Grateful

Tonight I am full of gratitude.

Grateful for my life. The people I love. And for my health.

For the last week or so, I have not felt well. A few days with a fever, after taking care of two of my kids that had the same fever. It’s a strange thing – a fever. Even a low-grade fever at my age feels terrible. Like, really terrible.

For the first time in a really, really long time, I felt awful. No energy. I laid on our couch outside my bedroom and binge watched Netflix. It was the first time in my life I actually binge watched a show. Two full seasons of a show called “Friends from College.” Each episode was thirty minutes but I watched two entire seasons. In two days. Plus Lady Gaga’s documentary. I don’t think I’ve ever been so lifeless…in a really, really long time.

That, in itself, is a good reason to be grateful. In the grand scheme of things, a few days is nothing. But then the fever was followed by a sinus infection. Ugh. Allergies gone bad. More lethargy. More napping during the day. More blah.

But then today, hallelujah! I feel almost normal. Still a bit slow and medicated for half of the day, but so much better. And so….grateful.

I hadn’t exercised in over a week and was so ready to do something. Anything. So I went for a very slow three mile run. I was getting out of breath just walking up a flight of stairs, so my expectations were not high. But I wanted to move. So, move I did.

It wasn’t pretty. Downright pokey, actually. But I was so…. grateful to move.

I thought about all of the people in the world with debilitating illnesses, life threatening conditions, or even my own youngest daughter, who cannot run due to her disability. There is a reason to be grateful for movement.

I was reminded of the power of gratitude. And how meaningful life can be when we are grateful for what we have. For all of our gifts – big and small.

In my latest reading, I’ve found many authors recommend keeping a gratitude journal. I actually have one of these. I bought it several years ago. And it’s still empty.

Its not that I haven’t been grateful. I just haven’t prioritized the practice of writing it down. The theory behind a gratitude journal is that by knowing you will record your grateful things at the end of the day, you will go about your day being seeing reasons to be grateful. I buy into this.

In many ways, this blog has reinforced how this small practice can work. When I first started writing, I saw that I did pursue inspiration through-out the day. I was more mindful. Paid more attention. Sought inspiration and creativity.

So I’m going to give this gratitude journal a shot. Here’s to day one! What better day than April 14th than to start?

If not now, when?