13 responses to “shine day 9: Spark Your Gratitude”

  1. Amy

    I hope it’s not too late to join in. I have been reading and I keep meaning to participate and keep putting it off.
    1.)
    a.) Today I am grateful for rain
    b.) I am grateful for the little wooded area not too far from our apartment
    c.) I am grateful for feeling less depressed and more peaceful
    d.) I am grateful for my creativity and making things
    e.) I am grateful for a delicious steak diner prepared by my husband

    2.) When I was fourteen I made a somewhat half-hearted attempt at suicide–I locked myself in my room with an exacto knife for several hours but never actually harmed myself. My mother was quite upset by this of course and not knowing what else to do implemented several measure some helpful some not so helpful–one of the more helpful things we did was that every evening I was to write down 20 things that I was grateful for each day. I think that this was one of the things that got through teenagerhood. I have been struggling with major depression since I was fourteen but it has lately been very bad and recently I had considered returning to the practice of keeping a gratitude journal.

    3.)When I am grateful for things it helps me to balance my perspective and feel less despair.

  2. Valerie

    The sound of rain and the cool, cloudy morning…it has been so hot and dry.

    The fact that I am able to walk and move…as I get older, and with the challenges of MS, I am thankful for this every day.

    That I have food to eat…there have been times in the recent past when this has not been the case.

    I have a gratitude notebook that I try to record into every night. I write down three to five things that I am grateful for that day. It does make me more appreciative as I go through my days.

    Practicing gratitude makes a huge difference in how I perceive life in general, and I am overall happier and feel healthier.

  3. LadyEm

    1. What are three to five things that really filled you with gladness and appreciation? Why?

    i) My family. No matter how tough our lives get we are always there for each other, even if we’re separated by distance. If one of us is going through something difficult the other two pull together to let them lean on us a little so they don’t fall over. I am endlessly grateful to have the unswerving support, love and loyalty of my family.

    ii) My personal achievements. I have worked extremely hard to achieve what I have. I should not belittle the work I put in to get here.

    iii) My friends. They are my ‘framily’. We love each other equally and we recognize and celebrate our wonderful differences.

    iv) Myself. I’m not sure whether this counts but let me explain. Throughout my twenties I was finding out who I was. Through a series of challenges and tests I got to know myself. Then something happened and I lost myself. I stopped caring and I didn’t want to know myself. That’s not so anymore. I’m now learning how to appreciate myself; how to value my strengths; how to learn from my weaknesses and not be too hard on myself because of them. This is a work in progress but I am grateful that I’ve found the strength to want to find myself again…and, after all that, I quite like me!!

    2. How can you work a daily sense of gratitude into your days?
    I can be too easily distracted by the things I haven’t got. But, what I do have counts for so much more and I would be a much less happy person without them. I will endeavour to remind myself of these things when I feel a grumble come on that I haven’t got x,y,z.

    3. Does practicing gratitude impact your sense of happiness, wellbeing, acceptance, and/or fulfillment? How?
    YES! It reminds me not to take for granted the wonderful aspects of my life. Of course, I will always aspire to have more and I will work to achieve better and, no doubt, I’ll get down when it doesn’t go my way. But practicing gratitude helps to re-balance the scales. It’s a way of appreciating my reality and lowering my (sometimes far too high) expectations so that there is a realistic equilibrium resulting in a sense of peace and acceptance.

  4. Susannah

    1.  What are three to five things that really filled you with gladness and appreciation? Why?

    – my partner, we’ve been together for nearly 14 years now, and I love him so much. I am grateful to wake up next to him every morning.

    – my best friend, we met at school (we are both teachers) and I would never have thought we could be friends, but we are. I don’t ever tell him, but I love him dearly. He’s been sending me pictures of his dog today to cheer me up.

    – the fact that I have my own money and I can do what I want, because of it.

    – all the lovely coffee shops in the town where I live, I love sitting down with a coffee, or a tea, and a book.

    – I am intensely grateful for the fact that I can read. It has made my life into what it is, and me into what I am.

    2.  How can you work a daily sense of gratitude into your days?

    I try to voice my gratitude to others as much as possible. Today, I was especially emphatic in the namaste at the end of my yoga class, als I enjoyed it a lot. And I sat down today with one of my coffees, and looked around the sunny streets of my town and was very grateful to be there. I think looking around and seeing and realising what is there is a great way to be grateful. I think I will start asking my pupils what they are grateful for, one each at the end of class.

    3.  Does practicing gratitude impact your sense of happiness, wellbeing, acceptance, and/or fulfillment?  How?

    I don’t know, this is the first day I’ve actively done it, but I do think it would probably make a difference – stopping and thinking about what there is to feel gratitude about is definitely a good idea for a daily practice.

  5. Jamie English

    I am learning more and more about gratitude and how to practice it. Lately, in a couple of intense moments….I was able to find the closest place of genuine gratitude and swing the pendulum in the opposite directions. Pretty powerful stuff. I am currently doing a 100 days of journaling project that ends on Monday. My next 100 days project is going to be a gratitude journal. I plan to list 3 things each day, hopefully with a past, present, future theme. One thing from the past (starting with yesterday but could dig further back if I want). One thing from right now (such as I am so grateful I am participating in the Shine project). And one thing I am grateful for in the future (something I am really looking forward to).

  6. ashley

    1. What are three to five things that really filled you with gladness and appreciation? Why?

    – Getting a positive feedback from a client at work, because I feel like what I do for them matters, and they appreciate me.
    – An invitation from my mother-in-law to have dinner with her tonight because my husband won’t be home for dinner. (Pre-season football game!)
    – My son’s montessori teachers, because I can tell they love their job and that makes me feel good about where he is during the day and the kind of care he’s receiving.

    2. How can you work a daily sense of gratitude into your days?
    Personally, I try to say thank you as often as possible, no matter where I am. Sometimes a simple thank-you can turn someone’s whole day around, and I like to keep that in mind as I go about my day.

    3. Does practicing gratitude impact your sense of happiness, wellbeing, acceptance, and/or fulfillment? How?
    Yes, definitely. It’s easy to get sidetracked and think about all the things that I don’t have, when in reality I am so blessed. It reminds to maintain a sense of humility when I tackle certain situations from day to day.

  7. Trish

    The things today that have filled me with gladness and gratitude are

    1) a work schedule that gives me time in the morning for drinking coffee and journaling with a purring cat on my lap

    2) living near many place I need to go (grocery store, PO, library, coffee shop, etc) so that I can walk and take time to notice the beauty of harebell (Campanula rotundifolia L.) blooming in a vacant lot, or ornate carved detail on the top of a building.

    3) people that I can count on (near and far)

    I journal every morning, and I note things from the day before that I am grateful for. This helps me remember that the world is still a beautiful place. When I don’t take the time to do this, I can easily focus on the struggles of life, which always makes me feel like my heart/chest is hardening a bit. Remembering and noticing little points of gratitude actually make my the entire center of my body feel softer, and even makes breathing easier.

  8. Jenn

    3 – 5 things that spark my gratitude:

    1. My son. My son & i had a rather tumultuous relationship as he was growing up, but through everything he was always sweet and pleasant – politely defiant. Now that he is in his 20’s his true self is really shining through – hard working, compassionate, committed, etc. & i am so proud of him and grateful that he is my baby boy.
    2. My dog. Yeah, i am one of those dog people. But my puppy reminds me to move back into the present & she gives the best doggy kisses.
    3. My partner. Even though my hubby & i are probably not perfect match, he is loyal, hard working and always tries to help me feel pretty.

    working gratitude into the day: i struggle w/this one. So much of my time is spent focusing on my workday & what needs to be done before the next work day. but i strive to be grateful for what i have. Grateful for my job b/c it allows me to eat & pay my bills & i am sure there is a lesson in it for me somewhere. Sometimes i will catch little moments of beauty – birds flying, a certain tree, etc. and these things help me to stop & simply be grateful for being here in this time.

  9. Faith

    Love this day I try so hardto remember to write my happy things down each night and I seem to do it for a few days and then forget I will buy myself a special journal today so I can start making this more of a daily habit. Love this and I know it helps! Today I am thankful for two kids that are healthy! They are so precious to me! I just celebrated 13 years of marriage n Wednesday so this accomplishment is defiantly something to celebrate and third I am thankful for parents that are supportive of all of their children even when one of us is doing something crazy! Love the basis of support that they gave me growing up and that I am passing on to my kids!

  10. Amanda @ Click. The Good News

    Yes, this is so important and a really powerful thing I’ve learned in the last year. Today, after 2 very big medical scares with friends this week, I am so thankful for my health & my husbands health (it is so easy to take it for granted). I’m grateful for wonderful an amazing friends- so man y people fill special spots in my life.

    At the bottom of my posts everyday, I share a good news, which could be like a little gratitude journal. I believe that just spending a few moments reflecting & counting blessings really does shift us away from comparison of others and the endless desires to have more/be more/do more.

  11. Tami - Teacher Goes Back to School

    today i am grateful for:

    my kid napping for THREE HOURS.

    my husband for being such an incredible father and partner.

    such amazing girlfriends who make time to connect with me.

    i have an on-going gratitude list i add to when something strikes my fancy and i read the list when i am convinced the world is conspiring against me.

  12. Nancy Horn

    Today: Write a gratitude list for this day.

    1. What are three to five things that really filled you with gladness and appreciation? Why?

    cookbooks, good dinner, my health, time with my family
    I enjoy cooking and finding new ways to be healthy and share that with myself and my children.

    2. How can you work a daily sense of gratitude into your days?

    I start my day out with writing ten things that I am grateful for. It helps me center myself and gives my day perspective.

    3. Does practicing gratitude impact your sense of happiness, wellbeing, acceptance, and/or fulfillment? How?

    Yes – it keeps my focus on what I have and keeps my eyes open to gratitude in all things.

  13. Cecile

    Yesterday:
    – a compliment paid by a friend about how good she feels with us, we are so “uncomplicated”. This felt so much better than any compliment about my appearance or so, because it was about my being!
    – playing with her baby boy and see my husband playing with him too
    – the fun my daughter had by making giant soap bubbles
    – laying in the grass next to the kids playing
    – the good night of restful sleep we had!

    I have a gratitude journal, it helps me to be more aware of the positive throughout my day – having positive thoughts evenings (while journaling) helps to sleep better in too.

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