Saturday, November 10, 2012

30 Days of Grateful ? Or Simply a Ploy for Praise?

OK.. I get that some people are super thankful every day of their life and I know who those people are. I see them all the time. But this being the month we celebrate thanksgiving and being thankful for things I just can't get over the number of posts on FB. Maybe it's my cynical side coming out, yet again. But to post every day about something you are thankful for seems a bit overkill. Can't you simply wake up and say to yourself  "today I am thankful for _________" and call it a day? Why must you advertise your overly generous behavior and super thankful thoughts all over social networks for everyone to see? I get that it's a month long "challenge" to see if you can come up with something every day. So if that's the case then is it really something from the heart? Why not call the person you are thanking? Or stop by their house and thank them in person. Or are you just doing it so you can say "yeah I did it every day for 30 days"?  Shouldn't you be thankful every day of your life ? And not just for your extra chocolately mocha cappuccino from Starbucks or for being able to sleep in. But for real things like happy kids, and that your extended family has made it through yet another health scare. THOSE are the things I am thankful for every day of the year. Not simply during November in order to get through 30 days of some challenge on Facebook.

Maybe I'm just getting ornery and cynical in my old age, but instead of advertising I will simply be grateful for my own positives, pay it forward and be thankful that I have the ability to do so.

4 comments:

Christy said...

A-frickin'-men!!!

Michele Bridgeman said...

I hear you!!! Just saw someone posted that they were thankful for Rusted Root??? The group? From the 90s???? I'm sure I can think of about 20 other meaningful things off the top of my head:

1) That I have a job that I love, although frustrating at times. And remembering that patients, no matter how difficult, are someone's family member and you have to think if you'd want someone to treat your family member that way.

2) That I love my husband and my son more than life itself - because some people aren't that lucky. I may not always show it or say it, but I do.

3) That Mike's Dad made it through open heart surgery and is recovering well. And although they don't have any answers about Mike's Mom, she's still singing away.

4) That my husband's kidney values have stabilized and we don't have to rush into dialysis before transplant.

5) That my son is smart and wonderful and healthy and I love him more and more every day. My little Puddin' Pop!!!!

6) That my parent's house didn't get sold off at the sheriff's sale - this year.

7) That despite my husband's health issues, he still has a job and that is a rare thing in this economy.

8) Even though the co-pays and deductibles and medications are killing us this year, we have insurance and don't have to pay the full amount for all of the mediations - new and old - that we take each year.

9) Even though my brother was diagnosed with MS this year, it was caught early enough to start treatment and hopefully stop it in its tracks.

10) That I know the difference between there, their and they're, its and it's, your and you're, patients and patience, and except and accept...and can write a complete sentence so I don't sound like a blithering idiot. Sometimes.

11) That I work with a great group of girls that would have your back no matter what. I'm so happy that I get to go to work with these amazing ladies.

12) That I have a roof over my head and food in my belly (not yet, haven't had breakfast) and was NOT affected by Hurricane Sandy. We haven't been that lucky during past storms.

13) I may not have my Dad in my life anymore, but I know that he loved me and I was able to tell him how much I loved him before he died.

14) That I was able to help my Dad go peacefully without any Mama Drama. You would have had to be there to understand.

15) That I was able to walk for the 5th year to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer as Team Mike's Marauders for my Dad and that my brother and husband and my best friend were able to walk with us this year as The Gimp Patrol - each with their own ailments: chronic renal failure, MS and stress fracture in her foot.

16) That I have loved and been loved by some of the greatest dogs ever - Buster Boo (Dusty), Goober (Casey), Shelby, Maddy and Gabe...Greta I and Greta II...and little Marshall, who was only with us for a very short time. I miss my furry babies.

17) That being said, I'm thankful we can go to the local Golden Retriever Rescue League once a month and get our dog fix since getting a dog right now isn't in the cards financially.

18) That we have property in Jim Thorpe that we plan to build on some day and can go up and swim or fish or boat anytime we want. And that we already have great friends up there (The Kearneys - my parent's old neighbors - and The Beermans) who have taken us under their wings and have been amazing to us. The Beermans have a house on the peninsula (next to where we scattered my Dad's ashes) and they have opened their home and their hearts to us. They were also responsible for getting this year's fishing tournament named after my Dad, who loved fishing in BCL.

19) That my son loves baseball more than he loves video games.

20) That I have a sense of humor...because if you had to live my life you'd wonder why I'm not in a mental ward in a drug-induced stupor.

Bethann said...

I'm surprised there aren't 15 posts bashing me for being a bitch.. LOL

Michele Bridgeman said...

So what if you are. It's your blog...and you're entitled to your own opinion. If people don't like it, they don't have to read it.