Finding the positive this weekend

I noticed that around Thanksgiving (well, the entire month of November), a lot of friends were posting daily things on Facebook that they were thankful for. Quite a few bloggers were blogging the same. I had so much going on, that it wasn’t something I could keep up with. But I am thankful, even though I definitely have moments when I feel sorry for myself.

Friday was a mopey day for me. We had 5 days with J before he had to head back out of state. He’s attending Navy training and won’t be back until March. We can go visit him, but it’s a long drive or expensive flight. Either way, I have to save money before going, or it’s not going to happen. After he left, nothing got accomplished. I do think part of that was because I ran out of coffee. I’m such a caffeine addict!

Then Saturday morning, I woke up, shook off the funk, showered, dressed, got Jeremiah up, and headed to the car to run errands (uhmmmmm….buy coffee). And my car didn’t start. Let the stress begin. I found a random stranger in our parking lot who had cables and was willing to jump my car, which he did. Turns out my battery was bad, so I had to pay for a new one.

This morning, Baby J woke up at 5am with a cough and low fever that hasn’t gone down. I hate seeing my little one sick.

But you know what? My life really isn’t all that bad. So J’s gone for work…I’m thankful he has a job. I’m thankful he’s not deployed, so we actually have Skype and can “see” him daily. I’m thankful I have a car. I’m thankful it was an “easy” fix, and really not that expensive. And although Baby J’s sick, he’s not that sick. He’s not sobbing, and he’s eating fine, just a little clingy. Everything’s going to be okay. Whenever I start to throw a pity party, I try to remind myself that there are so many people worse off- people without jobs, people whose loved ones are seriously ill, people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and on the list goes. I am blessed.

It may not be November, but I’m still thankful.

So now, on a more practical note, what are your tips for keeping your toddler happy when he/she isn’t feeling well?

Don’t have a toddler? What are you thankful for?

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7 Comments

  1. This is so important to remember! I’m a firm believer in being positive to bring about more postive things into your life! thanks for sharing! happy new year! xoxo

  2. I do not have a toddler, but I am all about finding positivity! There are so many people that have things going on that are worse than what we encounter on our “worst days”. It’s hard to remember that sometimes, but it helps me get through my day when I put things in perspective 🙂

  3. I love your attitude– my mother and grandmother taught me to always, always count my blessings—because no matter what I was going through that seemed like it was the end of the world, really wasn’t. My Dad always said, “this too shall pass” and that is also something to keep in mind when things are tough.
    Now, about your toddler. I don’t have any now– but my daughter does, and I will tell you what I tell her. Grab that baby and hold on tight– because you will blink and she’ll be going off to college. I think the best thing you can do for a little one that doesn’t feel good is cuddle them…lay down and take a nap with them or snuggle on the couch. Just having your undivided attention makes them feel better.

    1. Hi Denise, thank you for the advice! I didn’t get much done yesterday, since he wanted to cuddle the whole day, but you’re right…he seemed to feel better when I did! I’ll admit, I feel a little helpless when he’s sick, since he’s my first kid.

  4. Sometimes it can feel like when it rains, it pours, doesn’t it? Don’t beat yourself up too much for wallowing in self-pity; we all do it at times, and the note on which you ended your post proves that you realize how great your life actually really is. When you’re in the midst of a stressful situation, sometimes it’s all too easy to lose sight of the struggles some people are REALLY facing during the holidays. I actually started complaining last night about how small our pantry was before realizing what an insane thing that was to be stressing about!

  5. I don’t have a toddler, but I loved your thankful for notes, they are all perfectly valid and great reasons to be thankful for – not only around Thanksgiving, but throughout the whole year!
    I do believe in being positive, even though sometimes my feeling is being anything but…I’m still a work in progress, and getting there 🙂

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