Thankful Thursdays

One of the things I've been working on to get myself in a better mindset and to maintain that mindset, is Thankful Thursday. I tried to do the whole Three Good Things Every Day thing, but that felt like too much--like I was listing the same things over and over, and it was actually making me less thankful for those things. It was too much attention and it was bleaching out the little things I love every day.

But once a week? That's perfect. Plenty of time to have new and different experiences, to notice new and different details, and to not beat them to death and crush the magic out of them.

And you know, it's working. 

Last night, we drove an hour and a half to go to my grandpa's 89th birthday party, and my grandma's sister, who I haven't seen since I was maybe thirteen or fourteen was there. And my uncle's new wife. And the kids of one of my cousins, none of which is met yet. I was worried because I'm always the Black Sheep and there have been different family-times that I'm still coping with. And there's always the Conservative Conspiracy Hour that crops up at every gathering, which makes me so uncomfortable.

But I've been training my brain to be positive. I headed off my before-trip panic attack with meditation, and I got through the whole several hours of noise and personal questions and repetitive catching up with positivity and lightness. And when I got home, I was glad I'd gone, even though I'd thought of begging off.

And now that experience can go on this week's list (above), and can weigh against the former upsetting family things.

It's a simple practice, thinking of five things I'm grateful for out of each week. Five things out of seven days. It means even bad weeks can hold gratitude, and good weeks have enough to bolster the bad ones.

Do you practice gratitude? How do you do it?

Thankful Thursday

Right now, I'm thankful for...

- two bottles of sparkly nail polish from my favorite brand! 

- all the wonderful people I've met by being openly geeky.

- the slightly warmer temperatures today before things get cold again this weekend!

What're you tankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Second week of Dec 2013

1. I now have a valid medical reason to eat as many potatoes as I want.
2. Ditto on rice.
3. We're getting out cold weather back this weekend and it might even snow!
4. That A2 is such a cutie-patootie.
5. My weather-change headache is nowhere near as bad as it was last time we had a drastic shift like this!

What're you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - 8-22-13

1. Despite the constant flood warnings this month, nothing has flooded yet

2. We got to spend two whole days away from home-annoyances, just being a family

3. Binka did fine on her own those two days, even though I'm pretty sure she still hasn't forgiven me

4. There's still time on my garden for those new seeds to sprout before it gets cold

5. My motivation seems to be coming back, which is a relief!

What're you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Week 18 2013

1. I'm grateful it's not me that needs surgery tomorrow, and that the one who does need it is used to this sort of thing, and it's not bad and that I can be of use while it's happening.
2. I'm grateful for the kindness of babies who know their mothers are hurt and try their best to be helpful.
3. I'm grateful for a bother who buys me IMAX movie tickets for opening night, because I probably wouldn't have done that for myself, even if I'd had the money to do so.
4. I'm grateful for the fact that I have at least a few things that people want to hear, and that I have the internet to say them through, because I'm not as good a public speaker as I am a public writer!
5. I'm grateful that I have finished my first book and that I know what to do in the next round of revisions and have a little idea of what to do after that.

What're you grateful for?

Thankful Thursday Week 16 2013

This week, I'm thankful for:

• Cheap printer-scanner-copiers that will let me, eventually, reopen my first Etsy shop

• Warm days where we can leave the doors open and let the kids wander in and out like half-wild dogs

• All the cherry blossoms and azaleas! They're everywhere!

• Getting a minute to read new books that aren't on any required reading lists

• Being able to sleep at night without needing six blankets just to stop from turning into a popcicle

Thankful Thursday - Week 7 2013

Today, I'm thankful for:

• Yoga, that's helping me get my back in shape again so it'll stop hurting like an old war wound
• Kitties that want to snuggle while I'm doing yoga so that there's something to distract from the stress of trying to hold poses--I just let go and pet her
• The earrings my mom got me a while ago that I just found and can wear again
• That I get to send off three packages of nail polish this week instead of the usual one
• That most of the books I have to read and get to read all have pretty covers--there's no excuse for ugly covers!

What're you thankful for this Thursday?

Thankful Thursday - Week 5 2013

Today's journal prompt* from Mari and Create Write Now fits today's theme perfectly:

Take some time today to express gratitude to the universe for the people that crossed your path way back when. As you give thanks, you might think of one characteristic of each person and how that quality still contributes to your life today.

So here's my list of things I'm tankful for today, in the them of Way Back When:

• My eight grade English teacher who used to let me hang out in her classroom when I didn't want to go home, and talked to me about books
• My tenth grade English teacher who knew I was mostly writing a novel when I was in class and didn't once tell me to put it away and take notes on class
• My cousin who gave me the entire Narnia set when I was ten, and changed my idea of good books
• Whatever germ laid me up when I was twelve, so that I was too sick to go to school but too restless to just lay around, because that's the day I started writing
• That childhood that let me travel all around the world, gathering images and ideas and scraps of mythology to build what seems to be a much more interesting world view than most people have!
• Mom, when she gave me a little diary when I was nine or ten, and told me I could write whatever I wanted in it because it was mine--I mostly tracked my dreams in it when I was much older, because ten year old me left most of the pages blank, but I kept it and I remembered that it was mine
• My second-grade teacher who taught me origami and didn't seem to mind when I made hundreds of tiny cranes and stars, and who taught me all about science, giving me a clear, optimistic view about the future and what science can do with it

What are you grateful for in your past today?

*I know I said no more journaling stuff here, but this prompt was just too perfect for the Thankful Thursday stuff!

Thankful Thursday - Week 4 2013

- That there are nerd-centric shows on tv this season, especially Nerdist and King of the Nerds

- That A2 thought it was hilarious when I taught him that milk can also be called "moo juice"

- That I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, when we're supposed to have a bad ice storm*

- That mom and dad decided to get Chinese for dinner!

- That those back-curved digitigrade stilts are something that exists.

- That JJ Abrams is going to direct Episode Seven of Star Wars! Maybe it'll end the Star Wars-Star Trek feud once and for all!

What are you grateful for this week?

*Bad enough that schools are closing after half a day preemptively!