T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L

Alright, Miss. Negative (N)ellie is in much need of a loving kick in the pants! Honestly, I’m not quite sure what is bringing on the STORM of bad moods lately, but I am sick of it! (and I KNOW my family is 😂) I had the hardest time coming up with a blog topic for the week, and the ideas I did manage to come up with were very Eeyore-esque. Seriously, you all better be sending a gratitude prayer up to the Lord right now, because if it weren’t for His guidance with my topic selection, we would be in the midst of a full on pity party right now.

So, how did the Lord inspire me this time, you might ask? Well, this will come as a giant shock to very few, but the Lord encouraged to me focus more on what I have, and less on what I believe I am missing In my life. Well, that was great, but how was I going to turn that into a blog topic? How was I going to turn that into an activity that would release me from my permanent funk?

Well, the day before blog writing day, I was elbow deep in an internet search, trying to find a new spin on a gratitude prompt. After what felt like hours of fruitless searching, a lesson from Young Women’s past entered my mind. In said lesson, my fellow leader had passed around pieces of paper with the letters G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E written down the side. She then asked us to take a few minutes to think of things that we were grateful for that corresponded with each letter. It could be literally anything we were grateful for! It could be big blessings like The Gospel, or little ones like treats.

Reflecting on that experience, I began to think what a freeing activity it was. It was nice to ponder the blessings in my life with zero pressure. No worrying about what others thought, or how meaningless the blessing might seem, because all that mattered was that it was significant to me. So, I decided to repeat the exercise, but change the word so I wasn’t completely stealing her idea 😉.

Without further ado, here are some of the things I have been thankful for this past month:

T: Time

I know a couple of weeks ago I said that the extra time sometimes felt like a burden, which is still true, but It has also been an incredible blessing. The gift of time has given me awesome memories with my family, chances to dive deeper into the scriptures, courage to try new things, opportunities to serve, and so much more. Looking back, I am so grateful for this gift of time I have been given.

H: Hats

So, for a while there I had a lot of extra time, but once I started working and had to make the hour long commute, the majority of it was quickly taken back. Who can save the day in this incredible conundrum? HATS!! I have always been a ball cap lover, but that love has been multiplied by at least 7 over the past fees weeks. Seriously, I don’t think one week has passed without me wearing a hat to work 😬. (Luckily for me, I have a very understanding boss. Hey, look at that! Double blessing in this one!)

A: Answers to Prayer

So many tender, heartfelt prayers have been answered over the past few weeks. Big ones like When I Told God I Was A Loser, to little ones, like please give me the desire to get up and work out in the morning 😂 It always amazes me how the Lord is in every detail of our lives, even answering the prayers we don’t know we are uttering.

N: Naughty Dogs

Alright, someone new has claimed the title of Stinker in our household, and her name is Lula-Roo. My grievances with her include: taking off to chase a rabbit, plopping down on the mat behind me to “help me“ do yoga, baying at antelope, keeping us up at night because she is scared of the bug zapper, and my personal favorite, pooping in a circle around my dad’s chair to show her displeasure.

Even though she has convinced me to never get another basset hound, like ever, her antics have brought so much laughter to our home (at least after we clean up the mess). Life would not be near as fun without her. However, I will never stop trying to convince people to take her off of our hands 😂

P.S. Anyone in the market for a misbehaving basset hound?

K: The Kindness of Others

Despite my perpetual bad mood, there have been soooo many instances of people showing me undeserved kindness. These angels somehow managed to push through my cloud of darkness and show me genuine Christlike love. They are the real MVPS, and deserved to be acknowledged!

• My brother and my coworker doing dishes for me.

• Mamma Mia always being there for a much needed hug, laugh, or pep talk.

• My boss taking time out her day to teach me some of the tips and tricks of the trade.

• So many clients who have been TIPPING me to shampoo them!

• My Grandma telling me I’m awesome.

• A friend inviting me to come over to bake and catch up.

• A client going out of her way to make sure I knew that she liked the way I styled her hair.

Seriously, there are so many examples, I am barely scraping the surface! Thank you guys for making me feel so loved!

F: Faith

The times we are living in can be a little scary, and I cannot imagine where I would be without my faith. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It keeps me grounded in trials, helps me to become the best me, and gives me hope for the future. As moody as I am right now, I cannot imagine how much worse it would be if I did not have my Savior to lean on for support, help, and love. He is always there, He is always faithful to us, and He will help us get through the tough times.

U: Understanding

The people around me are so understanding, and I am seriously amazed by it! After having been out of work for two months, clients have been so kind as I remember the correct way to shampoo (Sorry to everyone who has left with a soggy shirt!). After missing the scheduled phone date with my cousin because of a headache, she was quick to encourage my rest, and check in with me the next week. With fewer hours of sleep and free time, my family have been pretty easy going about my bad moods, choosing to love me and even help me through them. I am so grateful to those who have actively chosen to view me as Christ does, and aspire to me more like them!

L: Laughter

Despite my terrible moods, this month has been full of laughter. Reconnecting with my coworkers, discovering new shows with my family (my brother always has the best recommendations!), text messages from friends and cousins, and the discovery of the Ghostrunners Podcast (I have literally been alone other cat, laughing out loud as Jake and Brad talk about nothing. Go check them out!), have all been deep reservoirs of joy and chuckles during this time. These experiences have helped to pull me out of some of my foulest moods, and will allow me to look back on this time with fondness. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

So, despite kind of feeling like I was back in elementary school while filling this out, I am amazed at what it did for my mood. It was almost as if I could feel the anger and grumpiness leaving my body, as I reflected on all the good that has happened this past month. I am truly blessed, and as I choose to focus more on what I have, I am so much happier. Hopefully I will be able to look for the positive more over the next few weeks, but let’s be real, this is called Negative (N)ellie for a reason! 😉