It's the Little Things

 Lately, I've discovered that many of the non-fiction books I read have similar themes, and one of those themes is gratitude. It's a topic of discussion in both of the Audible books I'm listening to, and it's the topic of an entire unit in one of the classes I teach.

A few months ago, I found a really simple journaling idea on Pinterest which includes -- you guessed it -- gratitudes. I modified it a bit, using it only in the mornings, but I've done it every day for a month and a half. I've been ending my days with gratitudes for a long time, but this new journaling piece has added morning gratitudes to my routine as well. It's a pretty nice way to bookend the day.

There's so much out there to point to the power of being grateful. It has echoes far beyond the moment we take to acknowledge the things that are good. In fact, gratitudes can be as small as the ones in this post from three summers ago.

What are you grateful for today?

The other night, as I was getting ready for bed, something small made me smile. I don't remember if it was the clean towels my daughter had folded and put away or the sweet-smelling hand soap I'd finally found online, allowing me to replace the industrial-smelling stuff I'd bought in a pinch. Whatever it was, it was a small thing and it got me to thinking.

Small things can be the tipping point. They can be bitter or sweet -- the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, or the cherry on top of the sundae (or whipped cream if you're not a fan of maraschino cherries). We tend not to notice them when they add value but, when they knock us off course, they're all we can think about.

Today's post is about the former, not the latter. Whatever that thing was that got me started the other night (I think it was the towels), it triggered a flood of little things that make me smile. Here, in no particular, are a few of my favorite things. 

• Charged devices
• Sharpened pencils
• The little notes my husband leaves for me to find when I come downstairs after he's gone to work
• Blank notebooks
• Clear space
• The white lights in my office

  

  weinstock via Pixabay
  

• Emails from friends
• My vanilla soy candle
• Cloth napkins
• Clean clothes
• My bedside clock with the great big numbers
• The right pen or marker
• A new book
• Everyone sleeping peacefully under the same roof.

I'm sure I could keep going, but you get the idea. 

What little thing will make your day today?

10 Things You Probably Already Know About Me

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Today is one of those Mondays. It started with rain, but morphed to sunshine. My overbooked schedule righted itself in a win-win fashion. The guest speaker in my class this morning left me feeling upbeat about myself, my students and the work I do, leading me to bounce off campus, delighted with the life I have. 

Yeah, I know. I'm nauseating -- or fun to be around, depending on your perspective. And, while I've tossed a few blog post ideas around this morning, no one topic stuck, so today, I'm going with a list post that reflects where I am on this now-sunny Monday. If you're a long-time reader, few of these will come as a surprise -- and you might even have a few observations of your own to add in the comments (please do). 

So, here's me. 

1. I love my job. Sure, I complain sometimes about the details but, big picture, I love working with young adults and daily, I meet young people who shatter the notion of a lazy, entitled younger generation.
2. I am an optimist. Most days, #1 fuels this.
3. I appreciate excellence and have little patience for people who don't do the work.
4. I love creating characters, whether for the stage or the page.
5. I live for a flexible work schedule. I've done the traditional work day, and this is much, much better, but I also work more hours now than when I did the typical work week.
6. Becoming a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me.
7. I have a love-hate relationship with technology. When it works, it's a fabulous tool, but I'm always not-so-secretly afraid something will go wrong and I will look foolish. (It's happened).
8. I love to learn new things. These days, you're more likely to find me reading (and writing) non-fiction than novels.
9.  I am grateful beyond words for the life I have. Yes, bad things have happened and no, I haven't simply ignored them. But, I know that neither good nor bad will feel that way every moment of every day. I know what I'm good at and I'm willing to work hard. And, I have a husband whose job provides health insurance.
10. No matter where I am or where I live, I will always, always be a Jersey girl.

Friday Freebie: Why Be Grateful?

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As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm finding it easy to be grateful. Though I love my job, three days (plus a weekend) without classes will give me a chance to catch my breath and spend some time with family without feeling as though I should be doing something else. I could just as easily focus on this break as the calm before the storm that is December -- a time when semester conclusions and holiday beginnings collide in a frenzy of opposing forces -- but that would suck the joy out of not only the break itself, but also the anticipation of fun, food and relaxation. No one wants that.

Please understand -- I don't mean to be preachy. I realize that I'm lucky. I don't have to plow through a field of terrible circumstances to find the one grain of happiness that remains. I have nothing but admiration for those who have the fortitude to do just that. Far from being insincere, they know something that many of us don't.

Gratitude reaps rewards of its own. Not only does it make us feel better, even if only temporarily, it carries health benefits as well.

But don't take my word for it. Click here to read about the benefits of gratitude, take a gratitude quiz and find out how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

'Tis the season, after all.