30 days of thankfulness.

so much happens in life. so much bad stuff. or negative stuff. or unfair, or unjust, or violent stuff. natural disasters happen. sickness happens. pain & suffering happen. and lives are changed in an instant. all of these things that happen to us, at one time or another (and most likely multiple times), alter the direction of our lives. we are left feeling stunned, shocked, confused, angry, worried, scared.

because these things happen to us, and because we are inundated with the trials & tribulations of life, it is important to, when we have a moment of peace, or a day that goes well, or a feeling of happiness & contentedness, or an opportunity to enjoy a moment, that we do just that. as much as possible, we try enjoy life. we try to live in the present, and seek the good. we learn to be thankful and grateful for the things that we have, instead of dwelling on the things that we don’t have. we learn to appreciate all that is around us and in our lives, because we never know when we just might lose something… or everything, as many in the northeastern united states did just a few days ago.

with all that said, being thankful, being grateful, is my goal for november. perfect timing, huh? of course, as an american, it only makes sense, since november is the month when we celebrate thanksgiving. a few years ago (or more like 10-20), i think oprah talked about having a gratitude journal. well, i’m not gonna do that. at least not in the traditional way. i’m gonna have a photo journal – snapping shots of things i am grateful for every day. i think that it’s just time for me to acknowledge to myself all that i have to be thankful for. it’s time to focus on the positive things in life. and i am certain that, after spending 30 days thinking positively and focusing on all that i am grateful for, i will end november in a completely different place than i started.

join me in this photo challenge and/or follow me on instagram. i’m @lizslens.

so, as i write this, i have decided to begin my 30 days of thankfulness by saying thank you to the beautiful city in which i live. today, i honor you, norrköping… for your culture, your architecture, your diversity, people, your size, your artsy-ness, your coziness. i feel pretty damn lucky to get to live here.

i took all these pictures yesterday, when i decided to take a little walk after lunch. it was freezing cold out, but it didn’t matter. everywhere i looked, my spirits were lifted and i realized, once again, how blessed i am – for so many reasons. but for today, i acknowledge that i am so freaking thankful that i get to live here, in sweden, in europe. in the midst of all this old, amazing, unique, amazing-ness.

what’s at the top of your “i’m thankful for” list?

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at leastwe didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” ~Buddha

peace and love.

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