Yesterday was not a great day. I was beginning to wonder if the warm fuzzies of Thanksgiving passed me by this year. I hate days like that. I wake up with a smile on my face ready to face the day and within five minutes I want nothing more than to crawl back in the bed. Here is how it went....
--I was out of coffee and had to walk all the way downstairs to get a new container from the deep freezer. Normally this isn't a big deal, but I just wasn't awake yet.
--I stood outside with the puppy in the rain only to have him go to the bathroom in the house about five minutes after we came inside. Another day of keeping the steam cleaner on hand. Did I really say yes to a puppy?
--The first words out of Anna's mouth when I woke her up were "My stomach hurts".
--It took 3 times to wake Brooke up. This is not unusual, but some days, more irritating than others. This particular day I was wishing I had a bull horn. Or maybe a bucket of ice water......
--Benjamin decided to come to breakfast naked. Nobody wants to see that first thing in the morning even on a good day.
--Finally got them out the door and safely on the bus only to turn around and see that the puppy has gone to the bathroom again. Seriously? I need a bus to come by and pick up the puppy too.
--After I cleaned that mess up I started doing my usual walking through the house and picking up after my family. I found myself thinking a variety of not so nice thoughts.... "Do THESE PEOPLE not have any respect? Cereal bowls and milk still on the table. Socks (including Jason's) and pajamas in various locations throughout the house. Am I asking that much that they clean up after themselves? Do they even notice how hard I work for them?"
--Around 11 I headed to Kroger thinking by going on Monday I would beat the Thanksgiving crowds. Wrong. The parking lot was packed so I turned around and headed to Zaxby's. I was going to need more strength than I thought to tackle Kroger. I ate lunch in the Kroger parking lot and noticed people had a weary looks on their faces as they loaded groceries into their cars. Maybe we didn't need groceries after all.
--In I go. Coupons organized, list ready....even had my pen behind my ear. It was probably a bad sign when I just about got run over as I was picking out apples. Then the same lady showed up again when I was picking out onions. Again, I must have been invisible because she almost ran over me. Not like there was a shortage of onions. It was beginning to feel like a Walmart black Friday sale in the produce section. I resisted my usual urge to say something.
--Wish I could say it got better after that, but I can't. They were out of Parkay, eggs, half and half and buttermilk. Guess I will also be going to Food Lion. Great.
--Returned home with enough time to unload groceries, take the dogs out and check in with the girl who takes care of Mom on Mondays before heading out to an appointment with Ben's pediatrician.
--Today was the day Ben would be starting medication for ADHD. Not really where I imagined I would be with Ben. There is a lot more to this....but let's just say it makes my heart hurt.
So, that was most of my day. So much for a spirit of thankfulness. Maybe I can skip Thanksgiving.
Well....maybe not.
The REAL truth is I have nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for. I am so endlessly lucky.
--I didn't mind going down to get the coffee....I am thankful we were able to buy the new deep freezer this year.
--The puppy....well he is so darn cute I can't really get mad at him. Besides, that's why we have a steam cleaner in the first place. Life is full of little messes.
--Anna felt better after she had been up a few minutes and went on to school. No crisis there, and I was thankful she felt better. I sent a note for her teacher just in case!
--Waking Brooke up....I wouldn't really use ice water. Besides, it used to take 4 times to get her up!
--The lady in Kroger. The truth is I smiled at her and commented on how busy the store was today. Wasn't until the onions that we realized we knew each other. We talked for a couple of minutes about her grandchildren and how my parents were getting along. It was good to see her!
--Ben and the ADHD diagnosis is a big hurdle for me, but he has a terrific doctor who answered all of my crazy questions and reassured me that Ben would be o.k. It is a team effort and if this helps him learn then it is a good thing. He made me feel better. It is also good to feel like we may finally have answers.
--Last but not least. My family. Yes, they leave their stuff everywhere and it is quite possible they believe a fairy comes along and picks it all up because they certainly don't seem to notice me doing it. But what if I didn't have them to pick up after? The world would be an awfully lonely place without them. They don't just raise my blood pressure.....they cause my heart to keep beating in the first place.
So it isn't that I have to be thankful because it is Thanksgiving but instead a belief that the feelings of Thanksgiving can happen every day we are on this earth. Some days we just have to look harder for them than others.
Happy Thanksgiving!
You Raise Me Up
