I am thankful.

Nature and I have had an uneasy relationship this past week and occasionally I've felt myself spiraling into a personal pity party. I've realized that I need to wake up and realize how bad things could be. Mumbling these things to myself is one thing, but putting pen to paper (figuratively) is entirely different. So here goes.

I'm thankful for the poison ivy rashes that are on my arms and my chest. I've seen pictures online and I could have been seriously unlucky and swollen my eye shut, covered my face, or, heaven forbid spots all over my back where I couldn't reach it even if I tried!

I'm thankful I'm only mildly allergic to poison ivy. I can still breathe and I didn't swell up the size of a house.

I'm thankful that I have insurance. It still cost a pretty penny (or two) but I was able to afford a trip to Urgent Care to get a shot to calm things down.

I'm thankful that I only have 46 mosquito bites and am not sick. If I lived in Africa I could get more than 200 every night and with as much as they love me I'd have malaria by now.

I am thankful that my father can recognize poison ivy and saw how close I was getting to it before I tried to rip it out with my bare hands.  (I am thankful that my parents only live 3 and a half hours away now and can be here occasionally to point out things like poison ivy.)

I'm thankful that I finally have a yard to battle nature in.

I'm thankful I have a wonderful husband who will watch our amazing daughter while I go get my prescription filled and de-stress my buddy Starbucks.

I am thankful I have new wonderful friends, old wonderful friends I can count on and a family (extended and immediate) that I love and who love me.

and on that note, I'm off to wake up the wonderful husband and alert him that it's time to be wonderful so I can leave the house. ;)