Being Grateful..

I never really stopped to question the number of times in a day that I've thought how much better life would be "When"...

"When the kids are a bit older..."
"When we have a bit more disposable income...."
"When we have our own home...."
"When summer arrives..."
"When we finally get rain for the gardens...."
"When I catch up on house stuff..."

Source

Also, the "If only's..."  If only we had more of this/less of that/had done this/not done that....
The endless search for something better.  Happiness, contentment, security, adventure...I'm so guilty of this, and over the last couple of months I've heard these 'If only's and 'Whens' come out of my mouth on a more than regular basis.

"If only the boys were a bit more independent..."
"If only we had a bit more money..."
"When the weather gets warmer it'll be better..."
"When the boys are sleeping better it'll be easier..."

And instead of living in the now, I've been living for the times when things will get easier/be more fun.  Instead of embracing the current loud/high impact/full throttle days with  my two little lads, I've been dreaming of days that don't require kiddy-locks and sleepless nights.  Instead of finding adventure in our own backyard, I've been pinning pictures of beautiful, exotic holiday destinations.  Instead of doing with what we have, I've been storing up idea's on what others have, and all that we will have and do when we have more money. 

Source

And then a couple of weeks ago I remembered something.

I ONLY HAVE NOW

That's all that's been given to me.  Right now.  There is no guarantee that I'll still be here when the boys are older, or when more money appears, or when the weather improves. 

Source

I have all I need already.  I just need to learn to embrace it and celebrate it.
  
I'm not giving up on my dreams, and I'm not giving up planning for the future.  What I am giving up is the thought that I will always need something else to make life happier or easier, or to bring contentment.

So my new mission is to post once a week about what I'm grateful for.  The little things, the mundane things.  The huge things, the exciting things. 

Source

And the next time I think about when things will be better/easier/happier, I'll remember that they already are.

Renee  :)