So many people have so many favorite books: Jane Eyre. The Bible. Cognitive Behavioral Theory for Dummies.
But my favorite book in the world? It’s a self-published title. In fact, I own the only copy of it in the world. It’s My Gratitude Journal.
I’ve been keeping it for 4 years now, through multiple volumes. And it’s taught me a few lessons…here are some of them!
Keeping a gratitude journal isn’t just an exercise in gratitude. It’s an exercise in knowing your self. It answers the question, “What do I care about?” Once you start writing, you may be surprised!
Reviewing my gratitude journal over the years, I can even see my sense of self shifting over time. On the timeline, I can pinpoint what I call the “Mass Self Actualization Event.” Wouldn’t you like to see your own?
Sometimes you can get so sad, it paints the entire world with sadness…to the point where it’s hard to remember happiness ever existed. A gratitude journal can help you remember that happiness existed! It helps save that sunshine for a rainy day.
What if you have too many things to be thankful for? That’s a great problem to have. But I’ve learned to only write one thing per day, even if you’re tempted to cheat.
If two things come to mind? Write the thing you’re most grateful for. If it’s still a tie? Write the thing that’s most timely and specific. The big things in your life probably aren’t going anywhere…you can be grateful for them tomorrow. But the small things, you have to be grateful for today.
You probably won’t forget being grateful for “living near a hiking trail.” But you may forgot “getting to the trailhead, and just as you took off your headphones, hearing a bird call that blended perfectly with the second stanza of the song you were listening to.”
Once you’ve started your gratitude journal, I also recommend adding some color to it! I got a bevy of colored pens and pencils from this cute little second-hand art supply store in Somerville, Make & Mend. There’s a certain point in my journal where it goes from all black, to a shifting kaleidoscope of colors…and it’s a beautiful point. You feel in many colors. Write in many colors, too!
As a closer, here’s some of my favorite entries from my own gratitude journal. Someday, I’m thinking of compiling them into a book…”My Gratitude Journal: The Greatest Hits.”
2/4: A friend saying “seeing you dance always makes me smile.”
4/20: “As long as I have barbecue sauce, I know god loves me.”
5/27: Colors exist.
12/10: Every single time I come home, my dog is waiting for me on the sun porch. She sees my coated silhouette crossing the sidewalk, and thinks in her dog brain, “Is it him?! Is it him?!” And then I shoot finger guns at her, and she knows “It’s him!!” and bursts into frenzied wagging. And that’s the best part of my day.
Thousand Year Picnic 