The Silver Lining

As I was driving through the crazy traffic yesterday in and around Charleston, I was making a list in my head ( I do this constantly- in my head, on the little post it notes I have on my computer, all over my desk at school and in my kitchen) of all the things I needed to get done. My list is never-ending and always growing. And with my self-diagnosed ADD it sometimes makes it difficult to finish anything I start on my list because as soon as I start something, I remember I needed to do something else, hence the never-ending part.

Of course, I begin marking off the easy things on my list first: drop off the clothes I no longer wear to Goodwill, return the movies to Blockbuster, buy some cheap ornaments for a wreath that I'm going to make, etc. Leaving the more tedious and annoying things to do for later: clean the house, fold and put away laundry ( this is an entirely seperate job from cleaning the house. I can clean around laundry and leave it for days. As I sit hear blogging, I have clothes needing to be folded and put away before friends get here later this afternoon.), go to the grocery store, plan for my cooking extravaganza, worry about and do lesson plans for Monday (My school is being visited by Palmetto's Finest judges for an award, which means everything has to be perfect), and begin brainstorming and buying Christmas presents for friends and family members.

I become stressed and worried about getting everything done. I complain to myself about having too much to do and at that point I stop. All of these things I need to do I really should be thankful for. More often than I care to admit, I find myself complaining about these things that I'm blessed to have to do. I am thankful for my house that needs to be cleaned. It may be a pain in the butt to do, but I could be living in a car or in a shelter. I'm thankful I have the money to buy groceries and clothes. I may not have tons of it, but what I have gets the job done. I HAVE A JOB. So many people right can't say that. It may drive me crazy, but I have a job that, yes, I do love. It teaches me patience, the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of my labor, and how a parent can successfully raise a child. And finally, I'm lucky to have friends and family that I love, care for, and want to show them.

Lately, I've realized that I whine and complain about stupid, insignificant things. Things that in the grand scheme of things don't matter much. I recently had a friend whose mother passed away after a 2 year battle with cancer. She was such an amazing woman who did so much for her family, never complaining once. Her daughter, one of my best friends, has grown so much during this difficult time. She's become the one in the family everyone counts on. She took over the part her mother played- the rock of the family. When thinking about what she and her family are going through, my problems become small and unimportant. I've always had problems worrying about everything, trying to keep in perspective what is really important. This past week I've done a lot of self-reflection and decided to look at things in a different way. I'm lucky for the many blessings God has put in my life. I should be thankful for all of my "problems" and look for the silver lining in all of them- because there always is one.

I hope everyone has a very wonderful Thanksgiving- back to the kitchen for me, breaks over!!