Friday, September 27, 2013

30 Day of Gratitude

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you all had a great week.  Mine was especially busy with evening commitments every night, but busy weeks are good as they go by fast!

This week, Nilsa did a great post about gratitude.  This year has taught me many things, but one lesson I have learned is that sometimes you have to make a conscious decision to look for the good things in life.  I have varying degrees of success at doing this myself and I am certainly not a poster child for practicing gratitude on a regular basis.  But it something I have been trying to work on because when I stop and think about my life, the good things far outweigh the bad.

Nilsa shared a link to a 30 days of gratitude worksheet, and I have decided to participate as well.  I will be sharing my answer to the prompts each Friday (hopefully, I might miss some posts due to travel) - I figure this way it will hold me accountable and hopefully by the end of the 30 days, I'll be closer to making gratitude part of each day.

I started participating in this exercise on Wednesday, so here are my answers to the first 3 prompts:

1.  I'm most thankful for my ability to travel to places both near and far alone.  I have had so many great experiences, both big (my trips to Paris) and small (my weekend trip to Asheville) that I wouldn't have had if I wasn't open to doing things by myself.

2.  In this moment, the things I love most about my family are their unconditional love, their sense of humor, how they just 'get me', and the fact that my siblings have all married people that I adore.

3.  Something that made me smile today was waking up and knowing that there is a Starbucks latte in my future as it's latte Friday.  Yea!

I'd love it if you play along and answer some or all of the prompts - either here or on your own blog!


14 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Such a great idea. I've been working on a gratitude post for like two weeks now. Too many things to be thankful for :) (good problem to have, ha ha). I hope you enjoy your latte today. Happy Friday!

abbi said...

Looking at the things we are grateful for is always a good practice. I know I have to make an effort to do so as well at times. Enjoy that latte!

Becky said...

Latte Friday FTW!

1. I'm most thankful for my ability to...laugh at myself and situations. Seriously, I would not be able to deal with infertility without it.

2. In this moment the things I love most about my family are...their ability to call me out on my bullsh*t.

3. Something that made me smile today...ordering a canvas print for my parents for Christmas (it's us kids plus our spouses and Maddie), knowing they'll love it, AND I got it for free!

Happy Friday my friend! Enjoy that latte!

Abby said...

I love this! I'm going to steal your idea and do the same!

I've always admired your ability to travel all over solo! Shows so much independence!

Hurray for latte Friday ! Yummy PSL!

Abby said...

Oh and one more thing! I completely agree about family. The two times I've had to move to foreign, unhomey homes - the one thing that I've held onto is family. You guys have gotten me through it. It's just comforting to know you have a group of people who truly know you and will always love you no matter what!

Lucky to call you my sister!

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

The thing about gratitude is no matter how much crap the Universe has put on your plate, there are still things that help you get by. Whether it's your own perseverance, the support of family/friends, a stable job, etc. ... your life can be blowing up in front of you, but if you're still chugging along, surely there's something positive that's encouraging you to put one foot in front of the other. I'm so glad you're participating in this exercise!

Carolina John said...

mmmmmmm latte friday. was it delish?

Marlys said...

I, too, have so much to be thankful for! Most important to me is my faith, then my dear husband and best friend, followed closely by my children and their families! I am also very thankful for good health as I see so many who struggle with that and I am so strengthened by their endurance! Life is good, even though we have bad days and sad experiences! Hope you enjoyed your latte!

San said...

I love this. It's true - sometimes it's hard to find the good things, but we need to keep looking for them.

Jeanie said...

Something that made me smile today was catching up on your blog (and others!) It's been a bit!

Sounds like a great group of prompts.

Amanda said...

I'm going to have to go look at that. I could use some help pinpointing things to be grateful for right now!

Stephany said...

Gratitude is a funny thing. You never realize how blessed you really are until you sit down and think about it! This should be a great exercise for you! :)

I'll answer along...

1. I'm most thankful for my ability to write. It's my way to be introspective and think about my life and what I want out of it. It's also something close to therapy for me!

2. In this moment, the things I love most about my family are their love and support. While there is a lot I wish I could change about my family, they are a huge part of who I am and I love them all dearly.

3. Something that made me smile today was the fact that I had a really, really great night of sleep last night. I am sure you can attest to the fact that that is something HUGE to smile about - especially on a weekend night! :)

Amber said...

I like this idea! It's a good time of year to be thankful to as we get closer and closer to the holidays!

I'm most thankful for my ability to move my body. SO many people don't/can't partake in physical activity for health reasons or mobility reasons or whatever. Whether it's running, yoga, crossfit or just a hike with the dog I try to always remember to be thankful that I have a body that can move in so many ways for me.

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

This is a great idea! I love how much your family means to you and gets you through! That's such a priceless thing to have!

Something that made me smile lately: all the different types of people on the bus. I am thankful to live in a diverse city where you can be whoever you are and it's accepted!