Picking Only 9 Was Tough!

When my daughter was only 4 years old I went through the worst experience of my life. My marriage was coming to an end and my husband was giving me every signal that he was not going to make it easy for me. His desperate need for revenge drove him to drag me through the family court system. I had to fight to keep custody of my daughter amid a fabricated child abuse allegation.

The feelings of desperation and sadness were like nothing like I have ever felt before. I had to learn to keep it together and conjure up every bit of strength I could muster in order to fight for my daughter and keep her safe.

In the end I got my daughter back. Throughout the experience I learned that gratitude for what you already have is the most important thing you can have in order to keep pushing forward.

I kept this gratitude practice even after my ordeal was over, and I must report that it still improves my life on a daily basis.

Here are 12 things that I am grateful for as a single mother:

1. The good fathers out there. Yeah so I picked a lemon. That doesn’t mean that all fathers out there are bad. In fact, most of them are good and deserve to be honored. In fact, I wanted to honor good fathers so much that I started a company to serve them. FlyDad creates dad gear for the fashionable, urban father. Our first product is a dad diaper bag that keeps him looking fly while taking care of his kid.
2. My daughter. Despite everything she has been through she turned out amazingly stable. She is also the most talented, creative, beautiful girl I have ever met and I would go through this horrible experience 100 more times to have her.
3. My tribe. Friends are everything and I couldn’t have gotten through anything without them. Throughout all the good and bad times they have stuck with me, supported me, and encouraged me. My friends are everything.
4. My ability to sustain myself financially. Long gone are the days of women having to depend on a man to support them. Us girls are at a place where we have most of the same opportunities as men, and in some cases even MORE opportunities. I now have the freedom to choose to be with a man because I want to, not because I have to.
5. My peace and quiet. There are often times when no one is in my house except me. It is silent and I love it. I can meditate, journal, watch TV, or just lay there. No one bothers me.
6. Dating. How many married couples do you know that are stuck in a rut? Or are just not excited by their significant other anymore? I get to go back to that feeling of dating someone for the first time. The excitement, the butterflies in my stomach, the endless choosing of outfits for the first date. I never thought I would get to have that kind of fun again!
7. Making my house girly. My living room is white and filled with fur pillows. My bedroom has mirrored furniture and satin pillowcases. I get to decorate everything exactly how I want it and I don’t have to cater to any male energy in the house.
8. Travel. I get to go wherever I want whenever I want as long as it aligns with my daughter’s school schedule. I find that traveling alone is much more impactful and eye opening than when you are traveling with somebody. Your eyes are much more open to new people and experiences
9. All of my lessons. I would never be the person I am today without everything I have gone through. I am stronger, wiser, and a better example to my daughter. I would not take any of it back if someone paid me.

I can’t tell you how life changing gratitude is to your psyche. There is absolutely no chance that you have nothing to be grateful for right at this moment, so do yourself a favor and write down your blessings. You may be surprised by how many more of them you will manifest!

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