I'm an Optimist!

Day 8 Blogtember Challenge topic:  Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

When I started this blog - in 2008! - I had no idea why I was doing it.  I hadn't even really read many blogs.  But I saw my friend Sara's blog, and I thought it might be fun to start capturing some moments and thoughts in this way.  I struggled at first to find my voice, and as I read more and more blogs, I got caught in the thought that I should be writing to find an audience.  After a while, I figured out that I should be doing it for me.  This post was one of the first where I started using the blog to focus on the positives.

Since then, my blog's primary purpose has been to turn me into an optimist, and I'm amazed to say that it has worked!  I had always been a glass-half-empty kind of girl, and I certainly didn't appreciate everything that I had as much as I should have.  I started capturing Three Little Things on a regular basis, which then evolved into my Little Things posts.  After a while, I noticed that I was doing this in my head all the time.  I was looking around.  I was noticing beautiful things more.  I was having moments of gratitude all day long.  It now comes naturally to me.  I assume the best in people, and I expect the best to happen to me.  I see beauty everywhere.

This change has truly made all the difference in the world.  It's the easiest thing to do, and yet many people don't do it.  Expressing gratitude on a regular basis can change your entire outlook on life.  It has done this for me.

Here are a few of the things that I am grateful for today:

1.  My happy, healthy boys.  Of course they are always #1 on any list of things for which I'm grateful.  The boys are loving school, and they have bruises up and down their shins like any active boys their age should.

2.  My back.  I've been getting back into a normal exercise routine, and it feels so good.  The first thing I do in the morning is stretch my back.  It feels especially satisfying the day after a good workout.

3.  Basil.  Summer is winding down, and I have loved enjoying basil on almost everything for the past few months.  I know the cooler days are coming, though, so I'm going to harvest the rest of my basil and make basil-walnut pesto.  I will put it in the freezer and enjoy it all winter.

4.  My voice.  I sing all day long.  In the car, in the kitchen, in the shower...I'm pretty much always singing.  I can't imagine not being able to do it.

5.  My husband.  Kevin and I will celebrate 11 years of marriage on Saturday.  I'm so happy to have someone to walk beside me through life, especially someone as awesome as him.

What are you grateful for today?