This morning I am grateful.
This might not be the response you would expect from someone who woke up around 4:30 and hasn’t been able to sleep since. And it wasn’t my initial response either. Initially, my response was annoyance and frustration. I know how important sleep is for mental health, and I am quite zealous when it comes to trying to get enough sleep in life. So when I wake up hours before my alarm and find myself unable to fall back asleep, I get tend to get a little distressed.
But today I have decided that it will not be helpful to start my day off on a negative note. So instead, I am here to write about the things I am thankful for, rather than being discouraged by my lack of sleep last night.
For starters, this morning I am grateful for solitude. I am thankful that I woke up early, specifically because it has allowed me some extra time to just be alone with my thoughts.
Lots of people find solitude lonely, but I find it energizing. I love having time to myself, and when I go without it for too long, I tend to go a little crazy.
This can be an interesting dynamic for someone who is married to an extroverted social butterfly. Ryan loves being with people and is energized in a crowd. We are very different this way, but we have learned to balance our differences over the years. A big part of this is acceptance—accepting that we are different and have different needs, and learning to respect and champion the other’s unique traits. This is another thing I am grateful for today. I am grateful for the fact that Ryan and I have come so far in our understanding of one another, and our ability to support and embrace each other’s distinctive attributes.
Speaking of attributes, one of my attributes that I am extremely grateful for this morning is resilience. Having taken a few moments to close my eyes and just sit in silent awareness, I feel very connected to my body and ever so thankful for the resilience it has shown through the years. I have put my body through a lot in my lifetime, from the effects of an eating disorder to the extreme symptoms of anxiety, not to mention other addictions along the way. Yet my body has healed. It is healing. And I am so thankful today for the resilience my body has shown in continuing to serve me now, even on this sleep deprived morning.
Finally, this morning I am grateful for grace. I am thankful that every day is a new chance to conquer the giants I face. And I am reassured by the knowledge that God isn’t holding on to a cosmic grudge about the ways I messed up yesterday. In fact, Lamentations 3:23 says that “His mercies begin afresh each morning.” What a gift!
I’m a little bit tired. And I’m aware that today will be harder for my lack of sleep. But I’m choosing to approach this day with positivity and gratitude. Because the world doesn’t stop turning when I have a bad day, and I don’t want to miss out on something significant because I had a rotten attitude.
And so, this morning I am grateful.
What are you grateful for today?
Braver Than Before 
I am grateful that I chose to read this. Wonderful.
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Thank you! I am grateful that you read it as well ❤
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I am thankful that God answers prayers and that yesterday He showed a direct answer to one of my recent prayers!!
I also just spent some time with a few friends this morning and am so thankful for friendships!!
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Those are wonderful things to be grateful for! You’re right, God is so good, and He truly answers prayers!
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Every day is a new day to show a resurrected Jesus Christ dwelling inside of us. I invite you to my blog for Christian couples
http://www.loftforum.wordpress.com
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Thanks for sharing!
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I am grateful the Holy Spirit gave me the words to express what the process of Salvation truly looks like to my unsaved husband- who thought faith is something that happens to you, not a process you choose beginning with an acceptance of the Lord into our hearts and asking him to reveal His truths
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Awesome! So cool to hear that you were able to have this conversation!
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I’m grateful that I read this too. 😀
I like my sleep too, I like having to roll around my bed in the morning! But sometimes when I can’t go back to sleep like your morning, I’m usually like, “Hey, more time to do stuff in the morning before I get to work!” But that’s reeeeeally rare,
. 😛
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Haha, I do like the productivity of early mornings as well. That is one definite advantage!
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Hello Talasi. I am sorry to hear about your early wake-up, but glad that it fueled you to write an inspiring blog post.
I am thankful for my sister and my boyfriend. They are my two favourite people on this Earth and provide me with constant support, happiness, smiles and love 🙂
Take care, and i hope you manage to get a bit more sleep tonight. Carly
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They sound like wonderful people ❤
Had another rough night last night, but still pushing forward and hoping to keep up the positivity today!
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Sending you positive vibes x
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I find solitude necessary to reboot myself as well as to help handle social situations later in the day. Another benefit of it, when coupled with down time (no brain) activities is it helps a lot with chronic pain.
However, I do couple it with some social activities because I’ve also found that when the balance leans to too much solitude and less human contact, it can increase depression.
I’m grateful for having my own space where I can reboot. I’ve always lived alone and that has worked to my advantage. I don’t have friends who need attention 24/7. We get together when we can making those moments more meaningful. 🙂
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This is awesome. I agree that solitude has to be balanced with some social activities, and I find that helpful as well. But balance is the key. I don’t know if you are like me in this, but I find the idea of balance very difficult. I tend to swing to extremes in life, and struggle to walk along a healthy middle line. But I think this is an area (solitude/social activities) that I am starting to get the hang of and find my balance!
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Love this! Practicing gratitude has changed my life exponentially.
Also can relate to the solitude part, and having alone time to re energise. I never considered myself an introvert but it’s a classic introvert trait! 🙂
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I am thankful for books today….just finished reading All The Bright Places on this rainy day. Thank you for your post!
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