I have really enjoyed the last two weeks of writing the five things I am thankful.  Once again I would like to thank Chere Michelle for giving me the idea to start doing this.  It has really helped me see the little things that I am thankful for.

• I am thankful for being thankful (this one just be on that shows up on every one of the Thankful Five).
• I am thankful that my father is still alive and I could wish him a “Happy Father’s Day”.
• I an thankful that I felt like cooking this weekend.
• I am thankful my family really enjoyed what I cooked.
• I am thankful for Dr. Wilbur, my primary physician who really cares about his patients.

I really enjoy reading Chere Michelle’s Blog.  Her blog is one of the most positive and uplifting I have seen.  Recently she wrote a post called Balance, how precious it is. In it she discusses the things she is thankful for and poses a question to her readers.  Her question simply asks her readers what they are thankful for.  I took some time and thought about the things I am thankful for and thought I would share them.

I am thankful for so many things, which is a new experience for me.  In the past, I was thankful for almost nothing.  I had my mind so focused on the negative that I was incapable of finding anything good about any situation or anyone.  If someone showed me a pretty bird outside, I would be quick to point out where it pooed on the car.  If someone complimented me on something I cooked, I would insist on telling them about the three earlier times I had made that particular recipe and messed up on it.  My inability to be thankful for the simplest things meant I was missing out on the beauty of life and living. Now, I view life differently and I get a great deal more pleasure out of it than I ever thought possible.

• I am thankful for just for being able to be thankful.

• The opportunity to rebuild relationships is probably one of the things that I am most thankful for.  It is not often that we get a chance at a do-over when it comes to our relationships with other people, but I was given one

• Contrary to how I felt this time last year, I am thankful I am alive.

• I am thankful for my online support system.  To have total strangers rooting for me, gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

• I am thankful for the people who have helped me get the medical, and psychiatric help I have needed.

The things I am thankful for are way too numerous to list them all here, but this is a good start.  I think it would be fun to post a few more things I am thankful for next week.

Finding the positive in life is a vital part of my depression recovery process.  Exercises like this, are good reminders of that. Writing down the things I am thankful for has allowed me to take stock of how much I have grown and gained in the last year.