While being back in SF has been a whirlwind, the slight jetlag has given me some private time early in the morning before everyone else wakes up. I've been staying with my mom, who is still in the house I grew up in, and both my brothers also happen to be home this week so its been a bit of a flashback of how we grew up. My mom has a lot of our artwork still up (we joke that you would think she had grandchildren with all the artwork she has up....nope, just ours from 15 years ago!) and tons of pictures of us as kids. The space combined with being home with my family has given me a wonderful pause to stop and reflect. And ultimately appreciate.
My faith has laid a strong foundation for gratitude and taught me to truly appreciate my blessings. But I can easily get caught up in the pace of life and not pause to think about that. So while I know I'm blessed, I don't take as much time as I should to stop, reflect, check out and be thankful. I'm a little ADD so writing has always been helpful for me to get me to focus and I've started applying that in being thankful. I'm not at all a journal-er and I never really kept a diary, but writing down my blessings every day has really forced me to take those few minutes to really think about what I'm thankful for. Some days really stink or some days fly by without me thinking about the bigger picture, but everyday I know I have something to be thankful for. And I'm forcing myself to sit down, chill out and write it down. I know some days it will be a challenge, but I think thats exactly the reason I need to start writing it down.
Are you a journal-er? How do you stay focused and thankful? Does writing help? Any tips to stay focused are much appreciated :)
xo,
N
What a sweet and heartfelt post! I just recently started following your blog and I am glad I did. I keep a journal and some months are better than others. Sometimes I'm really good at writing in it, other months I'm not. I try to write in mine at least every two weeks. I think the best thing to keep in mind is you don't have to write about everything, or even several pages. Just write what is on your heart- the important things will still come out of the pen and that is what matters. I think my issue is that I tend to write in my journal about struggles and problems. I should write about my blessings more often though. Thanks for reminder!
ReplyDeletexo Jessica
jessicajeanw.blogspot.com
I love this idea! As great as Social Media is, I often find myself browsing through old friends' pictures and when I'm done I often feel worse about myself. I think consciously taking the time to actually think about things that you are thankful for often can give you a much better outlook, and in turn, those good things and feelings keep coming your way. Thanks for posting this!
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