Friendship: I can’t imagine life without it. And right now I have the best friendships I’ve ever had in large part because of our shared faith.
Faith: For years I just didn’t believe in God and kept on thinking that I needed to "figure out" what I believed but thinking that I wasn't ready to be a practicing Christian. So finally I read a lot, talked to people, and even logically believed in some of the Christian principles and beliefs. But I lacked faith. And at the time, I was (especially) one of those people who always likes to be right, so the notion of believing in someone that I can’t actually see was quite the leap of faith. I kept putting myself in the right place and praying and finally I took the leap of faith. And although I wouldn’t describe Christianity as a cakewalk, my life has been so much better because of my faith and trust in God. It’s calmer, fuller, and much more comforting (there’s something nice about knowing that I’m not in control).
Free stuff: Free stuff makes me so happy and is always a pleasant surprise. Dinner tomorrow night at Natalias is free thanks to work; the trip to Cabo was free; my favorite downtown restaurant has been giving me free meals and desserts lately because of my loyal patronage; lunch at Moes on Saturday was free because it was my tenth meal there….
France: Although I didn’t care for Paris at all (if it were free, I’d give it another try:), the French Riviera was lovely and the people were very kind. And the language sounds so pretty.
Flag football: FF was one of my favorite parts of law school. During my 1L year, I thought it would be fun to organize a co-ed team (“The Tight Ends”) of the most unlikely players ever. The roster included: my crazy roommate with fake nails who screeched when the ball came her way (she wore lots of makeup to practice too); the crazy roommate’s crazy friend; a country boy who wore tight Wrangler jeans to all of our practices (he had to wear shorts without pockets to the actual games); and a line-backer looking girl who ended up being one of our better players (and coincidentally a lesbian). The Tight Ends had some changes to the roster, but we played all three years. Several of us even ended up playing together in an Atlanta league for a year after graduation.
Florida: It’s very touristy, but I always have a good time in Destin and the surrounding area. The weather is always fantastic, and the beaches are pretty. I’ve had a good time in Miami, Jacksonville, Naples, and Orlando too. The Keys seem really overrated to me, but I’m also not into fishing.
Freedom: I take it for granted, but I am so glad that I'm an American by birth. And I’m blessed by my freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:1 “Christ having made us gloriously free—stand fast and do not again be hampered with the yoke of slavery.”
Funny people: I love laughing, especially until it makes me cry or my stomach hurt. In high school I ate lunch every day with a couple of friends, and they were so funny that I was often sore from laughing. And about five years ago I dated a guy for a year and a half, and we just had a gift for making each other laugh. It was constant and easily one of my happiest memories of that relationship.
Finger foods, french fries, fondue, fudge, fringe benefits (especially when they are unexpected), fandango.com, fountain drinks (one of the few upsides of working in a big city firm is that all of the break rooms are outfitted with these machines), funnel cakes (I had a yummy one last week at the fair:), Five for Fighting, frosting (easily the best part of a cake), 4Runner (I take it for granted, but when I think about it, I’m so glad to have such a safe, reliable vehicle), french toast, Flashdance and Fame (childhood favorites), For Squirrels…
p.s. Happy Birthday Jeff (tomorrow)!!
p.p.s. I have a work dinner tomorrow night, but it doesn't begin until 7:30. I doubt I'll escape in time for Grey's. I'm not sure a free dinner is worth a delayed viewing, but oh well.
12 comments:
In my never ending quest of curiosity -- I have to ask: Exactly how long do you spend thinking about things that you're thankful for? I mean, today's letter is "F". Did you spend a few minutes writing this with whatever came to mind? A few hours or days or longer?
I'm trying to negate my embarassment that in the time that it took me to read your blog, I couldn't think of half a list the size of yours of "F" things that I was thankful for.
:(
Flashdance. Truly a piece of Americana and a facet of an 80's childhood for which I am forever grateful as well. Also a big fan of finger foods. It took me until my early 20's to come to grips with the fact that pigs-in-a-blanket may rank as one of my all-time favorite foods. (How pedestrian of me.) This was after I went to a Southern Living party at a friend's house, while 8 months pregnant, and consumed almost the entire platter of them in front of lots of people. I suppose there was no denying it after that!
ps, did you hear that McDreamy and Burke got into a fight on set? I completely swear that I read about this when checking out the morning news. It's on cnn.com.
Oh, and one other thing, I find that contemplating things you're thankful for is a really good exercise in positive thinking. Here's my F list:
Fanta orange . . . yummy
Foosball
Foundation (Stila Illuminating. I love products.)
Frasier
French manicures
Football
Family & friends
Falafel sandwiches from Papouli's
Free time
Fresh strawberries
Friends (the sitcom)
Cindy: I just looked at the cnn article "Dr. McDreamy Choked in Grey's Scuffle." Burke did it, but they've made up. I can't believe I cared, but as soon as I read your comment, I looked:) As for Flashdance, was I the only loser who taped her feet up like Jennifer Beals and ran in place? And I agree, this exercise has really helped me focus on all of my blessing (instead of all of my complaints). Thanks for sharing your F list (and I agree about free time...it's the best).
Aaron: I actually was stuck in traffic the other day and was thinking about the fair, realizing that the letter "F" was coming up. So I started jotting down things on a sticky pad then and kept it by my desk for a few days, adding things as they occured to me. So total time--I don't know, but it only took ten or twenty (interrupted) minutes to type it all up. It's definitely hard though when you're limited to one letter, so it does take some effort.
Dude, the only people who are losers are those who 1) didn't or don't have an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt; and 2) don't sing along as loudly as possible whenever the Flashdance theme comes on the radio. "What a feeling . . ."
Trust me, I could give you a run for your money in the "Am I the only loser that . . . " department. :-)
Cindy that might be a good idea for a blog posting--a sort of who is the biggest loser contest from our childhood (as if any of us are losers now, right?).
I love the whole Flashdance soundtrack--Manhunt, Gloria, and Maniac are great.
My life also has been completely enriched every since I've rediscovered my Faith. And it's great to share that in common with friends - there is something very comforting about that. Which is why I get torn about dating a non-believer, but as I've mentioned before a lot of Christian guys are weird (Dr. Brain included).
I promise I am going to start posting on my own blog and not taking over everyone else's.
I'm just wondering if Dr. Brain looks anything like Patrick Dempsey. I may overlook a little weirdness if such were the case.
Thanks so much for including me in yet another "Things to be thankful for..." post and for the birthday wishes several times over :-)
My wife made me French Toast this morning as a birthday breakfast, so I must say that I am thankful for that as well! And right now I’m rocking out to old school Foo Fighters, so I have to include them.
As for being 80’s childhood losership…I must confess that I learned all my greatest dance moves from none other than Ren McCormack!
okay, this made me feel a little old, but i took the suggestion and posted about 80's childhood nostalgia. I hope you guys remember this stuff, too!
http://cindypoe.typepad.com
CDP: If Dr. Brain looked anything like Dr. McDreamy (instead of reminding me of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons) I would be dancing with joy.
I kinda dig Florida too :-)
I love living here... the weather of course is tops, ESPECIALLY mid October through May.
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