Habitual Gratitude

Today I am grateful for a bike tune-up. It's sure running smoothly now. I am also grateful for faith and prayer in challenging situations. Here's the story behind how I started journaling about gratitude. My friend Terrie gave me the journal that became my first gratitude journal.  I am now on journal #9. The journal was a birthday gift from Terrie in July of 1994. I recall Terrie "suggesting" that it would make a good gratitude journal. Terrie was one of my spiritual advisors, those people put in my life to help me to the next level of growth and positive change. When I walked into a room full of people, Terrie was one of those people who stood out. She had a class and confidence about her, and a laugh that I still miss. She had wisdom and grace and she shared it with others. It took me some time, but by February of 1995, I began that journal. And I began a life-changing practice that I cannot stop talking about BECAUSE IT WORKS! Terrie died in December...

Today I am grateful for push-ups, planks, and sit-ups. They are good exercises and require no additional equipment. I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and his ability to bring smiles and laughter. I have been at this blog for 34 straight days now. There will be days I won't be posting, but if I am going to call my blog Habitual Gratitude, I better be habitual in my posting. As we do some traveling in the coming weeks and months, I will likely take a break from my computer. My mom doesn't have Wi-Fi for one thing. I could try it on my phone, but I don't have the patience for that. I also believe that it is a good and wise thing to take a break from technology from time to time. Gratitude is definitely ingrained in my brain and thought processes now, and blogging about it has only confirmed that. Let me tell you how "Habitual Gratitude" was born. I had been pondering starting a blog for months; doing research on how to start one, throwing aro...

Today I am grateful for the simple pleasure of mowing the lawn and the feeling of satisfaction when I am done. I am also grateful for my step-children Emily and Arthur and the privilege of watching them grow up. When I was young, the Simon and Garfunkel song "Sounds of Silence" was one of my favorite songs. The opening line was "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again." Not exactly uplifting, but that was where I was at.  I was introverted, shy, and troubled in my head about many fears and worries. And that was before I added alcohol. It got even darker then. There were years when I spent more time in the darkness than the light, figuratively speaking. My thoughts were full of self-pity and self-loathing and at times I felt hopeless. It didn't happen overnight, but slowly I learned how to keep light in my life. Faith is a big part of that, and so is gratitude. Gratitude helps me stay out of the darkness because it keeps self-pity...

Today I am grateful for the inspiration I have to write, my friends Jenny and Jill and my cousin Julie , the kindness shown to me by many each day, and the sound of my son Sam's laughter. I jumped into the middle of an A-Z gratitude list this morning. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it's a great way to do gratitude on the go. And you'll probably surprise yourself at how quickly you can come up with 26 or more. Sure the end of the alphabet gets a little tougher, but I just use the "x" like it sounds....extraordinary, exceptional, and so on. Habitual gratitude requires practice and more practice. But it is the best work I do every day. It can literally change my perception of my life and the world for the better. That is powerful stuff. Have you gotten started? What are you waiting for? Give it a try and if you have to on some days, just "act as if" but keep going. I would love to hear how it's going for you. Having done this blog f...

Today I am grateful for the wonderful smell of lilacs in the spring. If I am running past some lilacs, I have been known to turn around and run past them again to get another dose of aromatherapy. I am grateful for a letter from my friend Linda. There is still hope for the lost art of letter writing. Today I am also grateful for Deb, my second life saver. I talked about Life Saver #1, Sheila, in a post last week. These two friends were there for me when I wasn't there for myself. Deb and I met our freshmen year of college. We played softball together for two years, and we were roommates our sophomore year. My drinking progressed when I got to college and Deb kept an eye on me many nights. She also did something that really got me thinking---she got mad at me for my drinking, in a way that let me know she cared and was concerned, but let me know that my choices were impacting others too. I remember one time I needed a pair of socks to go with an outfit, but I was s...

Today I am grateful for reminders that I am only in charge of my attitude and actions. I am also grateful to be a mom. My son teaches me a lot, even when he is testing me. I am grateful today for the Prayer of St. Francis DeSales. Most of us have heard of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi--"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace..."  The Prayer of St. Francis DeSales is not as well-known.  I work at a Catholic school and prayer is a daily thing. This prayer was read one day last year and it struck me for two reasons: 1) My whole family was educated at St. Francis DeSales School...most of us for 8 years, a few for more. 2) I didn't recall having ever heard the prayer before, which surprised me as an alum of DeSales School. I grabbed a copy and first shared it with my mom, and then with my sisters last fall.  I say it myself most days because I think it is a powerful and comforting prayer.  Better late than never.  It brings me back to gratitude in...

Today I am grateful for conversations yesterday with friends who help me better understand life.  I am also grateful that a fire in our neighborhood didn't hurt anyone and that they got the pets out safely. It was sad to see the burned out structure of someone's home and belongings, but a reminder of what's really important. How quickly one's day and one's life can change. Sometimes that means real challenges, like those that await this family whose house burned.  All the more reason to remind ourselves daily of how blessed we are and to not take the people in our lives, our stuff, and each day we are given for granted. Gratitude is always possible. Make it possible in your life today and share it with others.