Thankful

"What are you thankful for today?" This question was posed by a Facebook friend this morning, and I quickly and confidently responded: "Opportunities to step out of my comfort zone." This was coming off a really good day at CC yesterday, where I truly felt thankful that I had stepped out of my comfort zone into the director position. But then, today, I was tired and I missed my workout and there was lots of crying and whining and several broken dishes and a sick kid and a toddler going around locking doors before pulling them closed. Even though all those things are definitely out of my comfort zone, I didn't feel all that thankful. Actually, I felt a little cranky and frustrated. But after the second broken dish, I removed myself from the family for a while in the hopes of keeping my sanity somewhat in tact. Eventually, that annoying door-locking toddler found me and wanted nothing more than to sit in my lap. And, I felt thankful for that. And then, the sick one felt better. And, I felt thankful for that. And then I realized that maybe it's the stepping out of the comfort zone that provides the thankfulness. Because, though there are always things to be thankful for, it is often harder to recognize them without experiencing the adverse conditions first. So, while locked doors and broken dishes might not make the top of the list of things I'm thankful for, I am thankful that my Little Bitty is getting big enough to reach the doorknobs. And, I'm thankful that my son is learning how to unload the dishwasher. And, I'm thankful for opportunities to step out of my comfort zone.