Gratitude.

Good lord. I am possibly the worst blogger ever. Has it really been since December 4 that I have written anything about what is going on in my corner of this crazy world we live in? It's funny how the winter months seem to fly by quickly yet drag on slowly at the same time. Here we are in mid-January. I am behind the game in this whole "get my art out into the world" process, as my website is not up and my Etsy shop is still not open. It's an intimidating process, and as much as I don't want to be afraid of failure, I kind of am.

I have read two books lately that have been both praised as genius and blown off as bogus and controversial. They are The Secret and The Power. While I have to admit I am not a 100% believer in this Law of Attraction that the books explain, there is one thing that I have taken away from them that has honestly changed the way that my days are shaped. That thing is gratitude.

It's practically a cliche that reminds most people of that Counting Crows song... "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got til it's gone." But it's true. If you broke your dominant arm today, there would be dozens of things that you suddenly cannot do like you did before: writing, driving, typing, drying your hair, putting on makeup, whatever. Yet do we ever stop to feel gratitude for the ability to do these things on a daily basis? I know that I never did. Or what about heat, air conditioning, running water, a hot shower, a warm bed. Groupons, Target, champagne, Pinterest... I could make a list literally a mile long of things I am thankful for. When you realize how many good things you have in your life and are thankful for them all day every day, it is really hard to be in a bad mood, or have anything but a great day.

If you are a musician, a writer, a dancer, an artist. If you have a photographic memory, a beautiful singing voice, an amazing sense of humor... these are the things to be insanely thankful for. Not everyone can sing. Not everyone can draw. Not everyone can play the guitar. If you have abilities like this, be grateful for them! So many people wish they could play the piano or crank out a gorgeous painting as easily as breathing. I honestly don't know what I would do if I was not artistic. I can't imagine a life without an appreciation for art. Art is a part of my every single day, without exception. And I am so, so grateful for that. And Red Bull. And Spotify. And Campbell's vegetable soup. And about a million other things. Don't forget to be grateful. It will change your life. Promise.