Day 9 Mindfulness (My Sacred Life)

As always when October ends ... my thoughts about gratitude expand. Before retirement, I used to challenge my students to begin a gratitude list each November and write at least one thing they were grateful for each day throughout the month. Some jumped at the chance and included many more than one each day, while others hesitated ... sometimes even complaining they had nothing to write. By months end, most had written something and many decided to continue the practice indefinitely. I didn't read these lists unless students asked me to do so, but I did count it as an assignment ... entering a grade based on the number of items listed divided by the number of school days in the month. Most kids raised their GPA on this one, but more importantly ... many established a habit of being thankful ... at least for a little while.

Sarah Ban Breathnach encourages each of us to write down 5 things each day for which we are grateful throughout the year. I can assure you from personal experience, doing so will change your perspective and your life. If you haven't tried it yet, may I suggest you accept the challenge for a month and see what happens.

November 1st -- 2:25pm
PS -- I just found this link about Gratitude Journals and Why They Work and figured it might be a useful addendum here. Check it out if you wish ... or not. :)