done! It's awesome!). In it, the character writes her fears on a strip of paper, folds them into stars and collects them. I figured I could do the same. Not with my fears, but with everything I'm grateful for. :)
Okay, I am so gonna do this thing!
Thatnow, I need to learn how to fold paper stars first haha!