“I wish we were kids together,” my daughter whispered in my ear as I tucked her into bed one night. She described all the fun kid things we could do: play on the same soccer team, have play dates every day and go to kindergarten together.
That statement warmed my heart so much. Just one little sentence. They say it is the little things that make a difference. Whether it is a sweet comment from your kid, an awesome parking spot (seriously, that is huge!) or positive feedback from a professor or a supervisor, those are the things that can make your day.
But rather than gloss over those simple events, I am working on just being grateful. Grateful that I did get a parking spot on main campus. Grateful that I can get a delicious cup of coffee at Coffee Bene . . . without going outside! Grateful that I work at a place like St. Thomas.
A friend of mine gave me the idea of writing down 10 things you are grateful for every day during Lent. She said by spending some time reflecting, she has been able to look at negative things more positively.
With the natural disasters going on across the globe in Japan, it is all of sudden humbling to think of everything I have and everything that I am grateful for. So while I cannot be six years old again and I won’t always get a great parking spot, I certainly can enjoy my daughter’s childhood and check out the exciting progress of the new Anderson Student Center as I make the trek from south campus to Murray-Herrick.
How about you? What are you grateful for?