Thankful...... November 30th

I graduated from BYU in Family Science with a double minor in psychology and sociology.  Needless to say, I dabbled a time or two or twenty with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. 

Essentially the jist of it is this.... In order for us to be Self Actualized (or a completely, complete person) if you will, all of these needs must be met.   

We start with the basics... Food, water, sleep, shelter.  These are the most basic of needs.  These are the needs that we will fight to the death for.  These are the things we would be irrational in our quest to gain if we found ourselves without one of them.  Desperate people stand on street corners begging for dollars to help them get these things.  Dignity flies out the window.  Death occurs without them.

Next, we secure property.  Property, we have to work for.  We get jobs.  We get educated.  We take care of ourselves physically.  We buy homes, possesions.  We get what we work for.  But, we make a place for ourselves with our position in life.  We provide security and feel safe in our security.

We then go on a search to share our lives with someone else and to allow them to share theirs with us.  In hopes of feeling even more secure because 2 is better than one.  We seek friendships with people in which we have likes in common.  We find security in family and knowing that no matter what, they will choose to support US and lift us up.  We seek intimacy.  And intimacy means different things to different people, so we seek to find compatible intimate partners... not as easy as it seems sometimes...

The need to feel accepted or respected is of  critical importance.  More so, than we think.  If you look back on your life, you could argue that you are where you are in life because you gravitated toward being safe and secure in acceptance.   Gaining self esteem and confidence is most likely the hardest thing we will do in this life.  And what others think of us is extrememely important.

This quotation forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actualization.

This level of need refers to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential. The desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that you can be.  To come to the understanding of what it takes to be the very best YOU that you can be.  To accomplish all the goals and achieve all the things it takes to feel that all has been accomplished to the best of your abilities.  However, to achieve this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs, but master them.

So having said all of this....  I am on a quest.  And so are you.  And I am far from being self actualized.  But I am bound and determined...

Until then, I will take some time to be grateful for the needs I have met...

I am Thankful for my home, for good food, for my super comfy bed and heat and coats and clothing.

I am Thankful for Raleigh's job, my job, our healthy bodies and our ability to be educated.

I am Thankful for The Love of My Life and that he shares his life with me.  For my family who would choose every day of the week to love and support me, their child.......... NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS or WHO happens to come or GO.  My family, who also love my husband and children with all of their hearts.... genuinely and unconditionally without conditions and requirements and judgements.

I am Thankful for the GIFT, yes the AMAZING GIFT of genuine, fabulous, glorious intimacy that is probably the very best and most valued part of our marriage.  We both know how bad it sucks not to have it and also how much this contributes to our healthy marriage and so we cherish it.  And enjoy it. 

I am working on gaining my self esteem back.  It is hard for me.  It is my daily quest.  I want this to be part of my personality.  I want more than anything to NOT GIVE A DAMN what people think of me.  But, until that happens, if it ever does, I hope I can always surround myself with ONLY those who think good things about me. 

I am grateful for this month of reflection.  It was good for me to remember and to express my gratitude.  It was good for me to see areas in which I am richly blessed, areas that I am needing improvement, areas that I could almost take for granted.  It's good to realize where my happiness comes from so that I can know where to go to gain it and what things I need to work hard to protect.
Showing gratitude is the best way to say thank you for giving me all that I have been given and for blessing me over and over. 

The Month of Giving Thanks has come to an end.  But it certainly does not mean that my being thankful has.

It's November 30th and I am simply Thankful for my life