Okay, so seriously, it has been over a month since I've blogged. Maybe that means I shouldn't really call myself a blogger anymore, haha. No, I'll still call myself a blogger, but I will also say this...
We can have it all, just not all at the same time. Sometimes things just have to move to the backburner. It's impossible to do it all, all the time. So Girl, Dream It was set on that burner because I really just couldn't do it all. And well, I guess I shouldn't apologize for that.

But it's November! Which means it's the month to focus on gratitude. Really, gratitude should be practiced year-round. We would all be so much happier. There's something about focusing on the good that welcomes good vibes into our hearts and our lives.

This month has been a bit trying for me... A couple weeks ago I had surgery and I'm pretty much out until Christmas. Back in July, I tripped over my lazy dog and fell down 4 steps. Yep, 4. And I messed up my ankle so badly that 4 months after my injury I was no closer to healing than I was when I injured myself. Or I should say when my dog injured me? I really blame the whole thing on her lazy-bones.

Two years ago I had shoulder surgery... I was completely mobile but couldn't do hardly anything (being one-handed is a serious skill - one of which I did not possess). This time I can do all normal things, except I can't around. There's always something. Sigh. Just the other day I fell in my kitchen (I know, another fall???) - I spared my foot/ankle and my knee took the brunt of it - all because I was trying to make a jelly sandwich (like a 5-year-old). My leg just got tired of being hopped on and gave out. And you can only carry so many things in your hands while on crutches. Yes, I have a scooter, but I can't haul that thing up and down my stairs. I swear, my next house will be a rambler. No more of this multi-story crap! And the pain... gosh, it just doesn't go away! I've read like 4 books so far and have watched pretty much everything there is on Netflix that won't give me nightmares. And I've had my fill of Hallmark Christmas movies. Something I never thought I'd say!

So while things kind of suck right now, I still have so much to be grateful for and my heart is full. Life is all about perspective. Goodness and happiness are completely subjective - they boil down to how we decide to view things, how we decide to embrace things.

Despite the surgery, the 6 incisions on my ankle - one of which is huge, and the fact that I'm practically immobile as I can't be weight-bearing until Christmas, this is what I choose to focus on:

1) My husband is amazing. My children, too. He's been (pretty) patient with me, makes me coffee every morning that waits in a thermos on my nightstand until I wake up, and even bought me a mini Christmas tree for my bedroom. There was some resistance where that was concerned, but he caved in the end. He and my kiddos have been taking great care of me and I thank God for them every day.

2) My friends are incredible. We live 1300 miles from our immediate family. So it doesn't really work out to get help from them. I mean, they love and support me and are full of encouragement, but physically can't do anything. But our friends are our second family. They've brought dinners, brought me lunch, taken me to breakfast, sent flowers, made me special rolls (thanks momo), and are hauling my kids all over kingdom-come to their activities.

3) I am blessed with good doctors. I think, okay, I know, I take for granted my good healthcare. Who knows how long I'd have been laid up for without this surgery - it was estimated 2 years. I realized the other day that had I been born in practically any other lifetime, or many other countries, I literally would have grown up crippled. I was born with hip dysplasia and a dislocated hip. But with good doctors, it was an easy fix and has never affected my growth or development in life. So simple, yet life-changing.

4) TV (Netflix and Amazon Prime, too) and books are just more proof of God's goodness!

5) I can do my job from the comfort of my bed. Yep, I can work a full day and never go anywhere except to the bathroom. And I'm thankful for work because it helps keep me sane and breaks up some of the monotony of my day.

6) They didn't have to cut where my tattoo is! It remains perfect and beautiful. (Sometimes it's just the little things!)

So there we have it... reasons to be thankful despite the things that aren't great at the moment. I could choose to just dwell on the negative. And to be honest, when I'm trying to sleep, that's exactly what I do because all my pain and discomfort keep me awake at night. As I lay there desperately trying to find respite from the pain long enough to fall asleep, I just think this blows! But then I wake up to that thermos of coffee and I smile as I'm reminded of all the good around me.

I ask you... what's going on in your life right now? And how can gratitude turn something bad into something great?