STAYING GRATEFUL IN THE WAITING SEASON

Standing hand in hand at the bus stop, my soul ached.

I wasn’t ready to return to Los Angeles.

Immediately after working a 4-day trip, I rushed onboard another flight bound for Portland to see Cody, borrowing cars, sleeping on floors, doing whatever I needed to do to make this work.

Between my flying schedule and his busy last year of college we only saw each other a couple hours a week. 

“I don’t wanna go,” I whimpered, as the bus neared.

Looking agonized for a brief second, Cody smiled at me, lifted my chin, and said, “Even though it was short, we had such a wonderful time together. We have so much to be thankful for! Let’s focus on that.”

I smile at the memory because almost 3 years later life is pretty awesome! I no longer commute from LA, we’re getting married soon, and get to share a comfy home together in our favorite city.

Waiting is hard. We all have seasons of waiting. Maybe you’re in one right now. Maybe it’s relationship-related, job-related, or something else. 

Practicing gratitude is a life-giving and grounding act in these seasons of ache.

Like lifting weights at the gym, it’s hard, but strengthens us.

Now with 20/20 hindsight I can see how our commitment to remaining grateful slowly strengthened our bond and sharpened our resiliency to handle the harder things in life: hospitalizations, fires, and vehicular disasters (to name a few).

Did you know that Cody and I make a joke whenever the sh*t hits the fan? 

Seriously. When doctors reset his bones… he joked. After his house caught on fire… I joked. Maybe we’re weird or maybe we’re good at finding light in the chaos. (I prefer the latter.)

Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Whether it’s spending a couple hours a week with my love or preparing for our wedding day I want to spend it in gratitude. It makes the bitter seasons sweet and the sweet seasons sweeter. 

Take Care,
Amanda