#94-97: I am thankful for my overwhelming love for friends' new babies.

I haven't had the desire to blog in a while. I was being followed by a little gray cloud called "Look at all the horrible injustices in the world and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

But the moment I met little baby Nora, who was just a day old, I felt as if things were getting a little better. A new little baby who is loved and wanted in this world. Totally innocent and seems absolutely perfect.  She is so lucky to have been born to two wonderful people who will love her unconditionally. Holding her and watching her sleep and dream little baby dreams was uplifting. It's hard to think about all the horror and sadness and unfairness in the world when there is an itty-bitty baby sweetly sleeping in your arms. 

It feels a little weird, but even without meeting all the new babies that  have been born recently in my circle of friends, I love each and every one of them. I loved Nora so much the moment I found out she was born and loved her that much more when I got to snuggle her and shower her with my tears of joy :) The love I have for all these new little babies is almost overwhelming. I can't wait to meet each and every one of them. 

#94- I am thankful for Nora Marie.
#95- I am thankful for Cora Faye.
#96- I am thankful for Damon Jamison.
#97- I am thankful for all the other little babies that have been born recently who I want to cuddle and love :)

#93- I am thankful for "getting back on the horse."

I am thankful for the mere concept of "getting back on the horse."

So I've fallen off of the blogging "horse." And that's ok. Stuff happens. Life happens. Depression happens. And let's face it, shit happens.

When I was about 15 years old I took horseback riding lessons. I was in the beginner class with much younger children. The lesson plan for the day included learning the basic jumping maneuvers. I was riding one of my favorite horses who was very young and very big. She was just beautiful and I remember sneaking her little snacks of apples before and after the classes. Even though it was just a tiny little obstacle to jump over, she decided to jump as if it were much bigger. Well, I was not prepared for that and fell off the beautiful horse. I was fine. All of my bones were fine. The only consequence was a slightly bruised ego. After brushing off the dirt and re-adjusting my helmet, the instructor helped me back up. We tried the jump again and it went swimmingly. All was well. I continued to ride for the rest of the year and that was that. So, I fell of a horse. It didn't scare me from getting back on again. 

That was many years ago. Since then I have only gone horseback riding a small handful times so please excuse my lack of proper equestrian vocabulary. Even the lingo I did know at one time was in French so that really doesn't help at all.

But alas, I fell off of the blogging horse and couldn't seem to get back on. So here I am, attempting to blog once again. I continue to be thankful and grateful for many things but sometimes it is hard to put them into words.

So there it is. I'm thankful for the ability to get back on a horse, or a blog or well, anything, after a fall.

Because honestly if I decided to never do anything again after I've had a fall, then I'd never get to go anywhere because I wouldn't be walking anywhere.

#92- I am thankful for the JV Club.

I am thankful for the JV Club.

We seem to live in a world where we are encouraged to compete, compare, mistrust and almost HATE one another. We need to focus on supporting each other and encouraging each other to be the best people we can be rather than knocking each other down, being cruel and expressing the ugly parts of ourselves. We are constantly being told not to share our feelings and emotions and to not be so sensitive. The JV Club embraces the feelings we have, the tears we cry and joy we feel and accepts it for what it is, real life and the human experience.

A friend recommended this amazing podcast that I've been (mildly obsessively) listening to lately.  The JV Club has some of the most honest, open and authentic conversations I've ever heard in such a public forum.  It is SO wonderful to hear women talk about their own experiences growing up in such a genuine and sincere way. The stories told have brought me to tears, made me laugh and made me feel like I am part of the conversation even though I am miles away and have never met any of these women. Some episodes are funny and reminiscent of the awkward and funny moments of childhood and adolescence and other episodes delve deeper into much heavier and traumatic experiences.

After listening to these intimate conversations I feel a closeness to the host, Janet Varney and to each one of her guests and just want to give them all huge tear-filled hugs and hope I don't get tears and snot on their shoulders.

The level of acceptance and openness you hear during each episode is refreshing to hear.  There is not an ounce of pretense, but rather a genuine interest in one another other's lives and experiences which seems rare in comparison to my own experiences and observations of our society. The episodes I've listened to thus far have filled me with hope, inspiration and a sense of community with the host, guests and other listeners.

Knowing that these women exist and that there is a community of people who listen to each podcast gives me hope for our society.  Our life experiences, both good and bad, are valuable and have helped mold us into who we are today. We all hold amazing stories and experiences and have the ability to inspire others.

I am so thankful for this podcast and can not recommend it enough. It is as exquisite as it is insightful.

http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/the-jv-club/

#91- I am thankful for spending NYE at home in my pjs.

I am thankful for quiet nights spent at home, especially on New Year's Eve.

When everyone seems to be out and about at a variety of celebratory places, I like to be home, in my pajamas, with my life-partner-in-crime.  People are kind of crazy on New Year's Eve and on top of that there is imbibing-overload. I'd rather be off the road and at a safe distance from drunk drivers and out-of-control and rambunctious folks.

I prefer to ring in the new year in the comfort of my own home, being able to reflect on the past year and enjoying the company of my precious cats and life-mate. Being comfortable in my pj's  sweats and slippers is how I like to spend the last moments of the year and the first moments of the new year.  It's not that I don't like being out and about and surrounding myself with friends and family and general joviality, I just prefer to lay low on such a glitter, libation and confetti-filled night.

Being able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, a roof over our heads, the love of our family, friends and of course pets, the love in our hearts and being able to be grateful for what we have rather than focusing on what we don't have is how I'd like to spend this year and the years to come.

#90- I am thankful for common courtesy.

I am thankful for common courtesy.

I am thankful every single time a complete stranger holds a door for me, gives up their seat on the train for me, says please and thank you and offers assistance if it looks like I might need it.  It often feels like kindness and politeness are contagious. After witnessing someone being kind, I want to follow suit and be kinder to others as well.  I want to give up my seat on the train for someone who looks like they need it more than I do, I want to hold the door for the person behind me, I want to help someone with their belongings up and down the stairs, I want to be a better person.

There are times when I think that the concept of common courtesy, manners and being polite are not a priority in our society.  Working in retail and in a major theme park for several years, I could count on 2 hands the number of children who were polite without their adults urging.  I don't understand this since I remember being taught to say please and thank you and may I have from a very early age.  Even adults seem to have forgotten these common phrases.

Please be kind to others. Please be polite to others. Let those concepts be contagious. Thank you for reading :)

#89- I am thankful for J.K. Rowling.

J.K. Rowling has created a magical world that has allowed me and millions of others to get lost in. Without her I wouldn't still be waiting for my letter from Hogwarts and wish that I was friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The world she created is more than just a fantasy world. It's a mystical place with witches and wizards, owls and rats, goblins, trolls and house-elves. There are lessons to be learned and morals to be gained from reading these books.

I was resistant to reading these books initially, as I thought it was just a passing fad and I wasn't that interested in the fantasy genre to begin with but I will forever be thankful for the professor who gave it as a reading assignment in a Children's Literature class.

I love being able to get lost in these books and the enchanting world within the pages and even though I know it isn't real, it almost seems as if I've been transformed as I finish the last page.

Thank you J.K. Rowling for your creativity and ability to create a world that I wish was real.

#88- I am thankful for the "holiday spirit."

I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but I LOVE Christmas-time and the holidays. I'm not Christian AND I've worked in retail, two things that should make me less enthusiastic about this time of year. But there's something about the decorations, the movies, the carols, the sights and smells of Christmas that I just LOVE.  I love classy holiday decorations and I love the tackiest of holiday decorations. I am in all my glory wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and gaudy Christmas headbands with antlers. I just love it.

I've got the Christmas spirit and it's hard to deny. Even though the "holiday spirit" is something that is primarily felt this time of year, I wish that people could be generous, thoughtful and kind the whole year through. The concept of giving to those in need and being kind to others should be something that isn't ignored once Christmas is over.  I wish that that the idea of holiday spirit could be spread throughout the year and that it was a part of our everyday human spirit.

I am thankful for the holiday spirit and I am going to try to keep it all year through.