Gratitude

Hi lovelies.

Christmas is all about wanting - we tend to focus on the things we want. I know all too well wanting too much of anything can make you unhappy, so in this season of want, want, want, what are you grateful for? What have you already got which is a blessing?

I'll give you five things and you can leave me 5 of your own in the comments.

1. I'm so grateful for my husband. Without him I'd be in such dire straits in so many ways. He's made me a better person. He's calmed me down and made me more optimistic. He's the guy who if he had a hand cut off would cheerily say 'Oh well, I have another one!' His constant sunniness used to irk me, because he used to be slightly naive with it. I've made him realise not everything in life is going to be candy floss and poodles, and he's made me realise sometimes it is. He's got a lot on his plate and things have changed so much for us - hopes and dreams have gone out of the window in more than one way - no house of our own and no kids - but we still have each other and that is enough. He's almost always happy and it's so wonderful to live with someone who's always smiling and joking. To nick a line from Kelly Clarkson, my life would suck without him.
2. I'm so grateful for my family, the bunch of oddballs. They all do my head in at one time or another but I'm really lucky to have a mum and dad who love me, a lovely step dad, a lovely brother who's a bit of a closed book (but at least then I get to use my amateur psycho-analysis on him, ha!) lots of loony aunts, uncles and cousins and good in laws.
3. I'm really grateful for my friends. I haven't always been the easiest of people to be friends with, both because I've moved around so much and was rubbish at keeping in contact, and also because I sometimes put my foot in it in epic style. I'm really lucky to have met a bunch of great people at work and at play and I have friends all over the UK of all ages and backgrounds (and a few abroad too.) It means we get to travel a lot to see them all, which we love. 
4. I'm really grateful for blogging too. When I first sat down to write a blog many years ago I had no idea that I'd ever have more than a couple of readers, nor did I have a clue that I'd end up being positive about my size and trying to help other people to love themselves. I've made some really good friends through blogging and I can't imagine my life without it or the connections I've made through it. Sometimes when I sit in front of a screen tapping away into the early hours it's easy to think I'm jabbering away to myself, and the comments I get on my blog are a constant source of joy and amazement, to be honest. I still get a thrill that people want to comment on what I have to say and have been known to reply to comments on the loo, in the car, in the supermarket and just about any other place you can imagine where there is wifi! 
5. I'm grateful my health isn't any worse. It's a challenge all the time but at least at the moment I (mostly) have the use of my arms and legs. I've got some worries with the grip in my left hand - it's been getting weaker for a few years now and I can't squeeze toothpaste or open a can of drink with it any more, let alone anything more strenuous than that. I've smashed 2 plates this week alone thanks to my dodgy grip. I'm aware that some people with CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia are bed bound or wheelchair bound and that makes me grateful for what health I have for now and I'll try to think about further challenges as they happen.

So, tell me what you're grateful for.

Thanks for reading.