Ah, birthdays-some hate them, some love them. Well, consider the alternative & that is my #1 reason for being thankful. As birthday number fifty-two is coming up on April 5, I still have life in this body (even after a horrible bout with the flu which led to respiratory issues-blah)!
#2 My maternal great grandmother was a widow in her fifties and could not drive a car. I am thankful that I can drive a car, and a truck, and a stick shift, & that I have two of the three.
#3 I am thankful that my parents never abused me and had my best interests at heart even though they were imperfect people.
#4 I am thankful that I grew up in an era when respect & manners were high priority and a foundation for a successful life.
#5 I am thankful that my teachers pushed me to be my best and academics were not “dumbed down” to accommodate those who did not care & did not try.
#6 I am thankful for all of the whoopins’ I got that broke my will, but not my spirit. I am a better person for it.
#7 I am thankful that I know what a rotary phone is, lol!
#8 I am thankful that I know what America’s top 40 with Casey Kasem is, The Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack is, and was alive when video killed the radio star.
#9 I am thankful that I lived through the original vinyl albums, 8-track tapes, cassettes, and saw the advent of CDs and digital music.
#10 While on the subject of music, I am thankful that I grew up listening to pure, raw talent with the likes of Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Journey, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Kansas, REO, Pat Benatar, & Sebastian Bach…just to name a few.
#11 I am thankful that I had my first “real” job at age 15 (babysitting before that), and that I had to earn my own money to buy my first car AND pay the insurance. It taught me responsibility and to take care of my belongings because they weren’t just “given” or “entitled.”
#12 I am thankful that my mother instilled a strong worth ethic in me.
#13 I am thankful that I still have my mother.
#14 I am thankful that I had my dad for almost 80 years of his life and 45 of mine. The rascal chose to depart the earth on Father’s Day in 2007. He always had a dry sense of humor!
#15 I am thankful that I inherited my dad’s dry humor. Some may not understand my humor, but it has kept me sane & kept me from crying a lot of times.
#16 I am thankful that I reside in America where (so far), women can pursue their dreams.
#17 I am thankful that I never missed a meal. It may have been Miracle Whip or Spam sandwiches, fried bologna, deviled ham, goulash and plenty of mac & cheese growing up, but my stomach was never empty.
#18 I am thankful that I grew up with no air conditioning, then a window unit that froze me out of the room it was in, but made the rest of the house sort of hot. I didn’t die.
#19 I am thankful for that doctor who got the needle out of my butt when I was sick at 5 yrs. old (I stiffened up), the nail out of my foot, and who assured my mother that I would outgrow “wetting the bed.”
#20 I’m thankful that I DID outgrow “wetting the bed!” LOL!
#21 I’m thankful that my older brother did not kill me.
#22 I’m thankful that I could play outside long after dark without fear of harm.
#23 I’m thankful that I walked to and from Jr. High and never got abducted. Stranger danger was not an issue.
#24 I’m thankful that I was a tomboy and collected frogs and snakes in a Mason jar and wasn’t afraid to have a turtle for a day and then let it go (as well as the frogs & snakes).
#25 I’m thankful that I had pets growing up and was taught what it took to care for them.
#26 I’m thankful that I got to experience the loss of those pets in a safe atmosphere. It taught me that nothing lasts forever.
#27 I’m thankful that I had to create my own entertainment as a child and became an avid reader with a HUGE imagination.
#28 I am thankful for books…hard copy
#29 I am thankful that I was a fat kid (what)? It taught me to be an empathetic adult and to understand what it is like to be the last picked at kickball and not be in the “popular” group.
#30 I am thankful that I hope I will NEVER be in the “popular” group!
#31 I am thankful that I held the vision/dream in my heart since age 5 in kindergarten, to be a nurse.
#32 I am thankful that I graduated with honors in ALL of my nursing programs after returning to school as the “non-traditional” student (thank you Weenie Ward and your college prep class in high school)!
#33 I am thankful that both of my sons got to witness my graduation from my Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program in 2006.
#34 I am thankful that both of my boys are successful in their endeavors & that both had beautiful weddings to wonderful girls.
#35 I am thankful that despite my daughter’s rebellion, I have faith that one day she will see the light and realize that I am not the bad guy!
#36 I am thankful that I have a great job.
#37 I am thankful that I own my own home
#38 I am thankful that I have the certain neighbors that keep a watch over me and mine.
#39 I am thankful that despite being a fat, non-athletic kid, that I have found my niche in running.
#40 I am thankful that despite the naysayers, I qualified and ran Boston and will return there in 2017.
#41 I am thankful that despite a few setbacks, I am for the most part, healthy.
#42 I am thankful for all of the people that running has brought into my life.
#43 I am thankful for all of the people that running has reacquainted me with.
#44 I am thankful for all of the running greats that I have met through this glorious sport.
#45 I am thankful for my whirlpool tub and for a bed to lay my head on after running.
#46 I am thankful for the love/hate relationship that I have with my foam roller.
#47 I am thankful for body glide.
#48 I am thankful for the Sunday Runday group and for 2 mile aid stations.
#49 I am thankful that winter doesn’t last forever.
#50 I am thankful that I got to see the Kansas City Royals win the World Series TWICE in my lifetime!
#51 I am thankful that I am finally comfortable in my own skin and honestly DO NOT care what others think of me. I refuse to play games and pretend to be something I’m not. I’m “popular” with me and I have to live with me, so there it is.
#52 I am thankful that despite all of my failures and short comings, God knows my heart and that it doesn’t matter one iota what others have said, done, or expect of me. I am NOT a conformist. I think for myself and form my own conclusions. If one can’t/won’t accept that in me… “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” -Famous quote from “Gone With the Wind.”
Hope to see you out on the roads or trails,
Stephanie
Life Begins When You Let It 