Count Your Blessings and Dwell on the Positives

   A couple days ago I was having a pretty bad day. Not because I was feeling uber depressed, full of anxiety, or overly stressed. It was completely circumstantial and I let myself dwell on something that should no longer bother me. This is something that I keep wondering why I still fall into sadness over because it cannot be changed. Nevertheless, I found myself in bed, staring at the ceiling and replaying situations in my head over and over again like I had done a million times before. All week, my roommates and I had planned on going to a dance party that I have been excited for for weeks now. But because of my state of mind that night, my body did not feel like leaving my bed, much less leaving my house and pretending I was happy.

   That's when my roommate came in, flung off my covers and said, "BQ, you have been waiting to go dancing for awhile now. I know you don't feel like it, but you will feel better and you will have fun." I knew she was right, so I slowly slipped out of bed and started the long process of prepping for the first party of the new semester. As I was curling my hair, she turned to me and asked me to tell her five things that I was thankful for. I spat out the usual answers - "my family, my friends, the gospel..." She then asked me to give ten more and really go into detail this time. I ended up saying some ridiculous things like "the feeling after you brush your teeth and then drink a cold glass of water" and "the smell of fresh laundry." Although these things may seem silly, they are things that genuinely make me happy.

   It is so important to remember the little things in life. Not everyday can involve a huge event that you'll remember the rest of your life. Sometimes you just have to sit back and focus on the tiny day to day things that get you by. If we count our good days by days that something spectacular happens, chances are you won't have as many as you hope for. But if you end everyday with thinking of all the things that you are thankful for, you will realize that there is good all around. It really is just your perspective that changes things.

Thank you Natalie for teaching me this important lesson and for being such a great friend. <3

-B :)
 
 

Reason #6 - Friends

   I wasn't always the best friend during my low periods. I became very isolated and distant. It was very hard for others to connect with me and because of that I felt like I was losing friends. I am thankful for those that stuck around and tried to understand what I was going through. I don't have enough time to write about them all, but I found a bunch of pictures today. Even all these pictures don't cover all the people that stuck by me through that time.

   Be a good friend and never ever give up on anyone. Chances are they are acting like that for a reason. Take time to listen and just be there when they need you. And if you are the struggling friend, don't be afraid to confide in your friends. They can't read your mind, so they need you to tell them how to help. If they are a good friend, they will listen. Sometimes the best thing someone can do to help is just sit in silence, not talking about problems, but just being there.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

-B

Reason #3 - Delivery Pizza

   How cool is it that we can pick up the phone, order pizza and bread sticks, and then 30 minutes later... it shows up right at your door?! We are so lucky! It's such a treat. Most of all I love seeing my little siblings looking out the window and watching for the pizza guy. They get so excited and it's just so precious. Hooray for Pizza Hut!