Being Grateful For Now - Kiersten Brooke

‘Tis The Season To Be Grateful

With November and thanksgiving right around the corner, grateful and thankful are going to become buzz words once again. I think being thankful is one of the largest contributing factors to being happy, so talking about being thankful is important. I recently had an experience where I realized just how grateful I should be. I realized that I have so much that I used to wish for. So many dreams I’ve had are now my reality. This realization caused me to reflect on loving the now instead of wishing my days away dreaming of more.

How I Realized I Need To Be Grateful For The Now

“Why didn’t it come to our house?” I ask begrudgingly. Ryan wants me to go and pick up a package for him 20 minutes away. He’s at school. I have tons of work to do before today ends, but since I don’t have work or class, he’s asking for a favor. Of course, I’ll do it. And of course, it’s not that big of a deal; it just wasn’t on my “plans for the day” when I thought about all the things I want to accomplish. I had my time-schedule laid out, and taking an hour to pick up a package will put me a little behind. But then, I realized just how grateful I should be.

Our House- Our Home

I thought more carefully about the phrase I texted. I said, “our house.” It struck me — our house. I had been dreaming about our home for years. Having a spot that is ours. Our little world is inside this small house. As I’m thinking about this, I see pictures from our wedding. So in love. And we still are. It’s just life has a way of distracting us from the things we have. We become so focused and tangled up on the new, the better, the future- in what we want. Sometimes, we forget how blessed we are to have what we dreamt about in years prior. Unless something (usually something terrible) shakes us up to make us remember or what we have is fresh and new, we often take what we have in the present for granted. It reminds me of this quote:

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Epicurus

In this moment, I decided to wake up to the present. I need to appreciate what lies right in front of me. The husband, dog, house, family, schooling, the life I have right now. This fleeting moment holds all that I once dreamed I would have. Being married to the love of my life was my hope. I agonized over having a better relationship with my family. It took months of hounding Ryan before I got a dog. I day-dreamed about vacationing at an over-the-water bungalow with Ryan. Now, these wishes have become reality. I need to be grateful for that. In every moment.

We Have So Much We Used To Wish For

You never know what the future holds, but we have right now. And we have so much that we used to wish for. I believe everyone does. Whether it’s something big like that spouse, child, dream job, vacation, fitness goal, house, or education. Or something small like the shoes we wanted, meal we were craving, that lazy day we’ve been needing. We all have something we once only dreamed about. Let’s feel blessed and be grateful. We should be in awe of what we have, instead of wishing for the never satisfying more that can eat up the now if we allow it.