Doubling Down on Gratitude
Now appearing in blog format: #GratefulNightcap!
Since 2017 (for eight years, WOW!), I’ve written a (usually) brief nightly gratitude statement on Facebook called #GratefulNightcap in which I write about something for which I’m grateful. Sometimes it’s a BIG, important, impactful thing; other times it’s a tiny thing or something in between. I was recently delighted to learn that, although they don’t necessarily comment, a lot of people who follow me look forward to and enjoy reading my daily #GratefulNightcap. In these otherwise dark, depressing and dismal days, the fact that my little post makes an impact on people reassures me that even a small, positive thing can ripple outward from my feed and be noticed. That’s a power I don’t take lightly and that I now have the urge to expound upon…
In order to take that little seed of gratitude to the next level so that it can hopefully impact more people, I’m moving #GratefulNightcap from Facebook to here on my blog. I might even write in a bit more depth about some of the Gratefuls - at least that’s my plan: Doubling down on gratitude as a way to combat all the negativity and divisiveness in the air.
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love” (and I might add, gratitude).
~a line from the Hobbit movie that did not appear in the books
I’m making this switch effective today so yesterday’s #GratefulNightcap on Facebook was officially my last one there.
If you’re a current follower on Facebook and want to continue reading my #GratefulNightcap, (or if you’re #GratefulNightcap curious, simply subscribe to my blog and you’ll receive an email to your inbox where you can read the post in its entirety without needing to go to the blog (unless you want to).
And here is my first #GratefulNightcap on Once a Time a Time…
(Actually, the meme below was supposed to be included in a #GratefulNightcap last week, but silly me forgot to add it to my post… Oh well, I guess it was meant to be my premier here.)
Grateful for this meme I just found that I'm gonna share as my grateful for today. I couldn't express gratitude better. What privilege we live with, even when we don't recognize it! Just to have this experience as a human is so amazing if you take the time to consider it (which I do, probably *too* much...)
Cheers!
#GratefulNightcap
Gratitude isn’t difficult to find, and I’ve discovered that by consciously noticing and articulating it every single day, my awareness of all the opportunities I have to be grateful has been heightened. I’ve found that in almost every situation, there is a lens through which I can view it to discover something to be thankful for. I call it my “gratitude muscle” and it gets stronger with consistent use.
What would happen if more people adopted a gratitude practice and generally appreciated and found pleasure in the things they have at their disposal and that are within their sphere of influence (rather than focusing so much on the shitshow the powers-that-be want us all to be overwhelmed by)? Would it be considered an Organization? A Movement? An Anti-massacree movement like Arlo wonders?
In my humble opinion, I think such “defiant optimism” could change the course of current events because we would exercising our personal power, thereby fortifying ourselves and one another against the effects of the storm. Imagine coming out of this stronger, more whole and better aligned with who we really are and what we truly want our lives to be… Just imagine.
What are you grateful for?