THANKFUL THURSDAY - Happy Happy Happy!

In keeping my positive thinking promise to myself, I've managed to maintain my recent refocus on how very lucky I am in so many ways for yet another day. If I manage to string a few more of these happy days together, I bet I'll be right back up there in the happy range of life again real soon!


So here's what's raising my happiness bar today:

[1] I am soooo thankful for the college degree I have in Psychology with minors in Psychology for Exceptional Children and Art. Though I never really worked in the field, child psychology and special education have always been a passion of mine. And, with these beautiful boys I've been gifted -- for those first timers, I'm referring to my identical twin sons who happened to have been blessed with an extra 21st chromosome -- I have put the information that has somehow managed to remain in tact in my brain nearly 25 years post-graduation to very good use. Thankfully, I can jump right in with the teachers, therapists and special educators and never feel undereducated or out of the loop. That's HUGE when you're making critical educational decisions for your children with special needs.

[2] I'm thankful for the 3+ weeks of antibiotics the boys have been on. That sounds like a strange statement... BUT, I'm sure that the colds they developed 2 days ago and are now significantly recovered from have been short lived because of the immune-system boost the boys are getting from the antibiotics. Instead of a 3-week cold, it looks like it's going to be a 3-day cold! (knock, knock knock on wood) That's HUGE too!

[3] I'm also cautiously optimistic and grateful that it appears that maybe, just maybe, we might have just barely, finally, peaked around the corner towards recovery instead of being on the downside of this whole surgical ordeal. Repeat surgery notwithstanding, Brian seems to be healing and handling his diaper changes just a little bit better than previously -- I mean, I haven't been kicked in the mouth in a whole 2 days! AND, Michael might actually be a smidgen less swollen than yesterday and the day before that. Sounds like a page turning, doesn't it?

[4] I'm thankful to be back to blogging. Truly, I do feel better... even as I type this... pondering what my #4 Thankful Thursday item should be... Hmmm, thankful to be blogging? Thankful for all the support my blog followers and fellow bloggers give me? Humbled that any one would even be interested in spending their precious time reading about my crazy life and slanted opinions (LOL)? Grateful that people take the time to read about Down syndrome advocacy and awareness so they can contribute to creating a more peaceful path in this life for my beautiful boys. Yeah, maybe all of the above!

[5] I have to do a shout out to the person responsible for getting me started on this happiness project and blogging too. I'm thankful that Gretchen Rubin (former supreme court law clerk) at happiness-project.com was riding that cross town bus through NYC one day and was thunder struck by the idea of starting a happiness project. Her epiphany has created a big happiness-project movement that I am very HAPPY to be part of! Go check out her site and start your own happiness project... Or, pick up a copy of her new book (about to hit the book stands) -- the culmination of several years of test driving all the wise-old happiness tenets you've ever heard.... and then developing a few helpful rules of her own.

And, here's one of my newest happiness-project rules: Happiness starts with a good night's sleep. Good night all! Once again, thanks for listening.