Attitude of Gratitude

If you know me then you know that I have been writing about Gratitude for a while. You also know that on Facebook and on Twitter I start a 'Gratitude Alphabet' on the first day of November. Each day I write about something that I am grateful for that starts with the letter of the day. Obviously you can make a Gratitude list in any fashion and using the alphabet may seem a bit contrived but it gives me focus and helps me think more in depth in some strange way considering that it lends a certain predictability to the list.

What you may not know is that most nights I also write a list of 5 things I am grateful for, for that day, in my journal. Usually I do this right before bed time. When I am 'out-of-whack' and struggling with a variety of emotions from a variety of situations, this simple practice of focusing on gratitude can usually set me right in a matter of days.

Some days, when I am really down-and-out, it can feel hard to come up with 5 things I am grateful for. Just two nights ago I struggled, not so much cause I was 'down-and-out' but because I was so NOT in the moment that day. So when I went to write my 5 grateful things I realized I was struggling, and then I realized why. And I realized I had wasted a day. It could have been a good day but I wasted it being absent, crabby, complaining and what-not.

On good days I could write a zillion things I am grateful for. And as I write those things I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. And I pat myself on the back and think about how self-actualized I am and isn't it great to be me. Then I come back down to earth from my little "I am so amazingly focused and in-the-moment and a little buddha" fantasy with another 'down-and-out' day. The reality is that some days it all flows and other days it all gets dammed up and most days are somewhere in between.

So the things that make my list most often? My husband and daughter are there frequently, almost every night. My bed is also on the list almost every night, especially in winter. Time with a friend or family member that I might have seen that day, or talked with on the phone or online will often make the list. My morning run is also often there, sometimes I mention a friend I ran with, or an amazing sunrise I saw, or a beautiful starry sky and bright moon, or the prayers I chanted when I ran alone. I frequently am thankful for good food that I can afford to buy and enjoy. In the Fall I am often thankful for coaching and the girls on my team. In summer I say thanks for the long days and beautiful waves at the beach. In winter I am grateful for the wood-stove. Lately I have been grateful for all the work we have, work is a good thing.

Giving thanks is such a healing practice for me. I can look back on the day and remember all that I have and all that is beautiful in my life. It doesn't mean I am never sad or angry or frustrated or scared. It just means that I can take some time to get some perspective. To remember that I have so much to be thankful for.