I’ve been doing quite a bit of writing lately, but I’m not sure it’s a great idea to put it up here. Some of it is has been more therapeutic than anything else. It’s been more like ranting than anything I’d want to post publicly. It’s revealing, but it’s not necessarily what one would consider to be “good content.”
Plus, it’s a bit of a bummer. Who wants to hear about all of the worst stuff in my past and how hard it’s been to get over? What a fun trip that’ll be!
I thought that maybe instead of an airing of grievances/ inner demons, I would keep today’s post a bit more light. Today, let’s focus on the good stuff. Today, let’s talk gratitude.
We’re past the time for Festivus, anyway.
It takes a little effort for someone like me to remain cheerful. One thing that works is to consciously acknowledge the things for which I am grateful. Yes, sometimes this feels about as appealing to me as eating a big ol’ pile of brussel sprouts, but it’s worth it. Lately I’ve been forcing myself to take the time to list a minimum of three gratitudes per day.
Usually, by the time I have made myself come up with the 3 things for my gratitude list, I have also managed to force my brain to cheer up, at least a little. It’s weird. It’s like this act tricks your brain into switching gears. Something magical happens when you make a point of remembering to think of things you’re grateful for, even when you don’t feel like it.
With apologies to Ian Dury, here is a very incomplete list of “reasons to be cheerful” I’ve found lately:
- Cats when they are excited and playing
- Fireplaces ablaze in winter
- Jason having to drive me to work and being totally awesome about it
- Neil Gaiman’s writing
- Amethyst crystals
- Pretty notebooks
- Chats with Micah (my son)
- Waffles’ cold green eyes (my cat)
- Really amazing highlighters
- How pretty it looks when it’s snowing
- Earmuffs (so cute!)
- That so many of my co-workers are nice
- Working with my physiotherapist
- Pay day
- The entire fact that cats exist
- Weird dreams that make you question things
- Raspberries
- Black tea
- The fact that Jason still loves me
- Fancy coffee from Toslow (tiny coffee shop here)
- The Ridiculous History podcast
- Warm showers
- Truly smooth jazz
- Amy Landino videos (she’s a little too perfect, but she’s so inspirational!)
- Things that are lime green
- How good it feels to hold a mug of warm coffee
- Shiny lipgloss
- Suddenly finding an object you lost
- Curry
- Wearing cat ears at work (I do this alllll the time!)
- How truly kind and thoughtful Jason is
- Sesame snaps
- People who smile at you and hold doors
It’s not earth-shattering stuff, but it’s so valuable to remember these little things. Even the act of writing out this list (taken from my daily gratitude lists this past while) has put me in a better mood.
Not to get all “productivity guru” on you, but I encourage you to make a habit of writing down a few gratitudes a day. I never used to do it either, but it’s so uplifting Gratitude is worth it! It pretty much always improves your mental state and perspective.
Oh, and here’s the Ian Dury song I stole for my title. Gotta love The Blockheads!
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Critical Happiness 