Friday, November 5, 2010

Thinking of Thanks

Thankfulness in Spite of Gripiness

I am a griper.  There - I've said it.  If you read this blog on a regular basis you know it.  My life is full of forces I cannot control, and sometimes I complain.  Well, REALLY a LOT of times I complain!!!  I used to say "if I'm not complaining, I'm not happy!" and now I think "if I'm not complaining, I might not be breathing - better check my pulse!!!".   I complain that much. sigh.

Yet my life is truly blessed, and I am thankful for many many things.  For your perusement I am going to list some of my favorite things to be thankful for:

  • My family:  My 80 year old mother, my sister, my two brothers, and lots of nieces, nephews and cousins
  • My pets: My dachshund Augie Von Hidenpooper, my parakeets, my adopted cat Clarence
  • Where I live: a little ranchstyle home in the countryside with very good neighbors
  • Refrigerators tied to trees (an Ozarks tradition I find hilarious)
  • Computers - without them I couldn't make a living, or connect to other people so easily
  • Internet friends:  I would never have met any of you if there was not an electronic world to meet in
  • Electricity: It powers light and heat and computers and the zapper on my head
  • Head zappers in general (I love mine - wish everyone that would benefit had one too!)
  • Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Nagy Mekhail in particular
  • My personal care physician who has the patience of a saint and the persistance of a bulldog
  • My employers who are a ragtag bunch of goofs that put up with me on a daily basis
  • My co-workers who carry more of a load because they work with me and my illnesses. sigh.
  • Benedryl - a wonder drug
  • Airplanes because driving a car everywhere takes a long time
  • Friends in general, even when I haven't been such a good friend they have been exceptional buddies
  • My job which is interesting and diverse
  • Skunks because they have finally moved out from under my sister's house
  • Possums becuase they are trying to move into the skunk space under my sister's house
  • My brother's dog Beanie and my sister's puppy Gracie
  • Touch typing - the ONE high school class I have used almost everyday of my life
  • Microwave ovens
  • Clean water
  • Plenty of food
  • Cankle ready shoes
  • Books
  • Optimism
  • Hope
  • God
  • Monty Python skits
  • Antiques Roadshow
  • Naional Public Radio
  • St. Jude Medical/ANS stimulators for my head buzzer
  • Elmo
  • Feather pillows
  • Dingo dog treats
  • Fall weather
  • My cane BLING
  • Luggage with wheels
Gosh, I'm running out of things to write, not because I am unthankful, but because my brain is on medication this evening.  That reminds me: I am Thankful for my Medication - even when it doesn't work... Or when it gives me hives.... Or when it makes me throw up....  oh, I guess I'm back to griping again!!!

10 comments:

  1. Thanks Shel: Now not only does my head hurt but its too big to go through the door of the hotel room!!! I'm trapped! :)

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  2. I too, am thankful for a lot of the things you mentioned. My cane also has a name. Her name is Linda. My doc even calls her by her name. My power chair is Lucy. LOL. I am now down with a case of shingles!! If it isn't 1 thing it's another.
    And... I am also very thankful for you!!!

    God Bless~
    Debbie Jean

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  3. Wow, appreciate your list Winny. Dear one you are such an encouragement and yes delight. If you gripe, I gripe right along with you! Thank goodness for Blogs. We can do whatever we griping please! Amen. Blessings and hugs.

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  4. Debbie Jean: BLING says high to Linda, but its huffed up about Lucy. Doesn't like the competition I guess. Oh no, shingles!!! My mom took an antiviral and it shortened her shingle outbreak but shingles are extremely painful. That's terrible! Thankful for you too (even with BLING in a huff aobut Lucy)!!!

    JBR: Who would have thought we had discovered the mother lode of gripey land! WooHoo!!!! Yes, thank goodness for Blogs!

    Wishing you all loads of refigerators tied to trees to make your lives lighter!

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  5. Sue: Thanks! Wishing universal healthcoverage in the US was actually a reality so I could be thankful for that also.

    I bet Canadians don't tie refrigerators to trees, or I'd wish you many happy refrigerator sitings!!!

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  6. Thanks Winny for a great list! I'm thankful for you! I really enjoy being blog friends!

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  7. Migrainista: You are welcome! When I started blogging I never thought it would last a week! And now I have "met" so many interesting blogging buddies like yourself, it's one of the things that helps me get up and get going each day...

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  8. I'm so glad I read this post today! I was in bed last night with gut-wrenching insomnia and my mind was racing a mile a minute with all kinds of terrible things. I had to make myself stop and decided I should list all the things that I could think of that I'm thankful for. Having a graduate degree in Griping, I had a hard time at first. I listed things like I'm glad the house hasn't burned down. (Where did that come from?)

    Amazingly, it helped me get to sleep (for the next 20 minutes before the alarm went off!). I love your list; so many things to be thankful for.

    Hope you are having a good day (even if it's away from family...)

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  9. Heather: I deeply admire your devotion to Griping since you have a graduate degree!!! I have tried to work my way towards that but unfortunately I seem to only do un-accredited griping.

    Wishing you sweet dreams of refigerators tied to trees with yellow nylon rope.

    having a great day today by the grace of medication!!!

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