A Year Later

This is my 366th post which is a leap year of posts on living a life of gratitude. There are so many things I have learned about gracious living this past year. One is that I am very human. Every time I think I have a handle on being gracious and grateful for who I am and what I have in my life, I find myself getting sucked back into behavior I thought I had shed. I am going to go back and practice some of my previous grateful living activities, maybe come up with new insights, new ideas and activities to carry me further along on my journey to living a life of gratitude. I have grown tremendously this past year and I am a happier, more grateful person.

Here are activities that have been the most meaningful for me:
Intentionally smiling at people daily. Greeting people with Good Morning, How are You etc. daily. Waking up each morning and saying and naming at least 10 things I am grateful for. Flipping my negatives into positives. What I mean is looking at the positive even in negative situations. Paying at least 3 people compliments each day. Saying thank you when someone compliments me. Wearing rose colored glasses. Visualizing how I want my day to go. Loving and enjoying my family and telling them how much I love them and enjoy them. Forgiving and letting go. Listening to others use appreciative speech. Focus on the positive things people do for me. Living my life according to my values and goals. Being grateful for who I am and what I have.

Being grateful is coming more naturally to me and for that I am blessed.

Paying For College, Oh My

It's that time again for me. My 3rd and youngest child is getting her undergraduate offers of financial aid. Next year I will have 2 in college. Plus my oldest daughter will be returning to graduate school in a 5 year program. Will I be able to help her? I know she isn't expecting help, but still. I'm feeling the pressure of how will I pay for college. Do I need to get a new job? A third job? But, I'm going to use my own advice. I need to feel the joy of helping them with their college expenses. I need to be joyful that my money has been used to help my children experience college and all that it brings. Paying for college will work out as it has so far. I need to stop worrying about it and instead put a plan in place for college payment, since this will help me move into my comfort zone. I need to be grateful for what I've been able to do so far and be grateful for whatever I will be able to do going forward.

Feel the joy of giving my children a college education. Let go of the worry of continuing to pay for college and instead, work on a plan to help as I can. Feel the blessing of being able to give what I can give and know that it is appreciated.

The Feel Of Spring

My favorite touch sensation in spring is the welcoming, warm spring air against my skin and the feel of the warm breeze blowing in through an open window. I also enjoy the way the cool earth feels in my hands as I work the soil. I love the feel of the soft, new growth on the bushes and trees in my yard. It also is great to feel a light jacket on after months of wearing heavy, bulky coats. I love the warm spring days.


There is so much to be thankful for everyday. I am grateful to have taken the time to recall the sights, sounds, feel, smells, and taste of spring. This is a glorious season with the awakening of vegetation, baby animals arrival and the anticipation of longer days to enjoy the warmth of spring.

Hearing Spring

Some of my favorite spring sounds include children's laughter as they run through rain puddles, jump rope and play hopscotch. I love listening to the sound of children honking their bicycle horns, robins singing, and blue jays cackling their territorial song. Another favorite is the whack of a ball as it makes contact with a bat and the cheers from the fans in the stands. Now that's springtime.

I will record the sounds of spring will be recorded in my gratitude journal.

Spring Scents

There is nothing so sweet smelling to me as the very, fragrant smell of a hyacinth, and lets not forget the fragrance of a lilac in bloom. The smell of sweetness coming from a candy filled Easter basket has my mouth watering.

I will write in my gratitude journal all the wonderful smells associated with spring. I hope to add to it throughout the season.

The Taste of Spring

What can be better than the taste of freshly picked, spring vegetables of asparagus, spinach, lettuce, and peas? Then there is my all time favorite of jelly beans and chocolate Easter eggs. Of course, a hard cooked, decorated Easter egg is delicious also. Finally, a childhood favorite taste of mine is the warm, sweet April showers caught on my tongue. Can you taste spring in the air?

I will record in my gratitude journal all the tastes of spring I am thankful for.

Spring's Awakening

I am grateful and hopeful for all that spring brings. I am especially grateful for the 5 senses of spring. The sights of spring start for me, when the purple, yellow and white crocus pop open. Accompanying the crocus are the buds on the bushes and trees, the yellow daffodils, and the forsythia in bloom. The lime colored new growth on the awakening deciduous trees is a beautiful sight. Then in the heart of spring, the rhododendrons, weeping cherries, plum, peach and dogwood trees fill the neighborhoods with glorious color. I love flowers and am getting carried away with all the flowering sights, but I also enjoy the sight of light jackets and short sleeved shirts, open windows and people driving top down in their convertibles. There are so many enjoyable sights of spring.

In my gratitude journal, I will awaken my spring longings by writing about the glorious sights of spring.

Stop Bugging Me

You know how it is. You've been telling a loved one to take out the garbage, fix the door, get their homework done or whatever. When I do that I feel like a nag. I don't like that feeling. Yes I wished my loved ones would respond immediately to my request, but that just isn't realistic. My requests and priorities may not be their priorities or maybe it just slips their mind. I need to find a way to let this stuff go and also to be intentional about not nagging.

Revisiting Touch

On February 21st of this year, I wrote about how powerful touch was between my dad and I. He has lost most of his hearing and he gets very frustrated not being able to hear us. I held his hand and rubbed his arm and I know he was as touched by this as I was. I've thought about that time with my dad a lot over the last month.

When I started dating my husband, the first thing I had to get used to was how his family loved to give hugs. This was very different from my family, but I found I loved it. I've also found that during this time of not feeling well because of the post concussion symptoms that hugs have been something I crave. It has brought me calmness and comfort.

I will be intentional with hugging my family and friends.

No Day Like Today

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our friends 56th birthday. He finished treatment 6 months ago for esophageal cancer and is clean. He says it is a miracle to be with us. A few years back he had colon cancer. He and his family were upbeat and talked about how appreciative they were to all of us for being there for all of them. They spoke about how grateful they are for the return of his health. This man is one of those people that is thoughtful, generous, brillant and always there for the rest of us. We are appreciative that you are healthy and that you can remain so positive. I am blessed to have your friendship.

I will be wake up tomorrow and count my blessings and give thanks for the opportunity to enjoy another glorious day.

What Else Makes Me Happy?

I was shopping in Barnes and Noble last weekend and there was a display of Happiness books. There were 23 different titles! Are there so many of us out there that want to figure out how to have a happier life? Earlier in the week I wrote a list of what makes me happy. Now I am going to come up with a list of new untested ideas that I think will make me happy. I may even act on 1 or 2 of them.

What's Up Doc

I just came back from many hours in the ER. I had a basketball hit me on the side of my head last week which caused me to have a concussion. Good news is that all the bad stuff has been ruled out: fracture, bleeding and stroke. What can I take away from this experience? The x-ray room was off a long and busy corridor. I was able to people watch, while sitting in a wheelchair, during the ½ hour I was waiting for my turn at the CAT Scan. Lots of people, hospital employees on their way home, are uncomfortable and would not make eye contact with me. Maybe they were being respectful, but I smiled at everyone that walked past me and I even got 1 or 2 smiles back. The CAT Scan technician said I had an incredible smile during the whole process and that whatever I was doing in my life, I should keep on doing. Thanks, I appreciate the compliment.

I also learned that my husband and I could stay positive during the whole experience. We went into this knowing we would be in the ER for several hours and made the best of our time. They gave us a comfortable room to wait in and we had all nice people helping me. Even though it was a long, tiring day, I met many kind people and got to hang out and talk to my husband for several hours.

My lesson is to remember that life is good and to make the most of every moment I have with my loved ones. Also, pleasantness and a sunny disposition is contagious and a lot more fun. Lastly, there are a lot of people who are really good in their careers and I need to thank them and compliment them profusely.

Grateful Speech

Since I started down this path of living a life of gratitude, I've heard many people speak about how grateful they are and how appreciative they are. Am I the only person around that wasn't using this beautiful gratitude language? Tomorrow I will listen to people for grateful speech. I hope to be pleasantly surprised with how many times I hear this speech come from a variety of people. This will also help me practice intentional listening.

I'm Amazing

Every time I pass a mirror, smile and remind myself that I am amazing.

Thank Me

Every time I pass a mirror tomorrow, smile and feel grateful that I am me!

To Do Lists

I'm a list person. I love the feeling of accomplishment as I cross off another finished item on my list. When I make a to do list I fill it with easy to cross off items. This helps me feel successful and mentally gets me psyched to do the more difficult items on the list. The greatest thing I find with making my lists is that it helps me get organized. It also gets me to complete a lot more tasks than I ever accomplished before become a list maker.

Make a to do list of 5 items I will do tomorrow to work on living a life of gratitude. I'll make sure that at least 3 of the items are easy for me to do. Easy items for me might be to say hello or good morning to a lot of people, smile, or pay 3 people compliments. It will also include 1 or 2 things that have been more difficult for me to be successful at as I travel along my journey of grateful living.

Happiness Is?

What makes me happy? Write my list in my gratitude journal of what makes me happy? There is no time like today to live my life surrounded by people, places and things that makes me happy. I need to let go of the stuff that fills me with anguish and uncertainty and replace it with those that fills me with happiness.

Visualizing My Ideal Life

Yesterday I thought about my hopes and dreams that are yet to be fulfilled. I will close my eyes and visualize myself living my ideal life and I will feel the joy that this life is bringing me. Write down my ideal life on an index card and look at the card throughout the day. The card will help me bring my ideal life back into my thoughts. I will take the time throughout the day to see and feel myself living the life of my dreams.

Looking Back

When I'm 90 years old, I hope that I can look back on my life and be happy with how I lived my life and what I accomplished. Think about my dreams for my life, what changes would I make and what actions can I take to get closer to my ideal life.

Touch

I spent the last few days with my dad and mom, ages 90 and 88. My dad's hearing aid was on the brink, making it difficult to have a conversation. Even when it is working, hearing has become difficult for him. Feeling his frustration, I took his hand as we sat on the couch. We sat there silently, for a very long time with my hand in his. It was a beautiful thing and was very meaningful for me and I believe, my dad also.

I will be intentional with practicing touch with my loved ones: Holding a hand, rubbing an aching back, or a hug.

Take Out The Garbage

I was listening to a coworker talking about being upset with her husband over him not taking out the garbage. Again. Sound familiar. She wanted his chores to be things she would never have to think about. Then she talked about how he had gone out and bought her a space heater for her art room in her cold basement and how much she loved it. He went on to do a few more thoughtful acts, but she was still fixating on the garbage. Now I can relate to what she was complaining about, but in the scheme of things, does it matter. My husband goes out every Sunday to buy me the paper and I have never asked him to do that for me. It is just something he does because he is a great guy.

It's easy to let the things people don't do upset us, but now I'd rather focus on the things people do for me. I know their kindness and thoughtfulness will allow me to more appreciative of them and will make me a happier, more grateful person.

I'm letting go of the garbage.

A Year Later

A year ago today I started this blog and this journey to a life of gratitude. Sometimes I feel like I'm making real progress and other times I feel like I've taken several steps backwards. One thing this journey has taught me is when I'm not as gracious and grateful as I should be, there will be plenty more opportunities to try again. I am going to continue on my journey of growth, gratitude and graciousness. I need to be intentional with being grateful for what I have and gracious in my responses to those that are a challenge to me.

No Guilt Allowed

Allow myself a self indulgence: Savor the taste of a piece of chocolate. Shut the door and curl up with a good book. Leave the clutter and mess behind and go for a walk. Remember that no guilt is allowed.

Single Tasking

I know multitasking is thought highly of, but my lesson for today is to focus on just one thing at a time. Tune out the distractions or others wanting my attention and just focus on the task at hand. When I talk to someone I should really be engaged with listening, responding and talking. When I am working out, I should only work out, not also try and have a conversation with someone else. I hope this lesson will help me get the most out of the many parts of my day.

Dream Bigger

Write a list of my 5 top dreams. Now, dream bigger. Feel the freedom to stretch my thinking to what I really want in my life. Build on my dreams, transform my hopes, and go above and beyond my current thinking.

Job Well Done

Remind others how good they are. If you hear someone has committed an act of kindness, tell them what a kind, wonderful act they performed. It can be grand or something relatively simple: cooking dinner for a caregiver, picking up a neighbors mail while they are away, or giving a friend a ride to the doctors office. Appreciating others for their thoughtfulness is always a good thing.

Shopping Trip Experiment

My daughter and I did an experiment of niceness. We went to the food store and it was packed. We expected to be hit by shopping carts and other rude behavior. To keep our attitudes positive, we decided to be extremely nice and ignore any bad behavior we experienced. Everywhere we went, aisle to aisle, we were friendly and courteous, smiling, and letting others go ahead of us. The people around us responded by letting us pass first instead and smiling back. It really diffused a lot of the me, me behavior we expected. I guess like attracts like and the trip wasn't so bad after all.

Share Stories

Share positive, happy stories. Call a friend, sibling, or other loved one and share a wonderful memory you made with them. Sharing happy stories is a great way to feel gratitude.
In building community among groups, friends, workplaces etc., it is important to share stories.

Wag More

I saw a bumper sticker recently. It read, Wag More, Bark Less.
That is what I am going to do.

Wake Up, Wake Up

Wake up and appreciate the beauty of a sunset. I am lucky enough to see the sunrise each morning as I start my work day with the sunrise. Feel gratitude for the beauty of the sunrise. Enjoy the reds, oranges and intensity of the colors.

Will I See My Shadow

It's Ground Hogs Day and the yearly forecast from Punxsutawney Phil is an early spring. Winter snow and ice storms have hit a lot of the the US. Here in NJ, I'm witnessing my second day of an ice storm. There is the danger of driving on the roads, potential power outages, water damage from ice dams and other winter hazards. But, as I look out my backyard, I see the pretty ice covered limbs, the icicles dripping, and the birds landing on the snow. There really is beauty to be found in the most unpleasant of circumstances.

Today I will practice seeing beauty and feeling gratitude as I go throughout my day.

Update: I was grateful for the beauty that surrounds me and ever grateful for the beauty to be in a few short months.

Gratitude For Others

Be grateful for what others have. Don't look on it with envy and jealousy. Instead appreciate what others have. If it is what you want in your life. Then see yourself with it also.

Oh Happy Day

Write down 10 things I am grateful for right now. Once done I will put this paper where I will see it first thing in the morning. Read it and bring on the feeling of gratitude, appreciation and happy feelings. Let me start my day off happy and try and keep it that way throughout the day.

Practice Gratitude

Get in the habit of gratitude. As I go through my day say thank you for every single thing I have to be grateful for. I have heat in my house, hot water for a shower, shampoo for my hair etc. Notice everything I can and say thank you a lot. It really is amazing all the things I have to be thankful for if I take the time to notice.

I Feel Winter

Today we are having another blast of snowy weather. I feel Jack Frost nipping at my nose, snow landing on my face, the wetness from an icicle dripping on my head, and a snowball hitting my back. I also feel the coziness of fleece against my skin and the warmth of a heavy sweater on this chilly, winter's day. There is also the feel of heat emanating from a roaring fire and the warmth from hot chocolate going into my mouth.

In my gratitude journal, I will write about the feel of winter.

I am grateful for the gifts of winter and I appreciate having the opportunity to reflect on it through my taste, sight, feel, hearing and smell.

Fa La La For Winter

Listen to the wonder of the hooves clattering on the rooftop, bells ringing, and ice hitting the windows during a sleet and ice storm. Then there are the comforting sounds of children laughing while throwing snowballs, sledding down a hill or building a snow fort. There is also the crackles coming from a fireplace and ice hitting the house. Sometimes you hear the metallic sound coming from blades as they glide along an ice covered pond. Swish, swish, swish.

Write in my gratitude journal the sounds of winter that I am grateful for.

Tastes Of Winter

There is nothing like biting into a freshly baked cookie warm from the oven. Another winter treat is catching a snowflake on my tongue. Well that really is more about fun than taste. Thank you for hot soups, candy canes, Super Bowl chili, and Valentine, conversation hearts. My favorite is the yummy taste of hot chocolate after an afternoon of sledding or building a snowman. Who has the marshmallows?

Record in my gratitude journal the tastes of winter that I am thankful for.

Eye See Winter

In winter, eye see twinkling white and colored lights throughout the neighborhoods, luminaria flickering up the driveways, snow blowing down to the ground, snowmen on front lawns, bare trees, and ice crystals on window panes. Eye also see heavy coats, snow boots, and steam coming off a hot bowl of soup. Beautiful!

In my gratitude journal, write all the sights of winter I am thankful for.

Winter Scents

In appreciation of the 5 senses of winter, I will start with honoring the scents of this season. Some of my favorites include the fresh pine smell emanating from live wreaths and Christmas trees, the cozy feeling you get from the smell of a cinnamon scented candle and the holiday cookies baking in the oven. Record these scents in my gratitude journal. Delicious!

We Are Who We Are

Practice not judging people. While I'm at it, practice not judging myself.

More Mood Shifters

Find my mood shifter. When I am in a negative mood, use my mood shifter to get me back to a positive place. I have this beautiful place I visited many years ago and when I think about this place, it puts a smile on my face. Other mood shifters include funny movies, sitcoms, upbeat music, writing in or reading from my gratitude journal, recall a happy memory of my children, and a solitary walk on a warm, sunny day.

Make a list of my mood shifters in my gratitude journal. Use one of these to turn a negative mood into a positive mood.

Ask Questions

Ask questions to help focus my thoughts on the positive I have in my life and also on what I would like to have in my life. Why am I so healthy? Why do I have so many people in my life that love me? Why do I have a career I love and that I am successful at?

Gratitude Weakness

I am going to go to the library and look for some books that will help me be more grateful. Maybe I'll find a book about listening, email etiquette, or compassion. I am open to the possibilities of what I will find and what can help me on my journey of gratitude growth and appreciation.

Appreciating Others

Take the time to appreciate others. Note any act of kindness, regardless how small. I hope to be amazed at all the positiveness that comes my way.

Update: I am amazed. Sometimes I only notice the negative that happens to me: someone knocking into me in a crowded store without acknowledging it, cars cutting me off, and other rude behavior. When I was intentional with noticing positive comments and courtesies, there was a lot of good said and done. There is a lot to be appreciative in my day and I need to continue to take the time to notice and be thankful for the good coming my way.

Appreciating My Day

As I go through my day, remind myself of all the good in my life. For example, in the morning be appreciative of my hot shower, heat in the house, a nice car to drive to work and a job to go to. Continue the appreciative thinking throughout the whole day.

Appreciation of Winter Luxuries

Sitting here watching the makings of another winter storm, it reminds me of the everyday things in winter I am thankful for. I am thankful for moisturizer to combat the dry, scaly skin caused by indoor heat. While we are at it, I am thankful to have indoor heat to get me through a long, cold days and nights. Other things I am thankful for during this season are megadoses of vitamin C, my daughter snuggling next to me in her blanket, vaporizers and grilled cheese sandwiches with a hot mug of soup. I'm going to think some more about the things I am thankful about during winter and write them in my gratitude journal.

Proactive Feelings

Do not be reactive with my feelings. I will go to bed with great feelings about the next day. I will know that when I wake up, I will be in control of my feelings. I will feel positive and absorb the good all around me.

Holiday Reflection

As I'm traveling on my journey of gratitude, I've gotten much better on focusing on the positive. It was very easy to let go of things during the holiday visit with family that may have pushed my buttons previously, as I looked on this time with family with gratitude and joy. Though it is hard at this moment to be positive, as my daughter went home yesterday and I miss her terribly. But, I will remind myself of all the great stuff that happened over these 2 ½ weeks and take action so that we will all be together soon. Real soon.

Sing For Joy

Have you ever been sad and chose only sad music to listen to? Well I have. In retrospect, when sad I should be listening to music that lifts my spirit and makes we want to sing for joy. My challenge tomorrow will be to make a playlist of happy, mood lifting music to add to my Ipod. From now on I will use happy music as one tool to shift my mood from negative to positive.

Looking At The Positive

In anticipation of a snow storm that will hit my area overnight through the afternoon, I started obsessing over all the bad stuff that can happen.: A rough, slippery commute or driving home from work in a whiteout. Then I decided to focus on the positives of a snowstorm: The beauty of snow covering the evergreens, ice crystals on window panes, and catching snowflakes on my tongue. Focusing on the things I enjoy about a snowstorm has changed my attitude from dread to excitement.

Look for the good.

Update: I forgot to post this last night, but I'll post it with the results. The snowstorm kinda happened. Before leaving for work, I soaked in the beauty of my backyard's snow covered trees and even caught a snowflake on my tongue. Driving to work was a bit slippery, but I felt calm and in control. My attitude was very positive and I was able to not become anxious in anticipation of the drive to work.

Believe In Love

Driving to work today, a song came on that had the line in it “I believe in love.” Okay, that's what I am going to do. Believe in the power of love. Love myself. Love everything good and wonderful. Basically, look for the love.

The Importance Of Me

Today I was reading a book that asked us to list all the people that are important to us. Go ahead and do that now.

The author then went on to ask if we had put our name on the list. I didn't. Why is it that I don't consider myself important to me?

It's A Great Day

Start the day knowing it is going to be a great day. If needed, remind myself during the day that life is great and the day is great.

Turning Negative Feelings Into Positive Feelings

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to be positive and what a difference it has made these past few days. Every time I slip into negative behavior, I put on a gigantic smile and feel better immediately. The smile reminds me to look for the good and to feel the good. I've done this exercise of smiling before, but had focused on others reactions to me. The smiling this time is a reminder to myself to focus on the positive.

On The Road To The Life I Deserve

Keep implementing my New Year's Plan and know that my future will be better than my past.