Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Gratitude 6 & 7 (The first weekend)

I posted my gratitude for days 6 and 7 on Facebook late at night. I'd like to track my gratitude here on my blog, so I'm adding them now. 

Day 6, late Saturday night, "Good day. Oh! Need to post gratitude. Today I am grateful to be a Tacoman. Seriously, I love this town." Context: Stadium Art & Wine Walk with Rick, Amy, Justin, and Matt.

Day 7, late Sunday night, "Tonight I am grateful that the only time sensitive item on my calendar for tomorrow is meeting my friend Josh in the late evening." Context: feeling a bit blue, couldn't think of anything to post about Sunday, so I grasped at Monday. Did I bounce back on Monday? No. And I didn't even manage to leave the house to go see Josh. Lame. More on the blues in next post, which will most likely be titled, "Gratitude Restart."

Friday, October 5, 2012

Gratitude. Day 5.

I am grateful for my dog.
She loves me even when I neglect her.
Actually, it seems that she loves me even more when I neglect her.


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Gratitude. Day 4.


Today I am grateful

that my husband is home



My husband travels a lot for work; at least it feels like a lot to us. But right now we are enjoying 19 days with no business travel and I'm so pleased to have him close. 

We are both exhausted from last night's Madonna experience, so I'm not going to spend much time writing; I'm ready to work on putting some miles on our couch, catching up on our shows while eating take out. Now, that's first class!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Gratitude. Day 3.


Today I am the most grateful
for a few moments of laughter
uncontrollable, eyes leaking, leaning on my knees, 
genuine laughter



This picture is not from today,
but when I think of laughter, I think of this photo.

Today I had many things for which to be grateful: waking up in an city where bombs do not explode; a car that is not only reliable but downright cushy (I used the heated seat today); 2 full minutes of perfect behavior by 23 kindergartners completely absorbed in the reading of a good book by a great teacher; tickets for Madonna's show tonight; my amazing husband; good friends - the list seems endless. But that laughter, it made my gratitude for all of these good things in my life absolutely shine.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Gratitude. Day 2.


Today, I am grateful
for Lisa



Lisa believes in Angels. Lisa loves all things Disney. Lisa radiates Joy.
I am not like Lisa.
I will be more like Lisa.
No, I don't think I'll ever believe in angels or enjoy a trip to Disneyland.
I will radiate JOY.

I have been spending roughly 40 hours a year with Lisa for the last few years. She always greets me with a smile and a hug. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we do not. She is my massage therapist and, now, my friend. Over the years, I've seen Lisa grow and she's seen me grow, too. She's several steps ahead of me, always, but never judges my progress. She's seen me in some of my darkest moments - moments that I manage to hide from most people, but couldn't hide from her. She's heard about all of my best moments, because I can't wait to tell her things that others might see as bragging, but she thinks I deserve the abundance that is my life. Can you imagine?

My idea of posting gratitude daily on Facebook came from seeing Lisa's posts, which lately seem to be full of gratitude. I was suspicious that she was making a concerted effort to post her gratitude every day, but she had never mentioned it to me in person. When I saw other friends posting about 30 day projects they were beginning for October, I decided I wanted to have a 30 day project, too. I thought about what I want to accomplish in October, and it was, once again, still, to be happier - more content - less mopey - less moody - less ashamed - more confident... you know, I want to radiate joy. In several of the books about the preceding topics that I've read in my quest for personal peace, the idea of expressing gratitude daily was listed as one of the best ways to increase the "feel good" in life. I tried a few times, writing 5 items before bed each night in a special journal. Five items first thing in the morning, to get the day of to a good start - that one lasted 4 days - I have proof; I just pulled the a little blank book, dated October 14, 2009, from my nightstand drawer. (Funny thing, the third item on the first day reads, "massage appt. today.") The quote on the inside cover is "She is a gatherer: moonlight, found wishes, moments of gratitude." It's the sweetest little blank book. It's not the book's fault that I only used it four times. I want this time to be different. I want to follow through. I want to see if this works! So, today, during my massage, I asked Lisa about her posts and she told me that she committed to 90 days of expressing gratitude and that she feels amazing, that I definitely should try it. Since she started the project, multiple people have told her that her positivity is astounding. Then, she told me that she's seen me change so much already, that I've used the physical issues I've faced to learn and grow. Then, she transferred some energy from the angels to me.

Her encouragement means so much; today, I am grateful for Lisa (and her angels). Thank you, Lisa.


"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary." —Margaret Cousins



Monday, October 1, 2012

October 2012 Gratitude - Day 1

Today, I am grateful for 
the heat of the sun on my back.


October is my favorite month and I've decided to celebrate it by blogging about gratitude. I haven't given this much thought yet; it will be interesting to see how this idea develops throughout the month and how it affects my mood. In the past, I've tried writing down 5 things for which I am grateful each day before going to sleep and that lasted a week or two at most. I'm hoping that doing it publicly will keep me going a bit longer. For now, I'm just committing to one thing each day; maybe I'll build up to 5 by next month. 

So, for today, let's kick this off with a link to another blog: You're just minutes from happiness