Attitude of Gratitude

I thank you Sister Lovebabz... an amazing writer, a profound story teller, and a helluva Grown Woman. She bestowed this honor upon me and I humbly accept.

I have an attitude of gratitude... meaning that I am grateful for EVERYTHING God has blessed me with.

Each day that I rise and there's movement in my body and clarity in my mind, I am grateful.

When I run to my overflowing closet where there are shoes, bags, hats, coats, and clothes galore, I am grateful.

When I can pick up the phone and call my parents, just to say "Hello" and "I love you"... I am grateful.

When I rush my butt to work daily even though I'm supposed to be here at 9:30 and I trail in at 10:21 and no one says, "Hey you're late!", I am grateful.

When my eyes overflow with tears from guilt and misery, I know I still have feelings and concern for myself and others, I am grateful.

When I can withdraw at least $20 from my checking account, I am grateful.

When there's food in my cabinets, my freezer and my fridge and it's food that I love to eat, I am grateful.

Each night that I am able to say "Thank You Lord for another day", there's relationship, and I am grateful.

When I laugh so hard it hurts or smile so much that my cheek muscles tense, I am grateful.

For the eyes I see with, the ears I hear with, my soft skin that feels, my nose that picks up on the pleasant and not so pleasant NYC aromas, and my wonderful taste buds (I couldn't live without ya), I am grateful.

***I will be alone this holiday. Everyone who I normally spend holidays with is either away or working. However I am never lonely. My relationships with the Creator, my family and friends leaves me no lonely time. There is no such thing as coincidence and I know that everything that happens, happens for a reason. I know that this holiday I am purposed to spend time with myself. As the ending of the year is approaching, I plan to do some self-reflection, some inner work and meditation on my current blessings and those to come.

For those who read this, smile, nod or transfer to another web page after reading this, I know you were here, I hope you have been enlightened, I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, for you...

I am grateful.

Whatever Feels Good For The Soul

It's nearing the end of the year. Christmas is 6 days away. I simply love this holiday time. I also love cleaning. Purging. Getting rid of the old and getting on with the new.
I usually cut people out of my life. I start with the cell phone and start deleting names. I travel to email and delete messages and people's email addresses. Then if they happen to call me or see me, I let them know that this year they haven't kept their end of the bargain and it's pink slip time. A friend or 3 of mine with perseverance for my immature tactics know how I roll.
But this year, I have not spent a lot of time thinking about my friends or my expectations of them. Instead I've been looking at me, my habits, my craziness and I've been sorting out and tossing out.

I've learned that:

I have no control over outside forces...

• The trains, the weather and especially people. I wouldn't even be comfortable with myself if I could control anything other than me. It takes the joy out of everything rather than feeling the jitters, the anxiety, the surprise.

To be honest with others, you must first be honest with yourself...

• The question that pops in my mind with this statement is "Who do I think I'm foolin'?" It's easy to blend it rather than be honest with yourself and stand alone but there comes a time when you have to be honest with yourself, confident in yourself and throwing out pessimism. When doing so, it becomes easier to relate and tell your own truth.

Buying quality trumps buying quantity

• In my case, I buy some cheap behind shoes. I cry for the days when Parade of Shoes was on each and every corner and when I found out that the parent company Payless was taking over, I knew then that I should not buy. But nooooooooo. So I've subjected my precious toes and emerging callouses to the cheap alternative. The simple and plain of it is, my dang feet hurt! So I'm expecting to have 3 garbage bags full of cheap shoes. The bags aren't all that big...

I have a resolution list emerging in my head and in my journal... But I think I want to focus more on Suze Orman's 8 Qualities of a Wealthy Woman...