Broccoli-Cheddar Happiness...

Today, in the cafeteria, when I saw that they were serving broccoli-cheddar soup, I was excited -- who doesn't just love that soup? I saw that the serving pot had run low -- there was still soup in there, but it was near-impossible to scoop out with the ladle provided. No worries, I thought, I'll just ask the really nice cafeteria guy if they can bring more from the back (he's always super-nice and always smiling!). He made a face, and said he was pretty sure they were all out of broccoli-cheddar and would have to replace it with something else, but he would go check.
Something else? Who wants something else? I want broccoli-cheddar!

Alas, when he came out from the back, he WAS carrying a pot of soup -- but also a sign reading "loaded baked potato." They truly were out of broccoli-cheddar.

I told him jokingly that I was going to have to show him my sad face.
He smiled back at me and said, "I don't want to see your sad face -- you just wait!"

He proceeded to lift the pot of broccoli-cheddar and pour it into a bowl for me -- it was exactly a bowl-s worth of soup at the bottom of the pot!
The ladle never would have been able to scoop it out, but the good-hearted cafeteria guy was able to make it happen.

We both parted with smiles on our faces, and now I have a belly full of warm broccoli-cheddar-y goodness. :)

Achoo! Sniffle...

As I sit here in a medicine-induced haze, it's easy to feel crankypants about the fact that I suffer from allergies every spring and fall (and frankly, much of the summer in between as well). Who wants to feel like the have a permanent cold for over half the year? So many of the meds I take don't really work, and the ones that do work are so expensive, and my body often adjusts to them, which leads me to start the process of finding good meds all over again.

However, instead of marinating in the nuisance that is allergies, I'm thinking of how lucky I am to be otherwise extremely healthy. It's been quite some time since I've had even a cold, and much longer since I've suffered from anything more severe than that.

I'm also thinking of how blessed I am to live in a country with such easy access to medicines that treat our illnesses. I imagine I have thrown out more expired drugs than people in some countries have access to in a lifetime. And while I may complain about the cost of my pills, I've never had to choose between wellness and a full belly.

I'm especially lucky to have a job (at a time when so many people don't) that not only provides me with the necessities, but offers fantastic health insurance. As does my husband's. While so many can't afford the most basic insurance, we have a CHOICE. And should that dreaded serious illness ever occur, this insurance will enable treatment for us.

I'm able to choose to pop a pill to make my leisure time outdoors more comfortable -- because I have leisure time in the first place.

So, while the sneezes and sniffles are a minor nuisance, they remind me of a long list of things I am lucky to have.

Attitude of Gratitude...

Katie, over at Hems for Her posted today about having an attitude of gratitude.

Like Katie, gratitude is not something i consciously think about all that often. Sure, I say "thank you" when it seems appropriate -- and I mean it! -- but there are so many things in life that we are so fortunate to have that we simply take for granted.
I think that ties in closely to the purpose of this blog. After all, if we are consciously thankful for the things in our life, it makes it rather hypocritical to criticize those same things, no? Katie's post made me realize that in automatically seeing the worst in the things around me, I was inherently taking them for granted.

Frankly, this just doesn't jive with the person I want to be.

So here I am, keeping on with my mission to be more positive in life.
Thank You, Katie, for reminding me to be grateful!

Gone, but not Forgotten...

despite my not having posted here in a while, i have not forgotten this space or my goals to become a more positive person. life has been a series of ups and downs, but i choose to focus mainly on the positives, only looking at the negatives to learn the lessons they were put there to teach me. i don't always learn the lesson, and yes, sometimes i dwell a little too long in the anger/sadness/etc surrounding them. but i'm trying.

recently, i have been opening my eyes to something that has truly held me back in life -- myself. more specifically, my fears. i have always thought of myself as a cautious person, a realist. but i've come to realize that much of the rationalizing i do only serves to make me fail at things before i even attempt them.

don't take that leap, you might fall.

don't sing that song, you might be off key.

don't speak up, you might be wrong.

but then, there's this:

i have been making a conscious effort to face my own fears, even when i don't realize that it's fear i'm feeling.

whenever i catch myself saying "no" to something, i try to ask myself why. quite often, i realize that the only reason i hold back from trying something is my fear of failure...my fear of making a fool out of myself. 

but y'know what?

saying "yes" in the face of fear has landed me an amazing husband, a house i love, and a job that, while trying at times, i think i'm kicking a little bit of butt at.

my fears are like a river, and i just need to build a bridge and get over it.

don't be scurred.