2012...The Year of Living Positively

First of all, thank you for the supportive comments and emails.  It's nice to know so many people understand and even nicer to have all the offers of a supportive ear, or I guess in this case, a supportive set of eyes.  I truly appreciate it and offer it right back at you.  I'm always but an email away as well.

How's 2012 treating you?  So far, around here, it's going pretty well.  I'm not sure I've ever felt as rested and revived as I do right at this moment.  I'm about as ready for real life to return tomorrow as I could ever hope to be.  Our Christmas break, while much shorter than I would have preferred was actually wonderful in every way.  We stayed up too late; slept late in the mornings; ate too much stuff that wasn't good for us and too much of it not prepared at home; played; neglected almost every household chore except the necessities--laundry, dishes and an occasional swipe at the bathroom with a cleaning wipe; and it greatly benefited all of us.

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated our 28th anniversary.  Twenty-eight.  Doesn't that just sound like forever??  Thankfully I mean that in a good way.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about what marriage brings to me, and it's a long, long list.  It's funny, I always thought we'd been happy together, and we are.  I always thought we'd last, and knocking on wood, we are.  I could never have appreciated all the little things that I love about marriage though...you know, the things no one could ever really tell you about marriage because you never would have believed it.  It's hard for me to put into words, but I am so thankful to get to share my life with Mark.  I'm so thankful to have someone to share my life with.  Someone who helps make all of life's messes and trials and tribulations not so messy and trial-some and tribulatory.  I know, that's not a word, but you get the idea.  Anyway, 28 years.  I'll not take anything for granted, life's taught me that much, but I'm thinking we've gotten into a rhythm here and I thoroughly count my blessings for him.

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So, back to 2012.  Are you making resolutions?  I am, well one anyway.  A very important one.  Important to me.  2012 is going to be the year I remember how to live positively.  [I can't tell you how much it scares me to write this, please Universe, I am not meaning to tempt fate here, pinky swear.]

Somewhere along the way, with all the bumps, pit-stops, and gut-busting-pot-holes we've encountered, I've lost my natural optimism.  Somewhere along the way I've started seeing the glass as half-empty, I've learned to anticipate that the worst is going to happen, even worse, I'm started spreading that negative attitude.  I'm drawing a line in the sand.  That's never who I've been before, it's not who I want to be now. 

I always used to believe that if the only problems you had in your life were financial, you were pretty lucky.  The last year or two has made me rethink that.  I've focused way too much on our financial temperature and not focused anywhere near enough on all the good things that are going on.  I'm going to actively work to focus on all the good, good things in my life and let the rest go. 

• We're all healthy, at least in all the big ways.  
• We all get along.  
• We all love each other.  
• Our son and his family are wonderful, a blessing in every way, the fact that they would choose to live close to us is a blessing beyond measure.  
• Our daughter is successfully making her way towards adulthood and is staying the great person that she is.  I enjoyed having her home on break thoroughly and while I will miss her like crazy now that she's back at school, I'm also blessed that she and I will work hard at staying close.  
• Jacob and Julianna are a blessing I never expected to have and I thank God every day that he granted me four children.  I'm so glad that I get to share my life with little people who have so much of life yet to experience.  
• Mark, I've already carried on a bit about that one, but definitely one of my blessings. 
• My parents are healthy, happy and very involved in our lives.
• We have a home.  Not just a house, not just a building, but a cozy, warm home to share and grow in.
• We have everything we truly need and many, many things we simply want.
• This list could go on for pages.

It's a start.  I'm going to make 2012 the year I got my happy back.   What are you hoping 2012 will be?