project gratitude: day nine.

I am grateful for my husband’s socks on the floor.

After living together for so long, there are things that can irritate you about the other person.  His socks on the floor was one of those irritating things.

But then something happened.

I started worrying about things I needed to change within my own self.  I set about tidying my own corner of the house and working on things in myself that irritated me.  I took care of myself and my own happiness through a deliberate practice of self-care.  As I built this foundation from the ground up, by accepting myself as-is, I no longer found the socks irritating.  And when I let that go, when I let go of my attachment to conditions for my happiness, the socks being the tip of the iceberg, I was able to accept everything as-is. (Most of the time anyway. It’s a practice.)

I no longer hold on to the irritation or frustration until it chokes both of us.  I no longer keep score. I am getting to know my husband all over again as we enter yet another stage of parenting together.  We have sunrises and morning walks filled with brand new conversations.  We have reached a new level of honesty and vulnerability that has only strengthened what I thought was strong already. I love who he is, as he is, right now.

I still won’t pick up the socks…but I don’t mind them on the floor.

Can you be grateful for life as-is?

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42 days of gratitude…giving thanks to all.