“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” Harold Kushner
I wrote earlier this month about my word of the year, gratitude. To really incorporate gratitude as a part of daily life requires practice. My hope is to examine some aspect of gratitude every month and to write about what my exploration has taught me. In January I paid close attention to what caused irritation in my daily life. Deeply rooted in routine, I dislike any interruptions that may startle my everyday certainty. My morning routine centers around the mundane : an early morning run, emptying the dishwasher while I smell the wisps of coffee brewing, and taking my daughter to school. These three things feed my momentum for the remainder of the day. Over the last few weeks, my morning runs, due to various reasons, were sporadic. My equilibrium shifted. Rising to the surface were feelings of annoyance and irritability.
During these flickers, I consciously attempted to shift my energy toward gratitude. In reality, I possessed choices. For those weeks when I failed to run in the morning, opportunity to do so existed in the evening. I chose not to pursue that option. When I realized that epiphany, I understood the power of really understanding how gratitude works. Suddenly the litany of various irritations became an exercise of looking closely and deciding how the element of gratitude is present in every situation. To reinforce my committment, I decided to list in my journal at least three things that provided me with the most gratitude. Some of my observations included: kisses from my daughter, reading a good book, the warmth of my blanket from Jaipur, sunrises, sunsets, writing a lyrical sentence, hearing my mom or sister’s voice on the phone, watching Lincoln with my husband, Junior Mints, US magazine, reading a Thank You card from a friend, and perusing the shelves of my favorite bookstore. These ordinary and everyday occurrences fill me up in ways that overshadow the minor irritations. Part of really sinking into gratitude is to embrace it and know that it exists. For me, knowing exists in writing. I wrote my list, read it, and revisited it during the month. Did the annoyances and irritations disappear? No. Living means that bad days and painful moments will occur. Gratitude offers a way to navigate the gulf between sadness and happiness. And I am convinced that it involves reminding yourself everyday what feels fulfilling and joyful to you.
For the first time in this space, I’ve decided to sponsor my own giveaway. Leave me a comment and list at least one thing you are grateful for today. On Monday, after a random drawing from the comments, I will gift one person this Gratitude journal.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
We are creatures of habit; I too am most comfortable when in my routine. Today I am grateful for hugs, long walks, good conversations, a smiling husband, a colorful sunset, and a joyful book. And of course, you!
I am grateful for drinking my cup of tea in the morning while chatting with my mom online from India, dropping my kids to school, drive to work listening to the radio , planning my weekend .
Rudri, I am grateful for my alone time first thing in the morning when I look out over my backyard and into the heavens and give thanks for my life and blessings. I don’t feel quite right until I do this one thing each day.
Im thankful for happy and healthy children, hugs from my husband, caring, loyal friends, and my relationship with God.
I am grateful for this post: making me know that I am not the only person who clings to routine and has trouble bouncing back when it can’t be found. I’m grateful too for long naps for my two sick kids and for the Zithromax that’s taming my daughter’s ear infection. I’m grateful for the sunshine that’s starting to peak out from behind the clouds. I’m grateful for the bag of Reese’s PB Cups in the closet. (Junior Mints would do the trick too.) 😉
Good for you, Rudri, for being constantly conscious of the need for gratitude. I have always believed that it really makes a difference if we actually *write down*, as you do, the things we are grateful for each day (although I cannot say I have been at all good about doing it). Just having to go through the exercise of writing it forces us to shift our way of thinking, from focusing on the irritations to remembering our blessings.
Your question comes at a very good timing for me, as my closest friend here took me out to lunch today for my birthday. It was no small feat for her, as she and her family are struggling financially. My eyes welled up with tears when she insisted on picking up the bill. I let her because I knew it would make her happy to do this for me. Right before I came over to your blog actually, I had sent her a note telling her how much I appreciated having her in my life. Despite how little she has in money and time, she is one of the most generous friends I’ve ever known (generous in her love).
Love this post. I am grateful for love in my life, family, a day without pain, and I am grateful for you my friend. xo
Congratulations Ayala! You were the winner of the giveaway.
I am grateful for so many things! Most of all I am grateful for the well-being of my family and friends! I love that people have words for the year – my word is Embrace. Nice to visit your blog – found you on SITS.
What a great word of the year! It is something we all need to show more! I am grateful for life experiences, good and bad, since they have shaped me in a way that is uniquely me. My experiences impact the things I do each day and the ways I interact with others. My word for the year is Postitive … so I am working towards being more positive with my interactions and the things I do! (stopping by from SITS)
I found you on SITS and am so glad I did! What a great post. I recently wrote one about perspective – which I am trying to maintain. But I think what you are saying goes in line with that. I love these kinds of reminders. So, I am grateful for my cat’s great purr, my son’s luagh and writing that makes you think about it long after you’ve finished reading.
I’m late in arriving Rudri, and past the giveaway, but wanted to tell you how grateful I am for the quote above. I’m going to write it down and put it in my journal.
It turned my head around with a situation I’m currently dealing with, and I can see that if I focused on what I’m grateful for in the circumstance (and there should be many) – I’ll experience that instead of the angst I’ve been putting myself through.
And I’m going to incorporate writing 3 things in my journal each day between now and my upcoming “circumstance” to help my mind and spirit shift.
So glad I stopped in today (as always here).
Thank you.