A couple weeks ago while searching for budgeting tips, I stumbled upon an article on 7 Free Things You Can Do This Week to Simplify. While reading the list, I came across an idea to start a gratitude journal. It was an idea that I kept in the back of my mind, but never acted on. The idea is to take positive aspects of your day and document them in a journal. Instead of focusing on the negative, as we often do, we can cherish the little blessings we have encountered during the day.
I truly believe timing is everything. Today I was told that the 31st would be my last day of work. I have been laid off. I am not looking for sympathy, not apologies, not sad faces. In fact, I am looking at this as a very positive opportunity; a new door opening as another closes. My job hasn’t been satisfying to me. In fact, it’s been downright miserable for the past year. Being laid off has come as a relief to me. I get to take a step in a new direction. In fact, I was planning on leaving anyway; milking my time for all it was worth while I was still able to work there. I would be leaving after Mike and I got married to start life as a wife and, God-willing, a mother. In the meantime, I have time to decide on what I really want to do, to discover passions and move forward with my life.
I felt today would be the perfect day to start my blessings journal. So I sat out on the deck tonight with my citronella candle burning, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a fresh page in a paper journal. I started to write. As I wrote, I discovered that while I feel a tad guilty for celebrating the loss of a job while so maybe people are without and struggling, I shouldn’t. I am celebrating a new life. As long as I’m truly happy, there’s nothing to feel guilty about.
As I wrote in my journal, “onward and upward!”
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