Trying Optimism for a Change

I was thinking last night (dangerous), and I realized that my posts tend to be so negative. Now, that doesn't surprise me, and it if you know me well, it won't surprise you either. I definitely lean toward the pesimistic side of things, although I do like using the time-honored semantic trick of calling it "realism" instead. Anyway, while I don't mind voicing my complaints and opinions here, I thought it might be time to try some optimism. So here's the beginnings of a "Thankful List."

1) The Air Force: Thanks to the Air Force, we now have direction and purpose in our lives. I cried when Nathan first told me he wanted to join because I had my dream of how my life was supposed to be. Nathan would have his 9-5 office job, and we would have our 2.5 kids with our house in the suburbs. Now I think I was crazy. We're still very new to this life, but I love almost everything about it. I'm even excited to move around and see the country and possibly the world!

2) Nathan's Health: Nathan is steadly on the mend from what we think was bronchitis. The doctors still aren't completely sure what was wrong with him, and he was prescribed so many medications that we can't be sure which one actually worked. But he doesn't have career-threatening asthma, and he's already much better.

3) A Job: Tutoring isn't going to pull in the big bucks, but every bit helps us inch closer to that debt-free goal.

4) Finished Paperwork: I finally got my paperwork to sub yesterday, so the rest of the week is going to be spent applying to sub at local districts. I'm not sure how much work I'll get as there were massive teacher layoffs in the area due to California's budget woes, but at least I can now try. It's the same concept of some work is better than none!

5) Facebook: I know this is a strange thing to put on a thankful list, but the only reason I have friends here is because of FB. If I didn't know better, I'd say FB was invented for military. With the way we move around, it's nice to know you can keep in touch with old friends and make new ones before you even get to your new location. So yes, dear family of mine, you were right to push me to FB and I was wrong for resisting. At least I found it in time to help adjust to this military life!

6) A Ward That Makes You Grow: This is a bit of a silver lining item for me. This ward has been a bit of a gray cloud for me. I had expected more warmth and welcome than we received, and it's definitely been an adjustment. However, my testimony in fellowship is growing ever stronger as a result. I have never been very good about getting out of my comfort zone and introducing myself to people--I prefer to be introduced by someone else. Thanks to my experiences here, I am learning to be more outgoing and--gasp!--be the one to say hi first for a change. I realized that someone needs to be the person I wish had been there for me on my first Sunday, and it might as well be me.

Now that I've started this list, I feel like I'm on a roll and want to keep going. However, it's already 10:15 a.m., and I haven't even showered yet. I have quite the To-Do list, and I need to get a move on!