A Vocabulary of Gratitude of the Busy Mom

I am spending quite a bit of time this month reflecting on gratitude and what it means to truly be appreciative of all of my blessings (like 99% of the rest of the United States, according to my social media accounts).

The biggest challenge I am finding in discovering gratitude lies in the mundane-ness of daily life. Routine. Our schedule. The Monday through Friday grind.

The weekends are full of moments that take my breath away and draw out genuine gratitude, but during the week it's hard. I am focused more on the grind and less on the joy. That quick snuggle in those 20 minutes between getting home from work and starting dinner is going unrecognized because I'm SO focused on the fact that I can only spare 20 minutes. The early mornings spent hastily packing lunches, bumping into one another in the kitchen, and rushing out the door to school and work pushes any thought of the sleepy smiles I got just an hour earlier out of my head. Rushing from school to home for a quick dinner to church on Thursday nights for Bible Study leaves me frazzled, but less-than-cognizant of the blessing that Peyton is absolutely thrilled to be at church on a Thursday night.

An exercise I've been working on personally is all about vocabulary. Changing the way we think and talk about those mundane or less-than-fun aspects of life. The weekends are all fun and laughter and awareness, but I am intently focused on the small moments of gratitude and joy on the days that aren't Saturday and Sunday.

I am making the conscious decision to posture myself to be receptive of daily blessings, because they are there. I just haven't been paying attention.

Work
I don't HAVE to go to work every day. I CAN go to work. 

I am blessed with a job that comes with great benefits, pay, and hours. I don't have to work weekends. They are flexible in understanding that sometimes I need to take a half a day because Peyton has a school event in the morning. I can work from home on days that Peyton is sick if I need to. Instead of waking up every morning groaning and moaning about having a "day job", I am choosing to celebrate the fact that I have a job I can go to each day.

I CAN contribute significantly to my family's financial wellbeing.

I CAN empower my daughter to know that she can successfully balance family and career.

Activities
The activities don't add HASSLE to my life. They add WORTH. 

Dance class is technically on Saturday mornings, but wrestling Peyton into tights, arguing over which tutu is the fluffiest, and the resulting pout needs to stop setting the tone but the morning, because by the time we get to the studio she and I are both flustered and grouchy. But the pure joy on Peyton's face once she gets there is WORTH it. Less focus on the aggravation, more focus on the resulting joy.

That Thursday night Bible Study I mentioned? It genuinely makes me happy that I am able to bring her to church where I can spend time in fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ and Peyton is comfortable enough to be EXCITED to spend time there with her friends. Yeah, Thursday nights are crazy and some nights I don't eat dinner until 10:00 PM, but it's WORTH it.

Volunteering
I don't HAVE to assume volunteer positions. I WANT to.
I've been a volunteer all my life. From Girl Scouts to youth sports organization coaching, I have spent more than half my life in a volunteer role of some sort. Having a child, I wondered if could manage to balance family, work, and volunteer roles, and it took a while to figure out, but I think I have it down now. I don't volunteer because I feel like I HAVE to. I do it because I WANT to and want to be able to make a difference in my community--and I GET to (hopefully!) instill the same desire in my daughter.

Money.
I don't HAVE to pay the bills. I am ABLE to pay the bills.
Once a month a big chunk of my bank account is eaten by Peyton's preschool tuition. One minute money is there, but then on tuition day it's not there anymore. But I should instead be focusing on the fact that we don't HAVE to pay it, but we are ABLE to pay it every month. We both work hard so that we can ensure that our daughter is getting a quality early childhood education that follows sound principles in a school where the staff is friendly, the families are connected, and the schedule fits our working parent lifestyle. Peyton is thriving, and that's really all that matters.

Health
I don't HAVE to spend 30 minutes every day working out. I CHOOSE to.
Choice is the ultimate empowerment. When you are actively making a choice, you are empowering yourself to take matters into your own hands. I could be satisfied with the progress I've made so far, but the truth is that I am still not as fit or as healthy as I should be, and making the choice to pursue a healthy lifestyle is all the empowerment I need.

What it all boils down to? Life is a series of choices.

We can either choose to posture ourselves in a way to allows joy and gratitude into our lives, or we can choose to ignore the blessings we are granted each day, even in the seemingly mundane corners of our every day lives.

Curious: where can you inject a little more gratitude and joy into your life? Is there something you're overlooking?