Appreciate What You Have

As I was walking towards my kitchen to cook my family another bomb-ass meal, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I literally stopped in my tracks and stood transfixed, staring at my tiled countertop.

Wow. I have a freaking fantastic life!

I sat on my black leather couch and looked around my spacious living room. I took an assessment of what was going on in my life at this very moment, and I was amazed. I don't say any of this to brag, but to make everyone think for a second about your own lives. Why is it that we focus so much on negativity that we forget to appreciate all of the great things that happen to us each and every day?

I woke up this afternoon, when my daughter got home from junior high. She shows me her report card that has straight A's and a perfect attendance record. Babygirl is beaming from ear to ear, because her principal personally scrawled his own accolades on her report card to congratulate her.

After fixing her a snack, I received a call from my recently hired executive assistant, Heather, who informed me of all of the things she got accomplished while I was sleeping during the day. She has registered http://www.naiomipitre.com/, which has been a long time overdue. She updated my website with all of my new information. She contacted some of the people who are organizing interviews and events that they would like me to be a part of to get the details. Heather is helping me coordinate all of my publicity efforts, and get some organization into my life.

My husband phones me around this time to tell me that he is picking up some groceries on his way home, and ask me if I need anything. I mention a few things, and he tells me he loves me. He phones and texts me a lot during the day, just to keep in touch.

My daughter finishes her homework and starts on her chores so that she can be finished by the time I need to take her to her hour-long acting class in the evening. I realize that I am able to give her everything she desires and more (and she deserves every bit of it). She tells me about her recently acquired boyfriend, and gives me all the juicy 6th grade romantic details.

"...and so, he passed me a note, and he asked if I liked him. I said I did, a little, and he said he did, alittle, too! Then he asked me out, and I said yes, but I am so nervous because he really likes Jade and I wonder if he'll still like her once he's my boyfriend?"

I smile, thinking about the fact that I have the luxury of being here to listen to my daughter tell me about her day as soon as she comes home. I don't have any "boss" to answer to, or any place I need to be unless I feel like being there. I answer to myself, and I am responsible for my own success. I get to concentrate on what I love to do, which is writing, performing, and sharing my gifts with the world - and nothing else. I make my own schedules, not according to what someone else has decided are good hours to work, but my own. Personally, I enjoy spending time with my family when they get home from work and school. I like finally getting to work after they've enjoyed a meal that I have cooked and fallen peacefully asleep. I like seeing my husband and daughter off to school in the morning, right before I finally hit the pillow. My assistant takes over from there.

When things go wrong, it is so easy to begin to concentrate on the negative aspects of our lives. Sure, in the last year someone took advantage of my kindness and wronged me. Sure, I got into a life-threatening collision that broke a few bones and scarred me up a bit. Sure, my father recently passed away. Sure, a dear friend of mine stopped talking to me completely for no reason whatsoever. All of those things are true, and all of them are hurtful.

The thing is, in order to progress in our lives, we have to focus on the positives that will ADD to our lives, not the negatives that SUBTRACT from it. Therefore, I look at my life, and I count myself BLESSED. Thank God for watching over my family and I, and I apologize for not realizing how good I have it sooner. Every once in awhile, give yourself a reality check, and get back on track.