giving thanks

Giving thanks for my body

Able bodied – adjective: Fit, strong, and healthy; not physically disabled.

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Every single day I walk up stairs, get out of bed without pain, play with my dog, stand in the kitchen to cook meals with my family, and much more.

Most of the time I don’t think about what my life would be like if I couldn’t do all of these wonderful things. What if I was constantly in the hospital? What if I was paralyzed? What if… you get the point. 

Today I am giving thanks for my body. I love that my legs can walk me to my classes, my arms can lift a sheet of cookies from the oven, and my feet can splash in a pool. I am so blessed to be healthy and alive! 


I’m so happy I can play 🙂 [..and take dumb/scary pictures ;)]

I’m so grateful that I have arms to open up and bear hug my little sister.

I feel so blessed to be able to run.

By giving thanks for my able body, I am making sure to feed it right and exercise it. I refuse to do drugs or anything that harms the body God blessed me with. I think exercise can tie into stress relief and I am thankful that one of the hobbies that I enjoy (running) is something that I am able to physically do. It all connects and pretty much  shows how awesome God is. Just saying.

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Giving thanks for hobbies

[This is the 3rd installment in my giving thanks series.]

I suppose that giving thanks for hobbies is kind of strange, but once  I thought about it, I realized that life would be pretty dull if we didn’t have any interests aside from work or school.

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing went right? What do you do after one of those days?

When I have a terrible day, I like to go home, pull out a favorite recipe, and cook or bake something that I love.Just punching some bread dough… you know… it relieves stress..

I find a kind of peace in chopping vegetables or measuring flour. I hardly think, I just do menial tasks that I enjoy. Soon enough, I find myself relaxed, calm, and able to look back on the day and just let it go.

[Other hobbies that are cathartic for me include scrap booking, reading, walking my dog, jumping on my trampoline like a crazy person, running slowly, reading my Bible, writing in my journal, and swimming.]

The “finished project” of a task like baking or cooking is so wonderful-food! I love to pull a cake out of the oven, frost it, and then eat it. Mmmm. The feeling after a run is so awesome and I love looking back on scrap books I have made or journals I have written in.

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I think everyone would be so much more stressed out if we didn’t have hobbies or special interests as an outlet for emotions.

* So today, I am thankful for hobbies-for all the joys they bring, and for the stress relief that comes with doing things we love. *

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Are you thankful for hobbies? What relieves stress for you?