Grats

They say gratitude is one of the healthiest virtues to cultivate. Whoever they are, I tend to believe them. Even when I am at my lowest, I still dimly sense a connective thread that there is more wonder in this world than we can handle on a daily basis and allowing ourselves to acknowledge those wonders and state our thanks for them is an easy and calming practice.

Every day, I write down five things that I am grateful for. They are often things I can see from my desk where I am writing or things that have happened to me in the last few hours. Occasionally they are silly; rarely are they profound but they are always genuine. I don't know the exact mechanism, but taking a moment to close my eyes and think over everything that has entered my consciousness with an eye toward affirmatively stating my gratitude for it is something I would recommend to anyone.

It would be interesting to comb through all entries and break them down by theme and subject matter. The weather in winter is a frequent entry, as is particularly tasty meals. I also often think of my wife and ward. My job pops in there quite a bit, which I think is a good sign. I also often return to my body, the freedom of physical movement and the ability to lift heavy things or walk long distances with a heavy pack. I rejoice in my own physicality and say thanks every day for some aspect of it. Time also features prominently. Time with family, time with friends. A text thread with my brother or a beer session with the boys. These are a few of my greatest assets, and I treasure them.