17 Hours of Gratitude

"Well I was born in a small town....And I live in a small town..." - John Cougar Mellencamp

I have a very small life, cosmically speaking. I do live in a small town, in a truly tiny house. I spend the bulk of my days transporting people to and from school, doing homework, and then transporting those same people to and from their practices, games, performances and activities. In between all the chicken nuggets and dishes and laundry I try to squeeze in an appearance at my full-time job. It is a "simply complicated", very small life, cosmically speaking.

But I love my life. It is satisfying to my soul and it rings out with laughter frequently. Of course, being able to laugh at myself ensures that I am constantly entertained! I have "seen it all in a small town" and I have "had myself a ball in a small town"!

When my oldest son was born I was gripped with a fear like nothing I had ever experienced. From the moment I got pregnant with him I was consumed with the kind of life-altering love that brings as its' companion a gut-wrenching worry about losing your beloved. For many months I would stand in his doorway every night at the precise moment that he had been born and give praise to All That is Good that for being able to be his Mom for one more day. (I know it sounds selfless, but I was up all hours of every night anyway!)  I knew then that the only defense I would have against this mortal fear was Gratitude. The only comfort I could conceive in the event of a horrific "what if", was to feel assured that I valued both of my children as much as I was capable while I was blessed with them. Granted, some days I am more capable than other days. And some days I fail so miserably that I sleep on the floor of their room until the morning when I can begin my quest to show them my love all over again. But I digress....

Because I have worked persistently for a long period of time to arrange my small life as it is now, and because gratitude is my only defense against fear, I decided that for at least one day, I would take note and make note of the details that make my life so grand. I call it "17 Hours of Gratitude." I humbly submit the following list of things that I gave thanks for today:

1. Breath.
2. Hot Water that dispenses merely because I turn the knob.
3. Diet Dr. Pepper.
4. Children who wake up with tousled hair, sleepy in their eyes and occasionally, with minimal fuss.
5. A pinkish orange sunrise at 7:19 AM.
6. My "fat" clothes - Black knee-length pencil skirt and a stylish, but forgiving, purple jacket.
7. Clear nail polish to repair the runs I ripped in my panty hose while putting them on for the first time.
8. A flexible work schedule that allows me to be late...again...see #6 and #7 above.
9. Cheese and crackers for breakfast....and lunch.
10. "Found" time...created when my 12:00 appointment did not show and did not call to reschedule.
11. Making plans with my Rowdy Girls for a Girls Night Out next weekend.
12. Flavored lip gloss from my Christmas stocking.
13. No new messages at any of my three office locations.
14. Being able to pick my boys up from school on my days.
16. Eminem's new song on 105.7 (loud!) while I am waiting in the car-rider.
17. Changing into my "real life" uniform....Levi's and one of my 500 (very forgiving) hooded sweatshirts.
18. One-stop shopping at Walmart...I know they destroy local businesses but they are sooo convenient!
19. The unexpected graciousness of my 10 year old sometimes.
20. Helping with 3rd grade homework and getting the right answers.
21. Curbside trash pick-up.
22. More Diet Dr. Pepper.
23. Crowder peas and cornbread for supper...all mashed up in the same bowl.
24. People who read my blog and say nice things.
25. Clean flannel sheets.
26. "Parenthood" on NBC on Tuesday...and knowing that "Modern Family" is new tomorrow night!
27. Peaceful sleep because today I really did experience an abundance of gratitude for my small life.