Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Start of a Gratitude Journal

I talked to an old friend today, someone I hadn't seen in a couple of years.

She said in the last few months she has started a gratitude journal. Each day she writes down one blessing of her day. She commented on the bad things always around us, the news, hassles, frustrations, and that you have to be aware, pay attention to see that the good things are happening right along.

This fits into so much of my last year that I was amazed. I don't usually write it down, and I think she has a good idea. In the last 10 months, though, I have gotten used to waking up, saying thank you, and then paying attention to the blessings in my day. Some are big, some are little. A couple of days ago, it was raining, the sky grey behind a radiant red oak, and I stopped just to look. To remember. To sniff the air full of wet leaves and wet ground, and cold--at least cool--air that has its own smell. To listen to the rain. To feel the cold seeping through my sweater. To feel alive, so alive, all my senses in that moment. And I won't forget. What else happened that day? I don't remember, but it was good day.

And I am grateful for it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

An easy place to write down your daily gratitude is www.GratitudeLog.com. I think you and your friend would love it.

charlotte g said...

Sorry to respond so sloly. Thank you, Mike--I'll share this with several friends.

J.R.Shirley said...

Sometimes in the last two months I have remembered to be thankful for my very many blessings. It's good to remember~ in the bustle of our lives, we have *so much* to be thankful for.

charlotte g said...

I'm finding the more I notice the good stuff, the more good stuff keeps coming. It's more than just noticing, it really is more. Maybe I'm just more open to it.I just know 2008 has been my year of delighted astonishment. EVERYone should get at least one. This is mine. And I am NOT talking about prosperity.