Alphabet 2020: G is for Grateful

A few years ago on Facebook there was a gratefulness challenge that did the rounds. The idea was that for a week you had to mention three things that you were grateful for each day and then nominate your friends to do the same.  I ended up doing it for quite a few weeks because it just felt really good to take a few moments every day to think about what was good about life in general. It was almost liked taking the time to think about the positives in life made it easier to be positive!

I thought today I would mention three things that I am grateful for, particularly given the challenges that the world faces right now.

I changed jobs just over a year ago after having been in the same job for nearly 10 years. Even though the last year has been challenging in so many ways, I am much, much happier than I was. I am now leading a team of ten which presents it's own challenges, we have successfully introduced a new HR system that integrates into our system, I have built new friendships and more. My managers here are constantly expressing that they see a future for me as well as giving me development opportunities that just didn't happen in my last job. Originally I was thinking that I would be wanting to move after two years this time because I have a tendency to get stuck in a job for ten years or so but I don't think that two years will be long enough. I am also glad to work for an organisation that makes a difference to people's lives everyday. 

Working from home has actually been a surprise for me too. I expected to not like it at all, but it's not that bad. I think we will still be working from home for a couple more months at least, so I am grateful that we are able to work from home to reduce risks. I am grateful for my team who do what they need to do in order to ensure that everyone still gets paid. I am lucky that Robert is working from home as well although he is threatening to go to HR because of all the inappropriate touching in the workplace. It will be a struggle to go back to the office really.

This time last year Robert and I were in America. Whilst we were visiting a few different places along the way, we were also going to visit my son in the small town in Kansas where he was playing college basketball. The original plan was that he would be returning to the US in January, but in the end he decided to pursue another opportunity and stay at home. Given how things have unfolded over the last few months I am super grateful that he is at home and that he wasn't living away. Of course, I wish he was doing a bit more, but overall......I'm glad he's here. We do still have Robert's eldest daughter living in the UK, and his family in South Africa and Kuwait, so there are still people to be concerned about in other parts of the world.

It goes without saying that I am super grateful for my husband but I am going to say it anyway, probably more than once. I was on my own for many, many, years and while I wanted to meet someone, I didn't really think that I would meet someone so amazing that I would want to marry, but when I met Robert back in early 2017 it was evident pretty quickly that he was something special. I could write ten, twenty or thirty posts about all the reasons I am grateful for him. Given that I have previously posted about our engagement and wedding in previous posts in this A-Z series, it might already feel that way.

Since he moved in a couple of years ago he has renovated so much of our house, together we have travelled , crossed items off our bucket list, he works hard both at work and around the house (I could get away with doing nothing if I really wanted to), we are very content and happy together, and we are doing big things in our life together. He's super handsome, and amazing and all of those good things. He's a reader and he encourages me to be creative in whatever way I can, which is part of the reason why I have got my reading and blogging mojo back, and also in encouraging me to challenge myself when it comes to baking and cooking. The other thing to be majorly grateful for is that he sees me in a similar way.

As soon as we are allowed to travel we will be travelling more, renovating more, enjoying life together more! 

What are you grateful for today?