Today, I Am Grateful

 “Give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thes 5:18

I keep telling myself, “tomorrow will be better than today.” It’s the mantra that has kept me from losing hope this year. I keep singing in my head the song from “Annie,” one of my favorite musicals: “The sun'll come out tomorrow so ya gotta hang on'til tomorrow come what may. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow. You're always a day away.”

But until tomorrow gets here, I still have to get through today. And I have two choices. I can live today with a negative attitude, complaining about this horrible year and everything that has gone wrong, or I can live today with a positive attitude, counting my blessings and concentrating on the good things that have taken place instead of all the bad things.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I would like to choose the second option. In spite of 2020 being a crummy year, I still have a lot to be grateful for. Today is a gift. The past is gone and tomorrow is not here yet. But I can concentrate on living the best possible today. This is not easy because social media is constantly reminding me about all the bad things that have taken place this year, but if I get sucked into the past, all that this is going to cause is anxiety, depression and unhappiness. And if I obsess about the future, I am missing out on the good things that the present moment has.

So what am I thankful for today? Here’s my list. I have picked 20 things that I am grateful for in 2020. They are in no particular order. I hope that as you read it, you can come up with a list of your own:

1. Health. Even though some of my family members caught the coronavirus, it was simply, as my sister-in-law put it: “a cold with fear.” I am grateful that they all recovered and are doing fine today.
2. My children and my mom. Even though we have not been able to get together as much as we would have liked, we have found other innovative ways to stay in touch with our weekly Sunday video chats.
3. My hubby. He is my partner in the good and in the bad. I would not have been able to survive some parts of this year without him by my side. He kept me sane and in control. He held my hand and hugged me when I was down. Being quarantined together made me appreciate him even more. He reminds me to enjoy the present moment. 
4. My community of faith, my extended family and my friends who are just a phone or text away. Even when we couldn’t see each other, we kept each other company through prayer, text messages, emails, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Many of your encouraging messages and jokes helped me to make it through each day.
5. My 15-year-old miniature schnauzer, Penny. She kept me company and forced me to get out of the house to walk her around the block a few times each day.
6. My job. In spite of having to work from home, I stayed busy the entire year, and it made the days go by faster. Between helping clients with their SBA loan applications and their tax returns, I did not have a lot of time to think about the bad things happening around me. Therefore, I am grateful for my clients who place their trust in me, and for the three amazing ladies that help me get the job done. They never wavered during the pandemic, always kept a smile on their faces and a very positive attitude whether they had to work from home or be at the office covering the frontlines.
7. My home. I am grateful that we moved into an apartment before the pandemic. Yes, even though sharing the elevator with others sometimes was a bit scary, we survived in community. And, I had an amazing view from my balcony when staying indoors was the only option. Cleaning an apartment was also a lot easier than cleaning an entire house. Four hours and we were done. Cleaning the entire house would have taken an entire day, even if we skipped a few corners.
8. The late afternoon “happy hours.” After a long day of work, that wine and cheese shared in the balcony was music to my soul.
9. Simple things that I have in the past taken for granted... toilet paper, alcohol, hand sanitizer, facial tissue, wipes, disposable gloves, masks... it’s good to go to the supermarket and see that the shelves are fully stocked once again.
10. My bungalow at the beach. Every weekend felt like a mini-vacation. Getting away, walking on the beach and breathing the sea air was therapeutic. It’s what kept me sane during the toughest times.
11. Service personnel... healthcare workers, delivery persons, grocery shop workers, soldiers, firefighters, police officers, maintenance staff... they all had to put duty above personal safety. Hats off to all of you.
12. The people around me, especially those that were understanding, careful, wearing masks, keeping their safe distance and smiling because at the end of the day, we are all in this together.
13. Rest and relaxation. The lockdown gave me time to slow down and reflect on what it’s truly important in life. Life tends to spin by and I don’t even realize it. This year, I’ve had no choice but to rest and relax.
14. This pandemic taught me that I don’t need a lot of material things to be happy. I am more thankful now for the simplicity of my life. Being able to enjoy the sunrise, the sunset, a rainbow, the moon, the stars, a butterfly , a bird singing, finding a ladybug... is so much better than wasting money in things that I don’t really need. I have learned to cherish even a caterpillar walking on the sidewalk.
15. Living a healthy lifestyle. The first few months, I was eating all kinds of junk and I had no energy. Once I switched to eating more healthy, I feel so much better.
16. My blog and my journal. Being able to write my thoughts helps me to put things in perspective.
17. Books, puzzles, movies and some good television series kept me entertained when there was no place to go to.
18. Restaurants. I had not realized how nice it is to enjoy a meal prepared and served by someone else until we could not do it any more.
19. Freedom to vote, something that we take for granted but that a lot of countries lack. Even when the election got heated and the country was totally divided, I was thankful that I was able to cast my vote freely.
20. Last but not least, I am grateful to God for not giving up on me, and to my parents for instilling faith and religion in my life since I was little. Praying and believing that there is something greater than this life has made me survive this pandemic without living in constant fear of succumbing to this virus.

So as this year finally approaches its end, many of us are thinking “2021 will be better than 2020.” We are planning to throw buckets of water out the doors and windows at midnight on New Year’s Eve to get rid of everything bad that happened this year. But at the end of the day, we do not know what 2021 will bring. So let’s enjoy the present moment because that is all we have. Tomorrow is not here yet and yesterday is gone. Today is a gift so let’s concentrate on making it a great day. The sun has come out today. Today, today, I love you, today, because you are already here and I am grateful for this present moment.