Lately I’ve been trying something new. It’s an ode to the days when I used empty out thoughts into a butterfly-covered journal.
Every day, I write down a list of things I’m grateful for. It could be something beautiful I chanced upon, a good person in my life, something I serendipitously got away with, or simply that nothing horrible happened that day. Just a little list, nothing fancy, nothing edited, nothing pre-planned – just whatever flashes past the mind in the moment before ink meets paper.
More than anything else, this list – and the few minutes of reflection it allows in an otherwise unmindful and unexamined life – has made a marked difference in how I feel. In learning to be conscious of small blessings, I’m seeing happiness in its simplest and most powerful form – a few bright sparks in a grey day can still light up your heart, all you really need is to see them.
Here’s my list for today:
- The rain stopping, and me being able to wear just one layer of clothing at home. Thank you, wave of unexpected, yet soul-lifting warmth.
- Charlotte being the responsible person she is.
- Being calm (no tantrums, no mood swings) for a whopping four days straight!
- Actually going for a run and enjoying it.
- Playing with new eye makeup
- Overcoming my anti-social tendencies and getting my shit together to host a potluck tomorrow evening. It hasn’t even happened yet, but I’m feeling proud
Musings of a Leaf 