Gratituesday: My life

My husband knows all the right things to say.

Yesterday, he told me that he likes reading my blog because it makes him feel like we lead a really cool life. Also that he gets to make out with a smart girl.

Seriously, that is why I married him. He says stuff like that.

The first comment was really striking to me. 

I feel like everyone else does, I'm sure, that my life is boring.

I clean, cook, drive, work, workout (three times this week!)  over and over again. Nothing "special" like winning the lottery or going to Hawaii for a month. Just regular stuff like raising kids, owning a house, trying to have a good marriage, you know, the usual things.

I often fall prey to the grass is greener mentality. 

My sister has a great job that she gets satisfaction from going to four days a week and gets positive feedback from her peers. My best friend has family all over Europe and her kids have been to several countries already.  Another girlfriend has a husband who is willing to slow down for her while she learns " his" sport. All these things are appealing to me and I feel a little jealous every now and again.

via

Jealousy or at the very least, comparison is a slippery slope. We can become unhappy with what we have, the blessings we receive from God, very easily if we compare what we have with others. I heard someone say in a sermon once that someone else's cross to bear may seem better, but until we carry it, we have no idea what it truly feels like. The same goes for "greener grass". 

I like the idea that our life is cool. We like to go hear music and be outside. We like to hang out together as a family doing stuff, going places and just being together. 

As a kid, I always wanted to be part of a family that had the mom and dad married to each other. No extra parents, no extra grandparents, just the "regular kind" of family.

our version of a regular kind of family

 As an adult, I realized I was pretty blessed with the "extras". They are actually the ones that I have counted on through thick and thin. But that feeling of wanting to be "normal" is still there for me. That equates to stability and routine. Both of which I have.

The routine of it sometimes bores me and I look around to see who "has it better". The reality of it is, no one does. I have what is perfect for me. My husband loves me and tolerates my weirdness. My kids are amazing and the material things I enjoy are great.
 I have had health all my life,  my kids don't have any health issues and we have a large extended family all over the southeast we can visit anytime. 

My kids are indeed lucky. They have both their parents.

We are in a good, stable marriage and they have grandparents that love them.

And they have a cool life. One that encourages them to live outside the box. We encourage them to be different and explore the world around them, reminding them that they always have a safe and stable place to return at the days end.

Cool.

our version of a normal snowman...woman