mindful gratitude...

i heard about keeping a gratitude journal a while ago, though i can't recall where. the concept of this was something i thought i'd like to try. after all, it's easy to become bogged down in the trials and challenges of everyday life and lose sight of all there is to appreciate. after i read Eat, Pray, Love, which for me was a spiritually-changing book, i again became renewed in my effort to be mindful of the every day things. turns out keeping a gratitude journal is good for a person's mental and emotional well-being.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. - Cicero

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. - Denis Waitley

for the past few months, i've written down 5 things i'm grateful for each day. i limit myself to 5, and i try to write down different things each day, though there are repeats (family, friends). i also try to be specific, rather than broad, which helps me reflect on just why i'm grateful for each thing. the fact that i know i'll be writing down 5 things at the end of the day has started to shape my view of each day, especially days when i would much rather grumble than laugh. i find myself more aware of the positive than the negative, simply because it's where my headspace is. doesn't always get me out of a funk, but it sure has helped.

today i'm grateful for:
1. a warm house after coming in from walking the dog
2. watching the sky change from inky black to rosy pink to bright blue and enjoying the silence before the day begins with my morning coffee
3. clean, folded laundry
4. a book i'm really enjoying
5. the bowl of rocks on my dining room table from one of my favorite places - the two summer weeks we spend there each july seem so far away this time of year