Thankful

I came across one of the cliche meme images for November.

Every year I hear about people doing these type of things.  Taking the month of November and being actively thankful for the things in their life that they might take for granted every day.  I always am impressed by people that can do that for 30 days.. because honestly, most of us do it for a few days and then see the picture at the end of the month and say, “Crap, I was gonna do that stupid thankful thing.  I suck.”

I decided to make this work for me this month.  I want to be a better blogger as far as blogging more often because, well, I want you guys and gals hearing what I have to say.  I also know that it takes 21 days to make a habit stick, so I’m hoping that if I use this list as a platform for my November blogging posts that I’ll be setting myself up for success.  If nothing else, you can all learn some random things about me that maybe you did… or didn’t know.

Last night I did the first four days quickly on my personal Facebook page because I was behind.  I’ll just repaste that here…

I am behind, but it doesn’t matter… Because I say it doesn’t.

Day 1, I’m thankful for my husband. He never misses a beat when I ask the dreaded question, “How much do you love your wife.”

Day 2, I’m thankful for pigs. Pigs make bacon. They possess superpowers.

Day 3, I’m thankful for my bathtub. It’s my retreat every single day for 20 minutes. Hot water soothes my soul.

Day 4, I’m thankful for almonds. Seriously a wonder food in my book. I eat them every single day.

Which brings us to day 5.  A place that I am thankful for.  On the surface, this seems like such an easy one.  There are the typical answers.  Walt Disney World, my home, a tropical island, anywhere warm when it’s cold here.  Anywhere cold when it’s hot here. A pool, a hot tub, the ocean.

None of those are my answer.  They are all amazing and I’m thankful for each one.  Don’t get me wrong.  Disney is one of my favorite places in the world.  My home always gives me peace at the end of a day.  Tropical islands are a dream that I think of often.  I’m always cold, so warm is good.  Running in the heat this summer sucked, so I did dream of igloos.  And of course, if there is water involved, I’m automatically interested.  It’s my Pisces showing.

But this blog is about me.  The real me.  The one that I am working every day to make as authentic as possible and as transparent as possible to all of you.  That to me means that if I’m going to be thankful for a place, I’m going to take a moment and look deeper and think about where I’m truly, deep down in my bones thankful for.

Where is that.

It’s the end of a run.

So that place changes every single time I walk out the door.

The end of a run is a pure moment.  It’s sweeter than any treat I could possible eat.  It’s an experience that can’t be put into words, regardless of how talented a writer someone might be.

That moment at the end of a run, I wish I could bottle it.  It would sell better than any depression or anxiety medicine currently on the market.  I don’t care if you run fast, slow, or somewhere in between.  I don’t care if you go a half mile or twenty miles.  It’s putting yourself out there, taking the challenge that you set for yourself and smashing it to the ground.  It’s success.  It’s knowing that you are worth the effort that you put in.  It’s knowing that each time you put in that effort, you are building something so much bigger.  Today I can’t run 26 miles.  Just the thought of it still intimates me.  I will, however, go out and run four miles today.  And I’ll do that over and over and over.  At times, four will be easy, and at other times, four will seem impossible.  None of that will matter in the end.  The day that I arrive over the finish line of my marathon, all those runs will have been worth it.  All those “hard” moments will result in one incredible place that day.  That’s the place that I’m thankful for today.

What place are you thankful for today?