Celebrate The Little Things

I love Snoopy! He is my favourite Beagle! I like the other characters just fine, but Snoopy…. He’s my hero!

I used to be a very driven, A-Type personality. I have had 2 breakdowns, maybe even three. I’ve burned out at work more often than I care to admit. I’ve caused my body to rebel and shut down. I live with pain daily, probably because of this very behaviour.

Somewhere along the way in all my driven-ness, I forgot about Snoopy. I forgot to celebrate the little things. I forgot that when the world seems to be crashing down all around me that there are still little things to celebrate. Yes there are.

Every night before I go to sleep I write in my Gratitude Journal. Some days are hard and painful to get through. But I can still be grateful. In fact I have learned that when I am grateful for everything even the rough patches, that there are more good times ahead. When I keep myself in the attitude of gratitude it gets easier.

So here’s an entry from my journal:

• I am grateful for a pillow to lay down my very sore neck.


• I am grateful for the soreness in my body. It’s trying to remind me to slow down a bit.


• I am grateful for my kids.


• I am grateful for my wee apartment.

I usually list 10 or more. And yes I even include the lousy things that happened in my day. Why? Because there’s always someone, somewhere, having it harder than me. Because I am still above ground and can actually experience my life. Now it would be foolish to be thankful for terrible events. If a child dies am I thankful? Certainly not!!! Let’s not be foolish. But in time, I may become grateful for the events surrounding that tragedy. I may have acquired new friends. I may have been able to help others through their pain because I’d been there. So yes, I can be grateful, even in the midst of pain.

Try it!

 

Celebrate The Little Things