Tag Archives: thankfulness

Tuesday Thoughts: Be Thankful for What You Have

Be thankful for what you have

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough.”

Yes, queen!

Happy Tuesday!

love,
melanie

 

Tuesday Thoughts: Nature Does Not Hurry

Nature does not hurry

Mother nature doesn’t hurry, but she gets shit done.

Here’s hoping your Tuesday is full of unhurried productiveness!

love,
melanie

Airstream Update: An Unfortunate Little Incident

The current state of the bathroom.

The current state of the bathroom.

When George went to turn on the hot water heater Friday morning, he discovered that the flooring underneath the heater was wet. Not good. I went on my merry way to work, hoping it was just a little leak. But during the course of the evening, I received more and more alarming text messages from him. This one pretty much said it all: “Found the source of the leak. Tell you about it when you get home.” He was preparing me for the worst.

And I came home to less than ideal news. George found the source of the leak. It was our hot water heater, as we had feared. The most expensive thing in the Airstream to replace. The heater runs on both electricity and gas so it isn’t as cheap as standard hot water heaters. He also had to tear up our bathroom floor because water had seeped under the floorboards and managed to warp the floor.

If something like this had happened two years ago, I would have flipped out. But living in the Airstream has some advantages. It’s allowed me to save enough for an emergency fund and replacing our floor won’t be nearly as expensive as replacing a floor in a home. Our bathroom is tiny. The hot water heater set us back about $600 bucks and I’m bummed about it, but it isn’t nearly as tragic as it could be. The hot water heater was original and we got almost a year of use out of it before it kicked the bucket.

We’ll have hot water again soon and we’ll make the money back. Living in the Airstream and having this adventure has taught me to be more resourceful and resilient than I’ve ever been. We’re lucky to have caught the leak fairly early and we’re lucky to have a home.

love and resilience,
melanie

 

How Living in a Small, Rural Community Has Made Me More Thankful

goodbye, little one.

goodbye, little one.

I need to confess. I’ve had vivid fantasies of throwing a lit match onto a trail of gasoline as I speed out of my small town in my Civic and Alex Clare’s Too Close plays on the radio. Some days, leaving my town in a blaze of glory sounds so appealing. But as I was spackling up the nail holes in my apartment walls this weekend, I realized this place has taught me more than I could have ever imagined.

I hate to admit it, but the most valuable lesson my small, rural community has taught me is thankfulness. I took so many things for granted living in big(ger) city.

I risk sounding like a spoiled brat when I say this but, I’ve missed my little conveniences. A trip to Starbucks, a late-night run to the grocery store, more than one place to eat, a real bar!

I will be incredibly thankful to have my little conveniences back. But even more than those little things, I’ve become more thankful for big things too.

I’m thankful I have a loving husband.
I’m thankful I have an education.
I’m thankful I am literate.
I’m thankful I have supportive family.
I’m thankful I have a home.

I know I didn’t move to a third world country, but I took for granted so many things before moving to this small, rural community. I serve students and community members every day that have none of the “big things” I possess.

Thank you, little town, for teaching me to be more thankful. I won’t forget you.

love,
melanie

Thankfulness

The view from a block from my house.
Picture by muah!

I have to admit, I’m not always the most thankful person. I always want more. It’s the perfectionist in me. Or consumer, if you want to be political. 😛

I want to live in a bigger city with more opportunities and exciting food. I want a better wardrobe. I want to travel. I want more free time. Want. Want. Want. Want. Want.

And although I think it is good to keep my eye on the prize and all those clichés, I also need to remember what I have. I live in a beautiful, historic town. I have a closet full of clothes. I’ve been all over the country. And I’m apparently making enough time to blog.

ANDDDDD something really exciting happened to me today. I won a grant! When I found out I literally skipped around the library. So that means I will be traveling to a conference in one of my favorite towns, Asheville, NC this weekend! I’m more excited and grateful than I have been in a long time.

How do you stay thankful?

love,
melanie