Birthday Parties & Pity Parties

Yesterday was my 34th birthday.   I was feeling a little sad that my hubby would be at school and not home for dinner, and that I would not be seeing my parents because they were camping.  I woke up kind of grumbling, and was rolling it all over and over again in my mind.  By 7:15 AM, I made up my mind it was no birthday at all!  I was just Little Miss Entitlement, I suppose.  However, just like a light switch, I hopped off the pity party train with one realization....

I AM living the dream.  As cliche as it is, not only is it my dream, but also the dream of millions of others on this Earth whose birthdays come and go without much fanfare.  (Thinking of a little child whose parents are absent and tangled in drugs or crime or maybe the sweet mother living  in 3rd world conditions just trying to keep her head up in spite of the disparity that surrounds her.) Hang with me here.

As much as I love a cake and singing, and gifts, I have so much more than those millions I just mentioned.  I am living my dream and theirs, quite possibly in several countless ways.  I am blessed to have a home, and a family to call my own---in a safe community.  I have not only running water at the push of a faucet, but also indoor bathrooms.  I have enough money and resources to make meals 7 nights a week.  My teaching job feeds my passion for children, and gives me a platform to do GOOD in their lives.  I have clothes- new clothes- some rarely worn.  My car takes me from point A to point B.  I AM living the dream of many others.  I am NOT entitled to more.

Ohhhh, yes, I adore the scarecrow my Aunt Deb got me, and the new plates I asked Tim for.  But, I also adore my everyday conveniences that go so unnoticed and taken for granted.  Paper towels, washing machines, shoes, electricity, the basics, are truly gifts.

So as I wave good bye to 33, and hello to a new year, I hope that I can cultivate a culture of gratitude in my home and yours even.  Those little things are BIG things to so many others walking this globe.  No need for cake or candles, or even the well-meaning gifts (although very appreciated).  For, I am and YOU are blessed indeed.  


PS- my day didn't go unnoticed by my best friend who brought me cupcakes to work or my sister who cooked me dinner & took me for ice cream!!  I am blessed and spoiled.