Thankful Thursday…Today


It's Thankful Thursday!!

As I was thinking about what I was thankful for this week, I decided that the most fitting thing to be thankful for was simply…

Today.  

I am thankful that I was given yet another day at this thing that we call life.  It is so easy to get caught up in our lives and lose the appreciation for the moments and experiences we have on a particular day. 24 hours seems to slip away so quickly and I know that I, myself, am guilty of letting the entire day and night slip by me and not really considering the things that I may have experienced or the blessings that may have been bestowed upon me in that period of time. One. Single. Day. 

This is something that I was reminded of, after a local young man passed away unexpectedly.  A guy who had everything going for him and had a great future ahead of him that was cut short, without warning, because of an enlarged heart that he was never even aware of having.  My heart breaks for everyone that knew him.  Many friends and family may very well have never experienced such a loss in their lives. 

 I am certain that so many that knew him, are asking themselves….why?  How could such a young, driven, caring young guy, who had given so much in his short 17 years, be taken so unexpectedly? All of which are very normal questions. I truly believe that these are all questions that we may never know answers to until down the road in our lives, perhaps we may not truly know until we get there ourselves.  My beliefs assure me that the man upstairs had better plans for him. Of course, as with opinions, we all have our own beliefs and yours may differ considerably from mine, which is perfectly okay.  

I am thankful for today.

Today, gives me another opportunity to start fresh.  Tomorrow is done and I can't worry about what I may have done or not done.  Or if I did it right, or well enough.  Or if I said what I needed to say or if I didn't.  And if it was the right or wrong thing to say.  That was yesterday.  I can learn from any mistakes that I may have made yesterday, a week ago, a month ago, or a year ago.  

Today, started with a clean slate.  

What a beautiful thing that we are given!  

Today. 24 hours.


I am not going to lie to you and say that with every single passing day, that I only think of the positive things that I experience.  If I told you that, I would be lying.  I most certainly have those days in which, I wonder if anything could go right and that everything wasn't such a struggle.  Yes, I too, have more days like that than I am comfortable admitting to.  Life is tough.  Some days are most definitely easier and full of more positive things than others.  Like I have said numerous times…

Life is about the journey, not the destination. 

I try my very best to live in the moment and enjoy it as it happens. Do I always remember to do this? Nope. Sure don't.  I do realize that it is some of the toughest moments that I have actually learned the most and benefited the most from experiencing.  Am I asking for more tough moments in my life? Most certainly not. Will I encounter many more in the future? Most definitely. I'd be a fool to think otherwise.  Do I think that those times have made me a stronger person?  Absolutely!  Do I feel good about myself when I reflect back upon tough life moments?  Without a doubt!  

I believe we all are likely guilty for not living in the moment at times in our life. There are so many factors that make it more challenging to remember to live each moment as we experience it.  Probably more times than not, I don't think of things as a moment that I will never get back.  A moment that will never happen again.  With all of today's distractions, it's often, unfortunately, easy to lose the focus of the "right here and now".  

What distractions do you ask?  Careers, sports schedules, parenting, building relationships, stress, living too far in the future, over committing ourselves, expectations of ourselves and others, technology, keeping up with the Jones'.  These are obviously just a minuscule example of some distractions that we may experience in our lives.  

After hearing the shocking news of Ryan Fischer's passing, it really gave me a reality check.  I know full well, that lately, I haven't been the best at living in the moment and being thankful for today and all that it holds.  I have been very guilty of trying to figure out every last detail of my life for the next decade and beyond. I have so many decisions to make that often overwhelm me.  I have been not only trying to adjust to living life with celiac disease and my life of gluten-free everything.  It's getting easier but, as I am certain, there will always be difficult times and situations.  Think about it…what gathering, these days, isn't surrounded by food?  Most social things are based around food.  I am so focused on getting my health back to better than it ever was before.  I wish it could happen faster.  

Again….the journey.  

My energy is coming back slowly.  I've been back at the gym, for the last 2 weeks, running again.  It feels so great!  In fact the first day that I ran, it felt so great that I forced myself to run further each time.  I ended up pretty sore the first few days but, it's how I do things.  Go hard or go home! I have very high expectations of myself. As a Certified Personal Trainer, I knew the way I was easing myself back into it was completely wrong but, I was feeling so happy to be back to my passion of running that I like to push myself.  I knew that if it was my last day in life, I pushed myself to be the best that I could be.

Last week, I started using a new insulin pump.  It's back to the old school pump with the tubing again.  Honestly, I hate the thing.  I don't often use the word hate either. It is a very strong word. I chose a different pump than I had  prior to my very favorite Omnipod.  Bad move.  So much button pushing for every simple step.  It's ridiculous and frustrating!  I called as soon as I got home from my training on how to use this dandy unit, to exchange it for the brand I have had experience with in the past.  Sometimes its just best to stick with what you know.  Silly me for thinking I should try something new!! Hopefully, within the next few weeks, I will be able to switch and be on yet another pump!  I never would have switched from my pump that has no tubes but, unfortunately, my insurance would no longer cover that kind.  After having the freedom of no tubing for so many years, I feel I am going backwards in time and technology. It has really bummed me out.  This perhaps, is another reminder to live in the moment.  I don't at all love this current pump, yet I am thankful that I am not having to endure giving myself numerous shots daily.  Always trying to see the bright side of things even when it is not so easy to do so.  

Another huge detail in my life these days, that has distracted me from living for  the moment, is the fact that I am trying to figure out what career is going to be right for me.  For the last 11 years, I have been extremely blessed to be a stay at home mom.  This has been the most rewarding experience in my life.  It is not always an easy job to parent and teach another little human, that we love more than we ever knew possible, the fundamentals of life, how to become responsible, how to be confident and dream big in order to achieve anything they dream about.  As a parent, we are not given and instruction manual.  We must teach our children the best that we can with all of the knowledge we hold from our own lives.  I make mistakes all the time as a parent.  I am willing to admit that I make mistakes to my daughter. I assure her that making mistakes is okay and that is how we learn important lessons in life.  I am a perfectionist by nature but, as we all know, nobody is perfect.  We all make mistakes.  I have personally always struggled with the fact that sometimes my very best, still isn't good enough, in my mind.  It's often hard when your own expectations for yourself are tougher than anyone else would expect of you.  I guess you call those high standards, my friends. 

I have not had a job outside the home in many years as I just told you that I have held, perhaps one of the most important jobs of all times of being a parent and raising one amazing and sweet girl, as known as Emma.  Thinking of finding a job gives me much anxiety and sometimes terrifies me when I think about it.  What would make me happy and fulfilled more than being a mom?  I am not sure anything could replace that feeling.  I would absolutely love to be a writer of some sorts. I know that may surprise you all, as I write these posts that could rival a lengthy novel!  Unfortunately, I have no other experience with writing, other than this amateur blog that I started several years ago.  I am a Certified Personal Trainer and envisioned myself running a training business working one on one with people to help them achieve their optimal health through regular fitness.  There is nothing I would love more than to help individuals, that may be unsure how or where to begin their journey to become fit and confident with themselves and their bodies.  This would be very rewarding for me.  I would not make a super group fitness instructor.  I enjoy getting to know people on a more personal level and learning what motivates them and makes them tick.  If I can find a way to get this business started, I would feel accomplished, a great sense of achievement and very rewarded.  Helping others fuels my soul.  Writing fuels my soul.  This is just a start.  You must start someplace if you ever want to achieve anything. Through lots and lots of thinking, these are the options I have narrowed it down to that make me most happy and fulfilled. 

And the novel continues…

My point in this post is that rather than getting ahead of yourself and worrying about 5 years from now…

Live for today.  

We all were blessed to be given another day to wake up and give this world all we've got.  Give it your best.  Enjoy the great things, the not so great things, the funny things, the memories that you are making in this day, the relationships that you are nurturing and strengthening, and your friends and family. You were given 24 hours.  Be ever grateful.  Love like there is no tomorrow.  Be present today for we never know what tomorrow will bring.  

What makes you thankful on this Thankful Thursday?

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