Moments of Gratitude #1

I've seen several blog posts recently where people have talked about little glass jars to fill with notes throughout the year - compliments they've received, things they are grateful for, good things that have happened to them etc. The aim is to open the jar at the beginning of the next New Year and remind yourself of all the goodnesses that the previous year brought you.

I loved this idea (and will be doing it myself). It's so easy to write off a period of time with a single adjective - 'Oh, last year was terrible, it was when my dog died', or 'Last year was rotten. Nothing good happened. I lost my boyfriend/girlfriend / lost my job / lost my self-worth'. But as I've noted in previous posts, nothing is black and white. Even the worst of years has its moments of light, like how on a bleak, grey, rainy day, you still get the occasional burst of sun, even if it's only for a minute, even if it barely breaks through the cloud.

This got me thinking about gratitude in general. I'm grateful for a lot of things in my life, but I hardly ever take the time to reflect on exactly what I'm grateful for. By that, I mean the little things as well as the big ones. Most people, myself included, could rattle off a list of things they treasure - friends, family, a nice home etc - but all too often we forget about the small daily things that make us feel good, that add a general sort of niceness to our lives. Coffee in the morning. New pyjamas. The sound of rain on the window when you're in bed at night.

I'm going to start taking stock of the things I'm grateful for this year, making a consistent effort to acknowledge and be thankful for each of them. So that at the end of 2013, I can look back and truly appreciate what a lucky girl I am, and how much loveliness I really do have in my life.

Today, I am simply grateful for this idea. And I'm looking forward to finding lots of things to be grateful for in the coming year.