Am I Grateful?

Caption: This is a photograph of Molly Ovenden’s left hand (the photographer and author of this article) holding five smooth stones in a variety of colors on the shore of Lake Superior with white foaming waves coming into the sandy beach.

It’s November now and Thanksgiving is upon us. For many of us, it’s a joyful time with family and food–for others of us, it’s a painful time without the food or family we want or need. And, for even others still, Thanksgiving and November are simply the days we live through, take for granted or struggle in.

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Would you like to be part of a live, online video course to help with your gratitude journaling practice?

Wednesday, November 8 at 7-8:30pm Central Time
Are you in Duluth? Register here.
Are you in Cloquet? Register here.
Are you in Proctor or Hermantown? Register here.
Are you somewhere else? Choose any of the above links to register.

Expressing gratitude through the written word can be powerful for our hearts and beneficial for our mental health. Whether you’re a beginner or familiar with journaling, there is space for you here. Through interactive guided prompts and group discussion, you’ll have the opportunity to practice the profound habit of gratitude in your own notebook. After this workshop you’ll have several practical tools to keep the momentum of being thankful all year round. Let’s make November the month we deepen our gratitude practice through journaling. 

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If you find offering gratitude something that comes easily for you, that’s fantastic and I’m truly grateful for YOU! 🙂 What follows may give you a new variety of ideas for your gratitude practice. If you, however, excel as noticing what you don’t have, where you haven’t been, who’s not in your life, or you just take everything as it comes without acknowledging it, then I hope what follows might inspire a thankful moment of pause in your daily life.

Whether you journal to keep a record on paper (or digitally) or not, doesn’t matter as much as taking the time to reflect. One minute, one hour, one day…however much time is realistic for you, take that time.

Here are a few ideas to keep the fire burning or to ignite it for your gratitude practice:

Caption: This is a black and white photograph of someone who is right-handed, with a check-patterned shirt and a bracelet, writing with a pen in a lined journal with a ribbon.

ONE
Take a moment to consider your day and the people in it. Complete these two phrases honestly. Once you’ve responded, take action or get back to your day-to-day.
1. The person I’m most grateful for today is (BLANK) because (BLANK)…
2. The moment I’m most grateful for today is (BLANK)…

TWO
Get present to all your senses and allow your heart and mind to swell with gratitude. Here are some examples from my recent practice:
Sight – I am thankful for Duluth’s autumn colors.
Sound – I am grateful to hear my niece and nephew’s laughter.
Smell – I am grateful for the crisp, fresh, frosty morning scent of mulching leaves.
Taste – I’m thankful for the sweet tang of apple cider.
Touch – I’m grateful for the cozy warmth of extra quilts and crocheted afghans.

Caption: This is a photograph of Molly Ovenden, author of this article, smiling at the camera, wearing a navy cardigan and fluffy, grey scarf.

THREE
Creative reflections, especially when we make as a significant part of our time, can be beneficial to measure progress and to help remember why we love making it. If creating for work or for pleasure or for favors on behalf of others is something you have a habit of doing, perhaps add to your habit expressing gratitude while you make or create. Or, try expressing gratitude for all that you have made.

Maybe you create paintings or partnerships. Maybe you make meals or meaningful experiences. Maybe you knit cardigans or you lead adventure tours. Whatever you make or create, big and small, consider the positive impact and the gratitude you have for each.

You could ask these questions:
1. This week I made (BLANK) for (BLANK) and I feel grateful because…
2. I tried a new (BLANK) recently, and I love that I took time for that because…
3. I’m thankful I made a connection with (BLANK) because…
4. I’m proud of myself for (BLANK) and I want to pause to be thankful because…

FOUR
There are so many ways to be thankful, whether it’s around the dinner table, holding your favorite mug of tea, coffee, apple cider, or in your gratitude journal.

Journaling can be a gift of a method to keep track of the good that’s happened in your life and it can also be a reminder to take a moment to reflect and celebrate all that’s around you.

I’ve made a 30-day freebie for you to enjoy a gratitude practice all month long. Simply enter your email address here and you’ll receive 30 daily prompts to guide your Gratitude Journaling practice.

Truly, I’m grateful for YOU, my dear reader, for taking time to read through these ideas and consider how gratitude could be a practice in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving (in October to my Canadian readers and in November to my American readers) and happy year-round giving thanks to all of us!