I decided to do something new this week. I have felt some fear and trepidation, some frustration, and a lot of stress. In all of this, I think I lost track of the really important things. So this week, I began noting on Facebook (each morning) the things for which I was grateful. I wrote these thoughts on Facebook to both remind me of the important things in life and to inspire others to do the same. The latter does not appear to have occurred as of today. However, the former has been powerful for me.

In hopes that I may inspire you, here are my thoughts for the week:

Monday: Today I am grateful for the sunrise outside my window, that my shoulder hurts less, and for my family (four-legged and two-legged).

Tuesday: Today I am grateful that my shoulder hurts less, for the love of my family and friends, for this great cup of coffee, and the songs of dozens of birds outside my open window as the sun rises.

Wednesday: Today I am grateful for my significant other/boyfriend, the cool breeze coming through my window before the 100+ degree day hits, and that despite all of my exercise restrictions and injured shoulder I could work my legs well enough Monday (without weights) that it is still difficult to sit down, walk up and down stairs, etc.

Thursday: Today I am grateful for yet another amazing morning sky, Bella (our Maltese) feeling better, lovable Izu (our long legged Shih Tzu), chatting with my daughter yesterday, and the laughter my boyfriend and I shared last night.

Friday: Today I am grateful that it is Friday and I can still smile. Now, if I can still say that by the end of the day…I will be really grateful!

Saturday: Today I am grateful because I am being productive, I have a plan, I see the results of my efforts, I created a Pandora station that I really like, and there is a tree outside my window that seems to sparkle as the wind blows the leaves. (note: after I wrote this, the delivery person came and I added another part – I am grateful and thankful for lovely flowers sent by a dear friend – see below).

We all have stress, pain, disappointments, and fears. But we mustn’t let them get in the way of the really important things in our lives. A good friend reminded me of something that I have frequently said…”Will this matter in 10 years? How about 5 years? If not, it can’t possibly be that important.” What will matter is family, friends, health, beauty in our lives and environment, peace, good deeds, and the impact we have upon others. I challenge you to spend at least a minute each day thinking about the wonders in your life. Feel free to spend the other 1,439 minutes thinking about stress, pain, disappointments and fear…if you really want to.

One final note, I am grateful for you dear reader. I can barely believe that since April, 75 people have found this blog interesting enough to follow it. Thank you and Namaste.