I’ve gotten to the point that sitting indoors all day is making me uncomfortable. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

My focus for many of my years has been on being thankful for what I have and recognizing how much could be worse regarding my situation. This has proven to be a helpful skill in staving off entitlement. It has also created a mindset that where I am is where I always will be, what I have is what I always will have, and that keeping my head down and surviving is admirable.

I don’t want to survive; I want to live. That is probably true of us all, right? And if it isn’t true for you I want more for you. It took me a while to turn the corner on this but I truly want more for myself. I want to be grateful for what I have and thankful for what is to come. There will be hard times, there will be amazing times. But there is room for more. More love, more time with friends and family, more dinners together, more roadtrips, more time in nature…do you see it? It’s okay to want more. It is okay to be positive and think well about yourself and others.

I’m not giving you this permission. That’s not my place. I’m giving myself this permission. And hoping it resonates with people who want more but feel guilt in wanting such a thing.