Counting our blessings

I read an article, can't remember where, about happiness.  About why some people are optimists and other pessimists, about how we set our own bars for what makes us happy.  That our "bar setting" is partially genetic but in no means written in stone.  That the truly happy people don't necessarily have these incredible lives but find fulfillment and peace in the mundane.  And I realized that although I'd like to be an optimist and I am for other people's lives, I am a pessimist about my own life.  It's just that my bar is set too high.  I could blame Disney movies, but really the only one that deserves blame is myself.  I am my own worst enemy, the murderer of my own happiness.

So, today I am going to take a baby step towards lowering my bar by writing down the many blessings I and my family have to be thankful for, in no specific order:

Family

Friends both near and far

Health

Employment

Free college tuition for Nugget and Lil Sib

The opportunity and choice to be a SAHM and a husband who supports whatever choice I make

A husband who is the most involved caring Daddy I could ever hope for

Home

Books and blogs that inspire me

Safe Neighborhood

Electricity and heat

Internet access and a phone to connect us to the world

2 working cars

Enough money

Doggie

Chubby animals without necks

That we were chosen to be the Nugget's parents

That we have the opportunity to be chosen again

An adoption agency whose philosophy fits our own

That I have patience, resources, and support to be a good parent

That we are open to learning from our experiences

That we have a chance to take care of our environment every day

A strong marriage and a weekly date night

That our country is under new leadership and has a chance to start fresh in many arenas

Glass jars and pretty boxes

A freshly de-cluttered desk

Spring sunshine

A park, zoo, and farmers' market within walking distance

A little garden patch in our backyard with unlimited potential

Wow, that's a lot off the top of my head.  I feel happier already.  Having a bad day?  I challenge you to write your blessings down today too.