I wanted to pick a word, but I haven\u2019t had time to focus on what that should be.\u00a0 The words of the past few months have been ‘frantic’, ‘stressed’, ‘no possible way to ever get caught up.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not exactly the words that I want to bring into the new year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually \u2013 it may not be a bad idea. A line of \u2018frantic\u2019 coffee mugs and water bottles. ‘Stressed out’ Tattoo art and hand calligraphy prints to hang in your kitchen. ‘Too frantic to be focused’ t-shirts.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This ‘Keep your I have to be honest. In December, I realized that a word had been chosen<\/em> for me. It comes from a most unlikely source.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Good Morning America\u2019s Tori Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see. I love a good bargain. And I love small businesses. And I work from home. Mix together those three facts and you get a semi-unhealthy addiction to the \u201cDeals and Steals\u201d segment of Good Morning America. These deals have branched to other ABC properties, The View and GMA Day. I may have set calendar alarms for these segments on my work schedule. I may have already figured out when they post the deals, before the shows go live on Eastern Time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every now and again, they offer a deal box, where they pick out a bunch of products you can try \u2013 and if you send in around 30 bucks, you get this sampling of products. And both of the boxes I received had gratitude items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am sure it\u2019s not by accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When dealing with family members having a major health\ncrisis while trying to live your own life, it\u2019s tough. It\u2019s hard to advocate\nfor someone when it feels like the system is built to say \u201cno\u201d. It\u2019s hard to\nstay positive when days are filled with answering machines, being passed off to\nother people. When health care companies and workers don\u2019t do what they say\nthey are going to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And what did the all-knowing Tory Johnson say that I needed in my life? First is was a gratitude journal.\u00a0 I started the journal in the middle of my mother\u2019s health\ndecline, just before she went in the hospital. The book is divided into months\nand you can pick and choose which prompt you write on each day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How I showed love today<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calming moments today<\/p>\n\n\n\n People I connected with today<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silly things about today<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things I appreciated about today<\/p>\n\n\n\n You get the idea. And it hasn\u2019t always been easy. After a\nday at a care center, fighting with care givers to give the care they are\ncontracted to provide, it\u2019s hard to choose between the 2 remaining prompts for\nthe month: lovely smells I smelled today or delicious foods I ate today (ended\nup being the late night drive-thru at the Chick-fil-a by the hospital!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n The bracelet was a lovely reminder to stay on track.\nYesterday, I was struggling to balance work deadlines, driving around\nattempting to find the correct kind of adult diapers, and fielding cryptic text\nmessages from my sick father. I was reaching the end of my rope and found\nmyself just complaining, to myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But I remembered to be grateful. That I have much to be\nthankful for. That I have the ability to maneuver this challenge with my job.\nThat this is temporary. That God gives me everything I need to complete the\nchallenges of the day. That His timing is perfect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t believe me? Science proves it. That whole \u2018attitiude\nof gratitude\u2019 thing isn\u2019t smoke and mirrors. It helps us stay healthy. It helps with\nconnections. It helps us sleep better. It keeps us mentally strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wandertruenorth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/IMG-4293.jpg?fit=1024%2C768\")
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I\u2019ve gotten two of these offerings, and are typically pretty cool. I\u2019ve found several items and new companies to support because of these boxes.\u00a0 Candles, lotions, a reflective band to wear while walking the dogs at night, cooling towels, socks, sunglasses \u2013 it\u2019s a great way to discover items you never knew you needed in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wandertruenorth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/IMG-4302.jpg?fit=1024%2C768\")
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Then it was a gratitude bracelet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wandertruenorth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/IMG-4298.jpg?fit=1024%2C768\")
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