I’m Marie Olson, wife,
mother-of-three, and owner of a little Etsy shop called Not
Very Domestic. I also happen to be
Granny Green’s favorite daughter! (Yes, she is my favorite daughter!) You can follow me on Instagram
@notverydomestic to see what crafty stuff I’m up to.
With Thanksgiving fast
approaching, stuffing… uh, I mean, Gratitude,
has been on my mind. I think gratitude
is a lot more than going around the table and listing off your blessings once a
year. The virtue of gratitude is an action.
True gratitude is a way of living.
As the wife of a med student
and mother of three living 2000 miles from home and subsisting on student
loans, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to count my blessings, and a lot of
practice developing the virtue of gratitude in my life. I’ve been pondering the
subject recently, I have come up with a few practical things we can all do to
live more gratefully.
Take Care of Your Stuff
When we don’t take care of our
things, it suggests that we don’t care about
our things. Whether it be our home, our car, our clothes, or our toys, it is
important to take the time to maintain and care for our possessions. Failing to
do so is, quite frankly, an act of ingratitude. This is something I am
constantly trying to teach my children. So
often, I find myself saying “If you can’t take care of the stuff you have now,
I’m going to stop buying you new things.” Pretty sure I need to follow through
a little better.
Be Content
Live within your means. Waste
not, want not. Make do or do without. Don’t worry about what the Joneses are up
to. It is very easy to spend time dreaming of the day I can fill a closet full
of new clothes, or own a brand new piece of furniture, or even just do the
dishes in a dishwasher. Doing so causes me to overlook all of my blessings. I
have a happy, healthy family, a warm house, and food on the table. We do not do without any necessity. Which leads me to my next suggestion….
Turn Off the TV
And while you’re at it, log
off Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ok, ok, so that may be a little extreme, but I hope you catch my
drift. When one is constantly bombarded
with advertisements and the social-media-filtered lives of your “friends” it’s
easy to feel like you’re missing out. You’re not. I promise.
Give Thoughtfully and Sparingly
Black Friday is coming. I’m
pretty sure it starts on Thanksgiving these days. Kind of ironic. I think I’ll
be staying home. I’m a little afraid of being trampled by crazed shoppers. It is wise and prudent to buy things on sale
and to stretch your money. Just be
careful not to stretch it so far that the boxes under your tree are full of
meaningless junk. It really is that
thought that counts. Your loved ones
will appreciate a thoughtful gift far more than a bunch of stuff you bought
because it was on sale. And remember,
Christmas really isn’t about the presents. Neither is Thanksgiving for that
matter. And grateful people don’t trample others in pursuit of a cheap iPhone.
Nurture Relationships
If we value something, we
make an effort to care for it. The people in our life are our greatest
blessings. Be kind, spend quality time together, and serve those you love.
I hope you have a happy
Thanksgiving filled with good food and people you love!
-Marie
You can follow Marie on Instagram @notverydomestic or check out her Etsy Shop!
Visit my Guest Blogger Page to get to know all my blogging friends!
Happy Running!
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