Unconventionally Thankful

Last week I was skimming through my blog roll and came across this post by Erin about being Quick To Say Thanks. I loved the idea and told her I was going to steal it and create my own list. Shutting down negativity in you life can be HARD. Every now and then, I just want to complain all the live long day, y'all. Even on those days when I am in that mood, I still have to deal with life. And the complaining just makes me irritable! But I do find that when I pause to notice the little things then I am much happier. Of course I am thankful for the "normal" things in my life - my family, friends, job, house, etc. - even though I often take them for granted too.

 

I wanted to focus more on the little unconventional things that make me smile! I have friends and family members who are going through hard trials right now and their struggles can offer me some perspective every now and then. I always want to take a little moment of my day to count my blessings - one by one.

 

The huge windows in my office. (totally stole this straight from E's list!) Back in December when I got my promotion at work, I upgraded offices. There are things I've wasted time complaining about this office, but the thing I adore about it is the big windows. There is nothing like natural sunlight streaming in to make me a happy girl.

 

The Pinterest Humor section. One word: lifesaver. These funnies have gotten me through some tough days. Days when it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed and make it work. Days when my life was a wreck. My best friend (who lives in a different state) would always tell me when I felt like I was going to cry to go to Pinterest Humor, and it worked! You can find me on Pinterest {here}.

 

Mexican Fridays. (you already know food was going to be included on this list somewhere) Every payday, my girls at work and I go to our favorite Mexican place. Working with people who are some of my closest friends in this world is one thing, but just taking that time at the end of the week to celebrate a) our paychecks, b) the close of another successful work week and c) each other is pretty great.

 

Books. It's no secret that I love to read. I'll read anything I can get my hands on. There's no feeling like getting lost in a good book. It's such a stress reliever to disappear from your own life and fall into someone else's. Plus, I'm still a library regular and the only ways books are better are when they are free!

 

Freebies. If you don't already know, you can sign up for daily emails that send you alerts when companies have free samples to distribute. Freebies.org and Freeflys are two of my favs. I've gotten so many beauty products to try this way ABSOLUTELY FREE. And it makes for exciting mail days. Freebies > Bills.

 

Mascara & Fingernail Polish. Because ANY day can be made instantly better with a dab of mascara and splash of color on your nails. When you look better, you feel better.

 

People Who Are Huggers. I spent a good portion of my life not really wanting people I didn't know all up in my personal space. These days, I'm pretty much a full blown hugger myself.

 

Cute Panties. Every girl knows that nothing makes you feel on top of your game like rocking some cute panties. Gives you an inner confidence boost to conquer the day.

Really cute, crazy talented, athletic high school boys. Before you go calling the cops to throw me into perv jail - don't panic. These boys just turn into my favorite athletes and I spent many hours of my life watching them, yelling at them and supporting their salaries.

Bloggers like Hannah. Hannah has got to be my soul sister. She just doesn't know it yet. The way this girl writes just connects with my heart and the depths of my bones. She inspires me, she gets my life, she relates to my deepest and most real struggles.