Last year, I made a list of the things I was thankful for, and posted it on Facebook. I added to it daily, and enjoyed coming up with things I was thankful for. It’s fun to look back, and remember what I wrote. I also enjoyed the writing of it itself. I have always enjoyed writing---lately, I have found that writing, even though it takes time and effort, along with my hand function on some days, has been very therapeutic for me. It has given a voice to my aches and pains, woes, frustration with my body that has given up on me in so many ways.
This year, I am doing a Top 10 list. Here they are, in no particular order.
Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For
10. My job. I own my own business, and it is running well enough for me to put only 5-15 hours each week into it. The lovely ladies I have working there make that possible. Otherwise, I would be fighting the Disability office, just to get what I need to provide for my family.
9. My husband. He believes me. He believes IN me. He is the yin to my yang, the salt to my pepper, the peanut butter to my chocolate. I can talk for hours about all his wonderful qualities, but it would wear me out, and then he would take over. As usual.
8. My kids. They are so fantastic, even when I want to choke them to death. They are goofy, silly, full of laughter.
7. Being diagnosed NOW, rather than decades ago. There are still doctors that don’t believe in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I still have people question me, I’m sure some of them don’t believe all my complaints. I would gladly trade with them for a day---but I am so thankful the ones that count believe me!
6. All the wonderful foods that are available for those that should not have gluten and/or dairy. Every few months, I get reminded why I can’t eat them. I am especially thankful for the So Delicious brand, they make amazing creamers and “ice creams”. Oh, and LaraBars.
5. All the great resources out there, connecting me to people that truly understand my health issues. I have found great people on Facebook and through blogging, and they help me stay sane.
4. Humor. If it wasn’t for laughing, I would be spending way more time crying! The Bloggess, Flourish in Progress, my Girl Scout Pal Jen, The Oatmeal, the guy from Don’t Even Reply, Passive Aggressive Notes, Regretsy, Failbook. All these wonderful things/people have kept me from throwing myself off a cliff, sometimes at their own expense.
3. My family. I have an amazing group of people. My parents and awesome beyond belief-they come over and bring the trash to the curb when I am away, they return things from stores when I can’t stomach it. My husband’s family is fab, too, and there’s tons of them, which makes it that much greater because the statistics of them all being tolerable is astronomically against me. Then, ya gotta add all my friends, who are as good as family. One, because they sometimes drive me to drink, and two, because they love me despite my obvious character flaws.
2. My husband. Yes, I know he was already #9. But damn, if you had to be married to me, you would want double-credit, too. Trust me. And, he thinks HE got the good end of the deal!
1. Lastly, I am thankful that my health issues are mine, and not my husband’s or my kids’. I could not bear to know they were going through all this. They make going through it worthwhile, by being who they are, for loving me, for being just who they are.
Don’t fret. I will be back soon with more bitchy funny banter. I was nearly killed at an amusement park the other day, so there’s that. And, I have VERY strong feelings about individual salt packets, all of which I will share with you, soon.
