Gratitude in the Everyday, Part I

I came across this wonderful worksheet on thankfulness and gratitude from Lisa, who went through the prompts last month. I really loved reading her answers, and the questions that were posed, so I thought it would be great to work through them on my own, leading up to Thanksgiving. Today, I’m posting the first installment and will continue them throughout the next few weeks.

1 – I’m most grateful for my ability to write.

Writing is one of my biggest passions, and I’m not sure where I would be without it. I’m thankful that not only do I have the ability to write well, but that I also love it. Because doing something well doesn’t always mean you will love that thing! It blows my mind sometimes that I am actually writing for a living and while, sure, the writing isn’t exciting (one can only talk so long about the benefits of window installation before they want to scream), it’s also growing my writing so much. My writing ability is what landed me my current job and I can honestly say I love what I do.

2 – In this moment, the things I love most about my family are the way they always have my back, the way they make me laugh, and the fact that they can tell me like it is when I need it.

I love my family. My mom is the absolute best person I know. She has always had my back for anything I want to do – even when I decided to switch majors when I was one internship away from graduating. My brother has also been such a wonderful support system for me, and he has no problem telling me like it is and helping me not take life too seriously.

And my family just makes me laugh. A lot. We are silly and sarcastic and I just love them.

3 – Something that made me smile today was a sweet good morning hug and kiss from my pup.

This morning, Dutch was a bit restless to get up. (I think he knows that if it’s after 6am, it’s time to be up.) So after trying to snuggle with him to no avail (he just kept licking my face!), I sat up in bed and picked him up for a hug and kiss. It’s my favorite part of the morning because he’s all warm and snuggly from sleep. And since I don’t yet have a man I can wake up to for a hug and a kiss, a dog will have to do. 😉

4 – The best thing I smelled today was bags of coffee beans as I walked through the grocery store.

I don’t drink coffee too often, but I adore the smell of it. It’s one of the best smells, in my opinion.

5 – One of the memories I’m most grateful for is receiving my Bachelor’s degree.

Sometimes, it still blows my mind that I did it. I know, it happened over two years ago but sometimes, I sit back and reflect on all it took to get me where I am today. It’s crazy I am in this period of my life – in my twenties, figuring out my career, and finished with all my schooling. I feel so grateful I was able to go to get my degree and that all the hard work paid off. The night of my graduation is my most treasured memory.

6 – Thank goodness someone taught me how to develop systems for working.

I had a wonderful mentor at my last job, my boss. I came into that job as a green college grad, and my only experience in a work environment was an internship at a theater (but even then, I was out canvassing more than I was in the office). My boss would continually stress about finding my way to work, to find my own system for getting things done. And it took me a while, but I found my way. I developed checklists and to-do lists and my own way of working. Some of them, I adopted from my boss, and some I developed on my own.

I’m seeing how useful this is in my job now, especially as my workload increases and I’m finding myself needed to implement systems to get things done. I’m definitely a systems girl now, thanks to my boss.

What ability are you most grateful for? What has made you smile today?