A Gratitude List

Posted on June 1, 2011 by admin

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.

Okay – now for today’s post:

Happy June!

Today’s post is about keeping a gratitude list.

There are so many ways you can do this – and you get to decide what feels best for you.

Some will choose to have one notebook (like our I Am Grateful For… book) that is designated to hold list upon list of all that you love about your life. Some may keep this list on their computer. Others may just tell their loved ones around the dinner table each night what they are grateful for.

It’s completely up to you!

You may choose to write a gratitude list every day, once a week, or whenever the mood strikes.

And that’s completely okay!

When we focus on gratitude and everything that is going right in our lives, our thoughts end up attracting more positive events and feelings. This is the kind of snowball effect that we can welcome with open arms!

So let’s all take some time today to write our gratitude list.

And then continue this practice when it feels right.

Here is mine:

I am grateful…

that I have a great start on writing my new book: 50 pages written so far, and an outline for the rest!

for self-care days – staying in my pjs all day, lying around, reading, and doing exactly what I want to do – whatever that may be.

that today is one of my self-care days!

for healthy green smoothies.

for a loving husband who supports me in everything I do.

that things seem to slowly be working themselves out between our new kitty and the older one who likes to bully her.

for sun showers – beautiful and refreshing.

that my sweet Biddle cat is such a mama’s boy – perfect for every day, but especially a self-care day.

that I am keeping my word and not working during this sabbatical.

for so many exciting possibilities and opportunities on the horizon.

for our local library – I am constantly amazed by their wonderful selection of books.

for all of your wonderful comments and feedback about this blog.

for a supportive community that understands that going within and taking care of ourselves is crucial for lasting happiness and finding our way in this world.

In gratitude,

Jodi

Grateful for Connectedness

Posted on April 20, 2011 by admin

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.

Okay – now for today’s post:

At craft shows last year, Dan and I would have our I Am Grateful For… journal out on the table for everyone to fill in as they passed by. It was fun to see what they wrote, and we noticed that no matter what their backgrounds were (age, race, economic status, etc.) they all were grateful for the same things: family, love, friends, health, happiness, etc.

And I absolutely love this because it shows

how truly similar and connected we all are.

We all want to be happy.

We all want to be loved.

We all want to be known.

We all want to learn.

We all want to give.

We all want to be appreciated.

We all want to find peace within ourselves.

All of these things are universal, and we are all on this journey of life together.

It doesn’t matter what our externals are.

It doesn’t matter whether our cultures are different, whether our ages are far apart, or whether our life experiences are completely opposite.

We are all human, and we all experience joy, pain, happiness, and sorrow.

We are all doing our best to live up to our full potential.

We are all doing our best to love ourselves and others in the best way we know how.

We are all doing our best to make each day better than the one before.

And I am so grateful for this connection.

As you go about your day today, take some time to look around at the people you come across. Really feel your connection to them.

Know that while your external experiences might be very different, your inner experiences are very similar.

We are all unique, and yet we are all the same.

And realizing this helps to bring us closer together.

And for that I am grateful.

P.S. – Thank you to everyone who has filled out our Self Care survey! There are still a couple of days left to respond, if you haven’t yet. (It’s in the top right corner.) It’s so interesting to see where we all fit in on the spectrum.

Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of Others

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude!

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.

Okay – now for today’s post:

A writing prompt from The Gratitude Book:
50 Prompts to Keep the Grateful Feelings Flowing:

Imagine you are your partner or best friend, and they are writing all of the things

that they are grateful for about you.

What would they write?

Often we don’t realize how much of an impact we have on our loved ones’ lives.

And yet, if we take a moment to see ourselves through their eyes, we begin to realize just how much greatness we bring to their lives – how much love, friendship, humor, and warmth they receive just by being around us.

Spend some time today with this exercise. It’s a great one for your own self esteem.

For extra warm fuzzies, you could ask your loved ones to participate. Have them write down (or tell you) what makes them grateful for you.

I guarantee it will be an eye opening experience.

So often we can be hard on ourselves and may need someone else’s eyes and perspective to really see just how wonderful we truly are.

So pat yourself on the back today for making a difference in someone else’s life.

Their life is so much better because you are in it.

Take some time to really take in their gratitude for you.

You deserve it!

P.S. – Be sure to enter our Pay it Forward Giveaway!

Gratitude List and Some Kitty Love

Posted on February 25, 2011 by admin

There is always so much to be grateful for. Even in the toughest of times, you can always find even the littlest thing to be thankful for. And studies have shown that expressing your gratitude daily helps create a happier mindset, which in turn leads to a healthier, longer life.

You may want to spend some time today and write a list of what you are grateful for. When Dan and I first met, we each kept “Things That Make Me Happy Lists.” We would continue to add to them – and we had tons of entries. From the bigger things (like each other) to the smaller things (like someone letting you go ahead of them in the grocery line). These lists are great to post somewhere in your home where you will see them often. And be sure to update them frequently, too as your interests change. If you are ever having a rough day, you can go back to your happy list, and I guarantee it will immediately cheer you up.

***

Today I am grateful for my kitties, Biddle and Buncom.

It is their 2-year birthday, and they have added so much joy to our lives!

(Get ready for some kitty cuteness…)

A once-in-a-lifetime moment…they really aren’t friends.

Cutie Pie Biddle

Sweet kitty Buncom

Here they are on the day they were born.

Two years ago, we had just lost our sweet cat, Pato, after a 2-year battle with kidney failure. We were absolutely devastated and heartbroken. He was an amazing cat, and our lives revolved around taking care of him. We knew that we needed a change, so we moved to Oregon a few weeks later – ready to make a fresh start. Soon after we were settled into our new home, we knew we were ready to adopt another cat. That’s when Biddle and Buncom appeared. They were feral cats who were born in a snowbank. A kind hearted man found them and quickly warmed them up (Biddle was freezing and almost gone.). He took care of them and the mama cat and really saved their lives. He wanted to find the perfect home for the kittens and so many people applied. When I saw their picture, I knew they were our babies. And so we quickly got in the car and drove hours to go meet them. Thankfully he knew that it was meant to be, and we took them home.

They are both such amazing cats with such different personalities. Biddle is a true Mama’s boy – he follows me everywhere, talks all of the time, and acts almost human-like. Buncom is a wild man – he is a sweetheart on his own terms, quite the baby, and very athletic. The feral genes stuck with him more than Biddle.

I will be forever grateful that they came into our lives when they did. Dan and I both work from home, and they add countless hours of joy to our lives. And their dog-friend, Xena, has even learned to put up with their crazy antics. 🙂

When we met them, they were just 3 pounds. Now Buncom is 14 pounds and Biddle is 15 pounds – and because their mom was a Ragdoll, we have learned that they will grow until they are 4 years old – big boys!

They love forts, playing with string, chasing each other, being held (Biddle anytime – Buncom when he’s in the mood), talking to us, drinking water from the bathtub, racing through the house, fetching, playing our made up games, and just being around us.
I am constantly in awe of them and how much they have grown. I am grateful each and every day that they are a part of my life.

Happy birthday, boys! 🙂