Tough (Question) Tuesday: Is there anything in this situation I can find to be grateful for?
It’s the Tough (Question) Tuesday Thanksgiving edition! The man above must be questioning how much turkey he should eat. Hence the tongue hanging out of his mouth.
OK, enough with the funny business.
Thank of a challenge you’re facing right now. Make it a really sucky challenge. Now ask yourself:
“Is there anything in this situation I can find to be grateful for?”
I’ll be the first to post my answer in the comments section. Or will I? (Insert evil laugh here)
To see the other installments of Tough (Question) Tuesday go here.
Tags: Tough (Question) Tuesday
November 25th, 2008 at 7:01 am
My sucky situation is being "stuck" in my day job – for the time being.
I'm grateful for a lot about it, though. Namely:
* the steady paycheck
* the (partly matching) 401K
* non-abusive bosses (believe me, with my history this is a big one)
* a group of kind/fun co-workers
November 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am
My sucky situation is that my boyfriend is moving out next Friday to move home to NJ after three years together. A week ago today, he basically announced that he was breaking up with me and moving, without any indication it was coming. Since then, we've decided that we'll revisit our relationship when I move to NY next summer/fall. Still, we're in this crappy limbo of not really/kinda/sorta/what?
I'm grateful that:
-My intuition was firing for a valid reason, and the dreams I had were not out of the blue. Which means, on some level, I can trust myself.
-This episode inspired me to make a big decision that I probably would have postponed a million times. This means I'll be living in NY next year and will have many more opportunities.
-While he delayed telling me his feelings until the absolute last moment, I'm glad he told me and was honest with me. I'm also glad that we've said what needed to be said.
-I'm hopeful that perhaps our relationship isn't totally broken and we do have a brighter, happier future–together or apart–because of it.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Alma, I have to get all coachy on you and acknowledge you for commenting here. I went through something so, so similar (four and a half years together, living together, no excuse as to why we were breaking up, just "I have to do it") and it broke me at the time. Like you, I had the feeling that something was off (although we were not arguing at all at the time) and confronted him about it. We had a heart-to-heart that ended with him saying "You're amazing for seeing this going on beneath the surface. I promise to come to you when anything else goes on like this so we can talk through it." Two days later he broke up with me without a peep in between.
You have a amazing perspective on all of this. Despite being in this place of unknowingness (I know it's not a word, stay with me here) and holding onto the fear, and the darkness, you're instead flipping it around and putting it in a more positive light. I love how you used this to give you the push you needed to fulfill a dream, get your feelings out in the open and learn to trust your instincts. While it took me about two months post-breakup to see that my relationship was not right and I needed to keep the break-up as a break-up (because yes, a month later he asked why I moved out – he only wanted "a break" and spent another year chasing me), it took much much longer than that to even see what I could be grateful about.
Almost 4 years later, I'm so grateful that I want to write him a thank you note for releasing me from an unhealthy relationship and allowing me to wait for my prince to come.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:43 am
My situation is being unemployed and living at my parents house since the death of my dad 5 months ago. I quit my (high paying and fulfilling) job to care for my dad in his final year of life. Since his death I've been here with my mother, just trying to help her move forward with her life. I'm only 24 and at times it all seems to be too much.
I'm grateful for:
The time I had with my dad before his passing. Its bittersweet, but I love that I was able to care for him and take an active part in making sure his last months were as pleasant as possible.
The strengthening of the bond between my mom and myself. I feel closer to her now than I ever imagined I could be.
I'm grateful for the time I have right now to reassess my life and where I plan on going from here.
I'm most grateful for the knowledge I've gained from all this. It used to be that when I was at a 'bad' spot in my life it seemed hopeless, catastrophic even. Not so much anymore. Everything in life is temporary, and all I can do during not so great phases in my life is take what I can from the experience and enjoy it as much as possible… Things never seem so bad looking back on them years later, it doesn't need to seem so bad going through it. (Ironically, I'm thinking thats the point of this question). Its difficult not to look at life that way though, when you've just spent a year listening to a dying man recounting the experiences of his own life. I will forever be grateful to my dad for offering me his perspective.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Thanks so much for your open & honest comment, Christina. It's amazing that you can see the "lessons" in all of this, as I know that this must be such a hard time for you. Keep on counting what you're grateful for and I know you'll continue to see the rainbow through the rain.