You may have noticed that I skipped posting a gratitude/happy things blog for April. That wasn’t exactly intentional, but it does reflect that I was having more trouble noticing the positives in April. Honestly, May has been tough too. It’s not that there was an absence of things to be thankful for, but instead there were so many things that weren’t going the way I wanted them to and so many challenges (almost all work related) that I allowed to blind me from all that was good. This doesn’t happen to me often, for which I am grateful. I believe that one of the things that has kept me going during this difficult period of life is the awareness that the good stuff was still out there, even if I had trouble seeing it.
I’d like to tell you that all of these challenges are over and that I have emerged into a land of rainbows, unicorns, and daisies but that would be a false statement. Bad times at work continue. The world seems to be particularly volatile and dangerous. And, I have decisions to make that don’t seem to have clear solutions. Knowing all of that, I have determined once again to focusing on the good things in my life, recognizing that what I focus on is sometimes the only thing I really have control over.
So here’s my list of Happy Things for April and May.
Easter
Great massages with Jeffrey Vosburgh
Taking a day off from work to compose music
A hair salon with someone who really understands my hair
Playing old time religion music with a group of talented musicians
A caring and compassionate dentist
Completing a composition about my dog Scooby
An opportunity to learn more about music publishing with Lloyd Larson
The first little cherry tomatoes in my garden
New patio furniture
My first nap of the season in my hammock
New harp music
Voice lessons with Timothy Wilds
Composition lessons with Andrew Maxfield
Starting planning for a winter choral workshop
Now its your turn. Having a tough time? Find at least one thing that is going right and focus on it. Enjoying a time of relative contentment? Find at least one thing that is particularly fulfilling and focus on it. No matter what is going on, take time to focus on the good and happy things.