Devoted

Today I am grateful for a pleasant Gopher to Badger half marathon experience yesterday and nice weather to run it in. I am also grateful for my physical capabilities. I don't ever want to take them for granted.

I landed on devoted for today's emotion. Loyal. Faithful. Steadfast. Constant. Committed. Dedicated.

Disciplined and determined; with less of an edge and more love. Like most emotional traits I hope fit me, I also know I often fall short of the description above as well.

Devoted wife, mother and stepmother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt. I try. But I also don't call as often as I could, or reach out often enough to family members who need a reach out, or stop myself from saying harsh things to those nearest and dearest to me.

Being human doesn't preclude me from being a devoted family member. I do my best, and I keep working on forgiveness of self and others. (Though what I usually need to forgive in others is more about me and my expectations than it is about them.)

Devoted friend, listener, and supporter. I feel good about the kind of friend I have been and continue to be to many people in my life. Some of them are the very ones who taught me how to be a good friend, showed me the way. Being a dedicated and steadfast friend takes time and effort, and it is a profound way of giving and sharing.

Devoted runner, writer, recovering person. I find it easier to be loyal and faithful to endeavors that enrich my life so much.

And put grateful living at the top of that list. Devoted to finding the gifts in today. Devoted to creating an upward spiral in my thinking rather than a downward spiral. Devoted to gratefulness as a mindset.