Recently, I’ve been needing a lot of coping skills to get through. Today, I’m trying giving thanks. This world is a really great place much of the time, but I don’t always see that. As I struggle with things, it helps to be reminded of all the good, and being thankful is a complete way of doing that.

I learned some time ago that Love has great power over depression. Just to focus on others and loving on others takes me outside of myself and my own suffering. The last couple of days, I’ve been feeling down. I’ve been lacking motivation and not wanting to do anything. I’ve been practicing the skill I talked about earlier, that of pushing forward. But today, I need more than that, so I give thanks. Allow me some time to give thanks for a few things in my life.

A couple days ago, I was talking with a friend who said my blog was helpful to her. Honestly, that’s all I wanted from this. I wanted to at least help one person. I wanted this blog to be a net positive for the world. I’ve accomplished that now. I’ll keep writing, of course, but everything beyond this is gravy. I’ve completed my mission and it feels wonderful. I’m excited to see how much more this blog can do.

I have a friend who recently got married. He was my tenant before he got married. I always longed for my home to be a place where people live for a time, but move on to better things. My friend is moving forward, and I daresay I was a part of that. I’m happy to see him succeed.

A couple days ago, I played Minecraft with my niece and nephew. It was the best thing in the world. My brother and his family live in Texas, and I’m all the way out here in Michigan! I don’t get to see them much, so any interaction with the little ones is great. I can talk to my brother on the phone, and I can text my sister in law and check out her Facebook where she tells jokes. But their kids are young enough that I don’t really get to talk to them on an adult level yet. Playing games with them is the perfect way for me to be a part of their lives. I also took the opportunity to teach them about the game and even about life. It’s also neat to see their levels of development and see how I can interact with each of them on their level. I have another nephew, but he’s a bit young yet for Minecraft. I look forward to him growing up to the point that I can play with him, too.

Speaking of games, I had the opportunity to play a strategy game with my brother. I haven’t gotten that chance in a long time, and it was wonderful. I always prefer to play on the same team as others because I don’t want to get frustrated with them, and I can be competitive. My brother and I took on several opponents. Honestly, we were out of practice and we didn’t do so well, but it was still a blast.

As I write these things, my mood improves. The weather has been lousy in my state recently, and I’ve been dealing with fear and depression and other stuff. Giving thanks is an excellent way to pull out of that. It’s part of that “Pushing forward” that I wrote about a couple posts ago.

Thank you, Gentle Readers, for indulging me. I encourage you to think of your own lives and what there is to be thankful for. Even more so if things have been rough. If you’d like to, leave a comment and tell me what you enjoy and what’s gone well for you. Even when things are hard, there’s always at least a thing or two that are going well. Remembering the good can make all the hardship manageable.

Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay