“1 Minute Pity Party For All”
Okay everybody, get your stopwatch out.   If you don’t have one, look at your watch, your cell phone, the time on your computer – whatever.  Got it?  Good.  Alright, now let’s take the next minute to have a pity party for all the things you dislike about yourself and/or your life.  I’ll go first:  it saddens me that I no longer have a living immediate family.  Growing up an only child I was very close to my parents.  I’m reserved by nature, so to have nobody to go to or talk to or a regular basis sometimes makes me blue.  I grew up with various cousins, uncles, grandparents etc… but am now the only Yeager here.  It sucks.  Wahhhh!   It sometimes is not fun being single.  It’s great to meet men and go out on dates, but I seek the day I’ll once again have that connection and be excited to move to the next level.  Boo hoo, boo hoo.

Like that- now it’s your turn.  Take a minute and get out all of your complaints about your life.  If it’s easier to write them down, do it.  Shout them at the top of your lungs if it makes you feel better.  Let your tears flow if needed (get a snot rag just in case).  Remember, you have only exactly one minute to get it all out – GO!!   (quit reading this and get started).  Keep going.  Halfway there.  I know life is tough.  Times are hard.  Nobody understands.  15 seconds left.  He cheated on you.  You hate your weight.  You have no job….. time is up – STOP!

Now that everything is on the table, here is what we must all realize.  Nobody is perfect.  Nobody has a perfect life.  Everybody has some area in which they will not excel.  Your area may be job related.  You may be the type of person who has a great family, but you are always switching jobs and/or getting laid off.  Or maybe you’re the one with a six figure salary, but are always in abusive relationships.  Or maybe you have a great family and a great job, but you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol.  And here’s another one, maybe everyone looks up to you for your strength and courage, but you’re fighting cancer and your hair is falling out.

We as humans love to sit and pout about everything that happens after the BUT.  However, it’s what is before the ‘but’ that should be our focus.  Think about your five closest friends or family members.  You can name at least one thing about them that you don’t envy.  However, you stay close to them instead, because of the things you do admire.  We need to do this for ourselves.  People ask me how I function in life after the death of my parents.  What they fail to realize is that I’ve seen the positives that have come from the situation.  When I was younger my parents took me to their meetings for different organizations.  I would sit quietly in the back and color.  Who would have known that they were preparing me to give back to the community when I was of age?  I grew up in a beautiful house with a unique father that made me a balance beam in the backyard.  Right before my mother passed away, she painted the walls of her bedroom Carolina blue.  I never imagined that I would now own the house – but it was prepared just for me.  Of course I miss the traditions of the holidays that we used to do.  However, I know life right now is a transition and when the time is right I will be able to create new ones.

And even though I hate being single, I know that I am fortunate to experience so many things in life.  I have the freedom to travel when and wherever I want.  I can sleep in late, walk around the house naked and buy as many dresses as my heart desires. I get to constantly meet new people and experience that giddy excitement you get while waiting to be picked up the first time for a date.

So do this next, take another minute (your clock should still be close to you) and think about all the right things that are happening in your life.  Are you kids successful?  Is your health well?  Are you bills paid?  Does your husband love you?  Do you love your church home?  Really think about these things – and appreciate them!  One minute – GO!

Remember, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and gives thanks for all that you’ve been given.  We can’t have everything at once, so just be patient.  Life is about a series of experiences.  Appreciate the things that you have now, before they are gone.  If you don’t value the things you have currently, why should you be blessed with anything more?

I end with this.  You may not know it, but you are a blessing to me.  I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  We are all different for a reason so EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUENESS!
 

M.Y.  November 2008