Count Your Blessings

Here in the south we have a saying, something of a proverb really, "count your blessings."

Count your blessings.

This morning I've decided to take that expression literally.  I'm going to count my blessings.  Certainly not all of them, but I will make a list of ten.  I mean how often do we actually take the time to recognize our own good fortune?  How often do we take the time to thank the universe for the good present in our lives?  Not often enough, I think.

So today, I count my blessings to ten.  In no particular order, here they are:

1. I am loved. Really loved.  By lots of truly amazing people. 

2. I am nearly finished with my graduate degree.  I'll have a M.A. by the end of the year.  I'd say that's pretty freakin' awesome.

3. I have all of the necessities.  I am not hungry, thirsty, or lacking shelter. I am cared for.  

4. I have a job.  It's not full time. It's not my dream job.  But it is a job, and it pays enough for me to make it.  I am grateful for that.

5. I can write.  I mean really write.  Do you have any idea how cathartic that can be?  How therapeutic?  It's a blessing.

6. I have books to read--to offer me distraction from my troubles, to take me to new worlds, to offer me fresh insights.

7.  I have hope.  

8. I'm not dead.  My heart stopped a few years ago, but medical miracles offered me new life.  I survived a terrible car crash.  I'm still here. I'd say that's something to be thankful for.

9. I have five furbabies.  I miss them a lot.  I love them so much.  They love me too--even if I can't see them as much as I'd like right now.

10. I have a lot of luxuries.  I don't take things like television, nice clothes, and the ability to buy myself ridiculously expensive candles that I don't really need for granted.  I can treat myself.  That's a blessing.

So what are your blessings?  Maybe you should count them too.

Oh--and once you do count them--could you comment on this post with a link to your's?  I'd love to read it.