The Good Things

So, at the end of 2010 I went shopping for my 2011 Daily Calendar to put on my desk at work.  To some of you this may not seem like a very big deal but to me it really is.  I use this daily desk calendar as a source of stress relief throughout my week and it's amazing to me sometimes how much I have come to rely on it as a source of comfort or laughter to brighten my work day. 

In the past I have picked a variety of calendars.  One year I had one that was all pictures of puppies.  Another year I had one that was Mind Puzzles to solve.  A different time I picked one that was the Stupidest Things Ever Said - this one was lame.  As I grew older and dealt with more struggles throughout my life I noticed myself leaning towards more inspirational and scripture type calendars to help me put into perspective what truly matters.  They have helped me more than one can imagine.

So, when it came time for this year I ended up picking up one I haven't gotten before but was still something that would inspire me.  I found one called "1,000 Places To See Before You Die Calendar".  It certainly caught my attention and I bought it right away.  It kind of reminded me of the movie The Bucket List and I was intrigued to see if any of the places within this calendar were places I already had the luxury of visiting.  I did find it very cool that the place listed on my birthday was one I had already been to - Key West, Florida.  Awesome place to see if you ever get the chance.

Within this calendar are not only photos of these locations, but fun facts about some of them and famous quotes as well.  I found today's quote to be a very nice one and wanted to share it with all of you.

"While you are here on the earth, enjoy the good things that are here."  - John Shelden.

What a statement that we all should live by, heh?  I can tell you that I sure have tried to do that over the course of the last few years.  The problem is, everybody's version of the "good things" could be very different.  What do you think of when you hear those words?  Here are some of my "good things".

My family and their smiles, hugs, laughter, accomplishments.  I adorn myself with them all the time.  It is them that makes my bad days all worth it and my work space is surrounded by things that make me think of them.

Another good thing for me is our country we live in.  I feel very fortunate to have traveled to many places in the US already and there hasn't been one that I've visited that I didn't find beauty in.  One of the things on my bucket list is to have the opportunity to visit each state in our country once.  I have quite a few to go, but at the same time feel blessed to have seen as many as I have.

Lake Pleasant, Arizona

The Grand Canyon, Arizona (obviously)

Near Peoria, Arizona

The Hoover Dam

Scenery in Utah

In front of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

I do believe that some other good things we should all appreciate are the little things.  The simplistic things that a lot of us take for granted on a daily basis.  Clothes on our back, food on our tables, a roof over our head, and people to share all of these things with.  The love of our Lord, who I honestly have come to rely on so heavily over the years.  A hug from a friend, a sunshiny day, a coffee in the morning, a bowl of ice cream after dinner, a good report card from your child, an old song on the radio, a walk around town, the smell of lilacs coming into your house and my list would go on and on.

So with that said, learn to enjoy the "good things" in your life, whatever those may be.  Don't take any of them for granted and don't get greedy with what you want them to be.  I've found the simple things to make much more of an impact on my daily routine than the materialistic, showy things so many people strive for to keep them happy and complete.