TIme to Be Grateful!

First off, I’d like to acknowledge that I’ve had a LONG hiatus from blogging. Life has been happening so fast for me. When I last blogged, I was in law school. Now, two years later, I’m a lawyer with a fabulous job, fabulous home, and fabulous life.

As I thought about whether I wanted to resume writing my blog, I wanted to make sure that I was being true to myself, but also saying something with meaning. I reflected on other blogs out there, and I didn’t want to be cliché or commonplace. My mind often returned to how grateful I am to have the life I have. Don't get me wrong, my life isn't perfect, by any means! But I've resolved to dwell on the fabulous and not the fretful. I want to inspire others to look at their lives and find what they should be grateful for. I think that much can be gained from living life with an attitude of gratitude. I’ve also seen an absence of that lately, and that concerns me.

So with that, this blog is going to take a sharp left turn. I want to blog about what I’m thankful for. It’ll still have the stories, but it’ll be more focused to what makes me give thanks. I hope that you will take this challenge to find what you should be thankful for in life. The reality is that if you’re breathing, you have a reason to be thankful.

My Mini Miracle- My Car

I had gone white-water rafting a couple of weekends ago. On the two-hour drive there and back, I noticed my car shaking at high speeds. I assumed that I needed the car to be aligned since it had been a couple of years since I’d had that done. I have lifetime alignment with Firestone, so I took it there. Turns out, my front tire rods were worn out. And they claimed that I would need to replace those front tires AND have it aligned… all to the tune of $859! Needless to say, I was a little depressed. Now to a little background, I just bought a house. I used to be able to save a lot in a little bit of time. But now, with my new mortgage payment, the savings aren’t coming in as quickly. I have in my emergency fund enough to pay for the repair, but I didn’t want to take that hit. After the initial feeling of frustration, I kept telling myself, “The Lord will provide.” I even put that as my Facebook status.

Instead of leaving the car at Firestone to repair, I took it to my regular mechanic. He confirmed all the problems that Firestone described, told me how long it would take to fix, and told me he’d call me in a couple of days with a price estimate. When he called me back a couple of days later, he went into great detail to describe everything that they’d done to the car. They replaced the tire rods with a kit. Thankfully, he said that with a tire rotation, I wouldn’t need two new tires. They also gave me a wheel alignment. He said, “You can come by and get your car any time.” I was a little hesitant when I asked, “Well, how much will I owe you?” When he said, “$210,” I nearly fell out of my office chair! I was so thankful that I didn’t have to pay that $859!!

The Giving Boomerang

Taylor Swift playing in the Bridgestone Arena

I am keenly passionate about giving back. This led me to be one of the founding members of an alumni association for my high school. The group has been communicating with the current principal of my high school about things that the school needs and how we can contribute. In the email chain, she said that she was hosting the school’s Student Government Association at her home and she would love an alumnus to come and talk to them and get them fired up for the school year. When I was in high school, I was freshman class president, senior class vice-president; I helped plan homecoming, proms, etc. So I thought, “Why not me?!” I thought it would be fun and a great way to give back. It also seemed like I would be the perfect person to talk to student leaders, as I spent so much time being one! I volunteered, even though it would cause me to give up my Saturday sleeping-in ritual. If you know me and how much I love to sleep, you know this was a big sacrifice. I got up Saturday morning a little sleepy and a little grumpy. I got in the shower, and I thought, “You know, I better get something from the universe for doing this.” When I got out of the shower, I went to check my phone. I got a text from my friend Michel that said, “Morning! Do you have plans for tonight? Robbin (Michel’s husband) really wants to see the OU-FL game tonight, but we have Taylor Swift tickets. Would you like to go with me to see Taylor Swift?” I was excited! I wasn’t really a huge Taylor Swift fan, but I love live music, so I was super amped to go. Needless to say, I agreed to pinch hit for Robbin.

It was on the way to speak to the high school students that I realized I had gotten my payback from the universe! The power of giving is phenomenal! It truly is a boomerang. It may not come in the way you give, but it will always come back to you. The greatest thing is that I got double. Seeing Taylor Swift perform was certainly a highlight. However, I REALLY was enriched and inspired by those students. We had an awesome time and I loved our interaction. So actually, I was doubly blessed.

I’m thankful for the miracle in my car and the boomerang of giving. What happened to you this week that made you thankful? If you’ve found yourself in a funk this week and can’t really think of anything to be thankful for, start with the fact that you woke up today. Then think about how you made it through this week. Then think about the fact that it’s Sunday, which means you have a second chance to have a fabulous upcoming week!

Go forth with thanks!

Love, Dannelle.