Monday, November 2, 2015

Me on Monday: On Struggling and Gratitude

It's the Monday after the Halloween weekend and normally I would have a chirpy post full of how much fun we had this weekend and photos of the festivities. But, to be honest, it was a weekend of struggle. A struggle with work. A struggle with family. I may share more later; it depends how things play out. We didn't go to the annual Halloween party. We were not in the mood for a party. And I was, finally, making headway on my work project. So we stayed home. For now all I have to share are the photos I took of my Dias de los Muertos altar I put up, even though I took it down . . . a victim of the struggles.
And then, somewhere in the midst of the weekend, I came across this photo on instagram. That's my boy (#10 in midfield) playing soccer under a rainbow. His college team was playing in the regional club soccer tournament (they lost in the semi's to the eventual tournament champion). It made me smile.
And I started to notice people posting the intention to compile daily gratitude lists for November.
And, on Sunday night, as I was finally finishing up my work project to send, I heard rain begin to fall. 
And I realized that November 1 at least had not been a completely bad day. I did have things to be grateful for:
a day of peace;
a good workout;
finishing my casebook chapters; and
rain.
I'm not sure how often I will post my gratitude list, but I am going to try to find and note at least one thing to be grateful for each day in November.

21 comments:

Patio Postcards said...

Oh my dear it does sound like a stressful weekend for you. Sending positive thoughts your way. I have never seen a Dias de los Muertos altar before, but yours looks so gorgeous & interesting. I must Google more about them. I did my October 31 days of Thankful as our Thanksgiving is in October. I look forward to seeing your list. Hope your week sees a completed work project & less in the struggles.

Melissa said...

Bummer about the stressful weekend! So glad you pulled out that list of things to be grateful for to end it on a positive note. And that photo of Henry & the rainbow is fantastic.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Aw. I can hear/feel it in your tone that this one got you down. Here's hoping that a shift in focus toward gratitude will lift your spirits soon! If not, I'll see what I can do in a couple of weeks! :)

DVArtist said...

Ohhh sorry you are having or had such a bad time of it. That rainbow over your son is the best image you could get. Your alter looks wonderful too.
Wishing you happiness.
Nicole/Beadwright

Karen said...

I do believe the focus on gratitude will help you through the struggles. Thinking of you, and hoping things straighten out quickly.

Julia said...

Sorry to hear your spooky weekend was not filled with as much joy as you hoped. Gratitude is a great thing to practice - it's amazing how you realise that even just the little things are important and make a big difference to the overall picture. Hope this is a good week for you x

scrappyjacky said...

Sorry to hear it was bad weekend...do hope that things quickly improve.

helena said...

hope things are improving - fabulous rainbow over the soccer field photo

joy said...

I am just coming to the end of several months of struggle, so I know just how you are feeling. Looking for things to be grateful for is a help, but it's not always possible to see beyond the immediate struggle. Sending you love and best wishes,
Joy x x x

alexa said...

I am sad to read that things have been hard ... and hoping the struggles become softer and loosen and get resolved. The photo of your young man under a rainbow seems a good omen :). And well done on keeping the work commitment going and making progress with it - not easy when there is emotional storminess around. Hoping for bright moments every day for you in November.

Lady Ella said...

All the best Rinda. Thinking of you!

Ladkyis said...

Sending you cwtches (like hugs but with a Welsh accent and a touch of the untranslateable Hiraeth) I can't help resolve the struggles but I can cwtch you into a smile.

Cheri said...

I empathize. I do believe that focusing on gratitude helps us through the struggles. Here's hoping the struggles are short-lived and resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Mommy2CVC said...

Sorry to hear about your stressful weekend! Love the picture of my handsmone,multi-talented and all around awesome nephew! Love you guys and hope to see you soon!

Louise H said...

It's good to hear that you ended your weekend a little more positively than you started it. Have a super week.

Linda said...

Sorry to hear that you had a stressful weekend, but glad things are looking up. Good luck with your gratitude diary. I hope you find it helpful. Love the photo of your son playing under the rainbow. Let's hope that is an omen - oh! and glad you got some rain at last!

debs14 said...

Oh dear, so sorry to hear that stress levels have been rising and hope that rainbow over your son is a lucky sign that things are about to change. Tough being a mum sometimes, isn't it?
I hope when we see you again there have been more things to be grateful for.

Sian said...

I'm so sorry I'm late in getting here to add my hugs and wishes to the others here. I hope there is a way through..

The Mann Fam said...

Wasn't it wonderful to finally get some rain?

Hope your week is going better.

Linda

Carola Bartz said...

It seems that many people were not in the mood this Halloween. I was one of them and I'm fine with it. Sometimes there are days and weeks where we struggle - I'm having a week like that right now. I hope that things work out for you and you will have a more positive outlook.

Beverly said...

I am hoping today, a week later the struggle has lessened or even subsided. I can see you coming upon the photo of Henry and a smile making it's way across your face and lightening your spirit. {{{hugs}}}