January is a wrap and I'm right back where I was at the end of each month in 2014: wondering what the heck happened and where time went. I didn't forget to celebrate though, I just didn't think I'd have to write about it so soon....
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about Celebrate2015 right here.)
Celebration and Gratitude
I'm very grateful for the life I have, and that's something I celebrate every day. In fact, I think gratitude and celebration go hand in hand. So I decided that for my monthly celebration round-up this year, I will chronicle each celebration and reflect on why I'm grateful for it.
The first celebration this month was owning our pick-up truck for one year. I remember not being very happy when we got it, mostly because the prospect of having to drive it, scared the shit out of me (figuratively). Apart from the fact that it is actually a really sweet, comfortable ride, it has also challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and drive. I never used to be a timid driver, in fact, I drove all over the place in Germany, Austria and Italy - until I had an accident about 18 years ago. I was driving too fast on snow and lost control of the car. Fortunately, there was no other vehicle anywhere near and I got stuck in a snowbank before I hit anything that could cause a lot of damage, but ever since then I haven't been very keen on driving in the winter. I drove alright, but big cars that can cause a lot of damage definitely scared me - especially in the winter. So, thank you, big pick-up truck, for getting me out of my comfort zone - because I can do it.
Next, we celebrated my husband having his business for two months. I'm grateful for that, because he loves being his own boss. We went on an all-day date and bought a celebratory new king-sized duvet - and I'm very grateful for that. The story behind the duvet is a bit embarrassing , but I own it. Our old duvet was queen-sized and worked just fine for the two of us. Enter our dog... who sleeps in a crate next to my bed. I should say "slept", because recently he gets up in the wee hours of the morning and wants to sleep with us. I should add that I never let my kids sleep with us, even when I had to get up 8 times a night with our son. Our bed was our bed and that's the end of that. Until now. I know, I'm a total sucker. And Jacob is very persuasive. Sigh. The queen-sized duvet was just too small with the dog in the middle and we were both cold. Of course getting a bigger duvet rather than kicking the dog out of the bed seemed like the logical thing to do. So we did. And I'm grateful. For a warm butt and puppy snuggles. What?
We also celebrated my husband's 1-year-smoke-free anniversary. Woot! I'm so impressed with his will power. It wasn't easy for him and I can't even imagine the cravings (except if the cravings are like the ones I have for the perfect chocolate cupcake with candied bacon, that would be torture); I'm also grateful because it's been great for his health, and he has so much more time to help around the house now, instead of going outside to smoke ;)
Finally, we celebrated 7 years of living in Canada. 7 fantastic years, with ups, downs, and a few sideways moves - so pretty much perfect. There is so much to be grateful for and I count my blessings every single day. We are truly at home here.