Five Star Challenge: Day 3

Well, now that the hard parts are over, moving onto the next day of the challenge with:

Five Things I Am Grateful For:

1. Technology: This seems almost too obvious. Technology plays such a major role in my life: social networking sites, e-mail, blogs and blogging, medical advances, video games, information technology and the internet. It’s so amazing to be able to answer random questions quickly, search and purchase almost anything online, and to stay in touch with my friends across the world.
2. My Husband: Aside from his just being a generally awesome person, he also provides a lot of economic support in our relationship and has always been supportive of me trying to find my way. It is a blessing to have the flexibility to not work 9-5 if needed. (Incidentally, he doesn’t keep a normal 9-5 schedule either, so when I *am* doing a 9-5 job, it can be somewhat stressful when our schedules don’t align).
3. Friends and Family: I am happy to have such a wide variety of friends who are interested in so many different things. Keeping up with them keeps my life diverse and interesting. It is also such a wonderful thing to have friends and family that are so supportive of me and always offer a soft spot to land when the going gets tough.
4. Ayn Rand/Objectivism/ARI/etc: My life has been so enriched by learning more about the philosophy of Objectivism. My approach to daily problems and events has become more positive, I have met many wonderful people who share my views of the world (and some that don’t, but that’s ok!). It helps me to think about issues more clearly and bolsters my ability to see the world as a benevolent, knowable place. I look forward to OCON every summer – without it, I probably would not have met my wonderful husband, not to mention many other friends I am privileged to know.
5. My home: I’m not so much talking about the physical location that is my current home, but the pieces that make it “a home”. It’s a joy to come home to a comfortable, safe place with a loving husband and two doting cats. I enjoy the feeling of peace and contentment that our little slice of the planet helps to create. It is a culmination of the people, pets, furniture, artwork, and other material and non-material trappings located within it. It is a great thing to have helped to create this place for my husband and myself, and I consider myself fortunate to always have a peaceful place in which to retreat from the world – or to invite my world into.