(2-2-20) last February. I wrote "Choosing kindness reflects love and care. Be the change, add a bit of kindness to everyday!"
I am passionate about making an effort to live life with purpose every single day. Sometimes I am successful with that intention and other times I fail. But I focus on the trying and not the failure... I begin again the next day if I have to.
With Thanksgiving next month I thought Russ and I could again share with one another ways in which we are grateful, thankful. Each morning at breakfast we can start the day with a question; each sharing our thoughts. In the past we had a gratitude jar, writing something we were grateful for on a slip of paper and putting it in a jar. By Thanksgiving we had a jar full of goodness.
This year we will use prompts each morning. Thanksgiving, the third Thursday of November, is heralded in our country as a time to remember our blessings and share them with friends and family. We like to stretch that into the whole month and hopefully beyond. It is a time for reflection, sharing and gratitude.
Life is not simple, though social media sometimes makes one think so. Some days are just blah. Some tough, some joyous. But gratitude is a choice. Being grateful does not mean things still won't be hard or confusing or seem unfair, but taking the time to be dig for the grateful moment or thought can change our perspective and help us to not feel a victim of our own life. By seeking gratitude, by being thankful, we can chase away the victim mentality and reinforce hope.
Spend the month giving voice to your thoughts. Enhance your mental well-being day by day.
Here are the prompts Russ and I will work through during the month of November. Join us?
- Name something that makes you happy?
- How can you thank a friend for their friendship?
- What public service organization are you thankful for? (library, City Counsel, Adaptive Sports...)
- What is a simple pleasure you are thankful for?
- What life experience has had the biggest positive impact on you?
- What do you find yourself taking for granted?
- What is one way you can show gratitude?
- What is a possession that makes your life easier?
- What is a mistake, failure or disappointment you are grateful for?
- What is one of your personality traits you are grateful for?
- Who is a person you are thankful for and why?
- What is an accomplishment you are proud of?
- What is some intangible thing you are thankful for?
- Do you think it is important to have a day designated to giving thanks?
- What kind of actions deserve thanks?
- Name two ways you can thank someone without saying the words thank you.
- Who are some people who help you indirectly? (secretary, custodian...)
- What is something you are thankful for today that you didn't have a year ago?
- Who is someone or what is something that makes you feel safe?
- What is something that made you laugh recently?
- How do you feel when someone helps you or does an act of kindness without you having to ask?
- Is it hard for you to forgive and move on...?
- Who is someone that inspires you?
- Name 3 days in your life you are especially grateful for.
- What philanthropic cause or organization are you thankful for?
- Look at the people sitting with you today and name one thing about each person you are grateful for.
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In an indirect way, this reminds me of 7th grade English class. Every Thursday was 'creative writing class' and the teacher would post a picture on the blackboard. We had one class period to come up with a 2 page essay using the picture as our prompt.