a_natural_beauty | Entries tagged with gratefulness

I'm grateful for my little friend Sapphire. She's a betta fish and I've adopted her a-little over a year ago. Sapphire is the second beta fish I have had. After having other fish over the years - it started out as a kid we had fish then for awhile - then we didn't. Then in about 2015 maybe (?) I got a goldfish from my dad and it started again - my love for aquariums! I've found that beta fish are easier. They require smaller tanks - Sapphire is in a 10 gallon - and less water changes as other fish. She has her filter, heater and thermometer. Her breed is a crown tail and she's blue and black - thus is why I named her Sapphire.
I love just watching her and seeing her swim around. She'll usually stay in the same spot and watch me and I'll stay still and watch her. I sometimes sing to her. I thought they could hear but after doing some research online I'm pretty sure they can't hear... but I still sing to her from time to time. Just silly little stuff. Her tank is on top of my fantasy and sci fi bookshelf in my living room. She has brought simple but beautiful joy to my quite life. <3

Current Mood: cheerful

I'm grateful I have moments throughout the day for quite, alone time when I need it. I'm not a huge people person. I get drained out and tired of a-lot of noise, a-lot of conversations, constant time around others. I'm sure there are those who love to be around people and to be alone is lonely and unbearable.
But for me I love to have my time here and there alone to recharge and just have my own space. I've always been sort of a loner so I think this is just second nature for me. But as I've gotten older and work at a busy job 8 hours a day and then sometimes having a social life afterwards -I just need some time in-between to breath and get some R&R.
How many of you guys are like this? Or know someone that is similar to me in this sense?

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Classical music

I'm grateful for my ability to somewhat stay productive! This may seem like an odd one but at the end of the day I have some moments where I take a nap, slack off a bit or just don't finish up projects.... BUT overall I like to think I stay on track and get most things finished or almost completed that I set off to do. It may take me a bit of time if it's a long project.
Like for example I am almost done with putting my extra stamps in album sheets. For several days I kept putting my extras in album pages. Just a-little each day. It's amazing how many extra stamps I have! I just need to wait on what I ordered to come in the mail this week because I can out. It'll be nice when that's done and then I can just take pictures of them for protentional stamp friends look at them to do trades with. Before I kept them in envelopes or this big tackle/craft box with drawers. It wasn't the best system and they always ended up getting mixed up in there. This will be a-lot easier.
It gives me peace of mind that all of my hobbies and interests distract me from being depressed or lonely. And that truly helps as of lately. Sometimes I give a hobby or activity an hour and then I move on to the next order of business. Having a list of what I need to do helps keep me focused, too. Sometimes I wonder if I have ADD or ADHA because I've found if I spend too much time in one day on something I get overwhelmed or burned out. But if I work on things little by little it's not as bad. Like drawing or painting are good examples. If I do too much drawing in a single day it starts to look pretty rough.

How do you guys feel with your productivity levels?

Current Mood: okay

A pretty unexpected one to write about is how I am grateful for Wiley, the dog Mike and I (sort of) adopted this past December. When I have him and it's just the two of us he has been great at keeping me company and is fun to play with as well as just to be around a dog again in my home. He is a-lot of work - being a puppy still in a way (he's almost two) and I think it's his breed. He's a sort of German Shepard mix. But it's been a nice change. Having a little buddy - besides Sapphire of course - I can talk to and move around with is good again. When he isn't in the same room as me he's usually checking up on me. It's sweet.
On the third of this month I had my Grandmother (my last living grandparent) pass away. My job gave me three days of grievance to take off from work. Monday, yesterday and today. And I'm off originally on Thursday. So that's four days home that having Wiley here with me has been a blessing. I have been going out each day, doing something little at least. Staying home too many days in a row by myself sort of drives me nuts. But the weather has been nice and we have been out each day MANY times since he loves going on these little power walks around the yard.
Since I haven't wrote one of these in awhile, this felt like a good one to get me back on track! Do any of you have any fur, fin, scale or feather babies?

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Tchaikovsky mix on Youtube

I am grateful for the internet. This may sound like a silly one - but hear me out - without the internet I wouldn't be where I am I think... Basically my whole life I've made some good (sometimes good at the time but later changed) friendships and relationships because of social networking or online dating. And I'm not sure your beliefs but I believe in the butterfly effect to some extent. One thing can lead to another and to another. So one relationship or friendship can lead to another and then another.
Like yesterday, for example. I got to finally meet some of my Slaby relatives! Mike was with me and we had breakfast at a restaurant. It was such a special experience. They had family albums and we talked about so much in just a few hours. I look forward to meeting with them again. But if it wasn't for that similar minded political group on FB and me writing a post to reach out to people who may need a friend or someone to talk to and that my one relative noticed it and recognized my name - there's a large change I wouldn't have gotten in touch with them!
My current boyfriend, also! We met years ago on Okcupid. When we were both in our early 30's. Met, dated, things didn't work out. But with being online and staying in touch then deciding to date again - it'll be going on three years this March - it's been a happy and special new chapter in my life.
And here I am again connecting with others, sharing my comic, writing my personal thoughts on this lovely site. All of it makes me happy. There are some people I cannot connect with in real life, so it's nice having my online friends as someone I can turn to. I do as much as I can and want to on the internet. And that really makes a difference at the end of the day.

Current Mood: hopeful

This may seem like a no-brainer, but one thing I think of from time to time is that I am grateful that I always have food. I've never been in a situation where I went hungry. It's horribly sad how many people around the world go hungry each day.
One of my pet peeves is wasting food due to this fact. Many people don't even hesitate when just throwing something out when in fact it could be saved for another meal or time or given to someone else. I'm not saying to just give your half eaten sandwich to the person nearest to you at a restaurant, but sometimes things can be handled differently. Speaking of going out to eat sometimes now I order off the appetizer menu because the size of the meals are so freaking huge and I know it won't be good to heat up again. So to avoid that, I just eat a meal I know I can finish there. I know I can't work in food service and this is one of the reasons why - so much food gets wasted each day... I think I'd have a broken heart each day at work and sink into a depression of sorts. When I went to Mexico years ago the meal sizes there were perfect...! Smaller plates and good portion control. It's no wonder we in America have so many overweight. I feel like our food severed in restaurants comes out in a huge platter. It doesn't feel normal when I am among it in some restaurants.
So this is just a food related grateful feeling - post so to speak.

Current Mood: awake
Current Music: The radio (which has a mix of older & newer stuff!)

This may sound like a pretty basic one, but in so many ways it isn't. Not to me. I'm grateful I still have my senses for the most part. One thing you guys may not know about me is I do have a hearing loss in my right ear. I wear a hearing aide most of the time when I go out in public, but sometimes loud noises make it worse so I avoid those times when I can. And I do have bad eyesight but my glasses that I never go without help me!
I think about this from time to time - I'm glad my senses that aren't that strong aren't completely lost. I'm glad I can independently be on my own and take care of myself. The world is already a scary place at times and I feel it would be a-lot more scary if I were blind or fully deaf for example.

Current Mood: grateful

Another post about what I find in my life to be grateful about: I'm grateful to still have my parents in my life. I know quite a few who have lost a parent or both parents and it seems to leave a parament hole in ones heart. They have had both difficult lives in their own ways, but are very strong for that fact. Being born to older parents (they were in their early 40's) when they had me I had several moments in life that scared me, knowing I could lose them - I think this caused me to appreciate them more. They have had a number of health related issues, still do and it's a miracle they are able to do all they can still. I have learned a-lot from them and still continue to. They have had their ups and downs between each other and all their kids, grandkids, siblings, their own parents and other distant relatives. Life is a never ending roller coaster and I'm glad I still have them in my corner. I call them almost daily.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: The radio (which has a mix of older & newer stuff!)

As I have been aging and changing in someway (my body isn't what it used to be for example)... but I am glad I have no known allergies to food. Other than having acid reflux, I can eat anything which is a huge thing I am grateful to. I know and continue to meet people who have weird allergies and while these people know what to avoid it must be frustrating at times depending on the situations.
When I was a baby I was lactose intolerant but slowly over the years I was able to eat dairy. And now I am able to eat it without any trouble. As long as I don't have it in huge amounts.
Do any of you have any food allergies?

Current Mood: good

A new grateful post I wanted to write - I am grateful that I have so many books to read. Never will I be struggling to find a book to read. My home has become my own personal library. I'm almost done reading two and looking around at my shelves I have many to pick from. Most days I hardly turn on my t.v. I find more enjoyment from opening up a good book. :-)

Current Mood: thankful
Current Music: The radio (which has a mix of older & newer stuff!)

This is an easy one I have been thinking about more and more lately from people around me. Conversations I've been having with people. It seems that things financially anymore are such a struggle and keeping above the cost of everything is just an ongoing battle these days.
I'm grateful to having my own house and having it paid off. This feels like a no brainer. But while I don't know what the future holds and where I may go, at least I know the here and now I have my house. It is a-lot of work to live here, but I am happy and grateful every day.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: The radio (which has a mix of older & newer stuff!)

This is also a post I've been meaning to write for awhile now, I figured maybe when the mood strikes I will pick a topic (or a few!) to share of what I am grateful for. Today after work I went to an event at my local library of learning about Viking runes and painting them on a canvas. I wrote my name and a few other runes but on the way out to my car I dropped mine and it smeared on my shorts/leg. I will touch it up and fix it tomorrow I think. But what I am grateful for is to be so close to my local library. I just live a few minutes from mine and they have been doing more projects and things to get the public involved. Also a summer reading program which I have joined. I'm happy to have a safe place to get books, movies, information. It's a blessing.

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: The radio (which has a mix of older & newer stuff!)