"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
~Albert Einstein
I've kept a gratitude journal for years. Long before Oprah recommended it. The practice reminds me to look for daily small miracles. Keeps me moving just a bit more gracefully through the muck and mire that life can deliver. Some days I can list a dozen things I'm grateful for. Other days I simply repeat, "I made it through the day."
After a recent challenging day when I kept bumping into sad and troubling news, I sat down and pressed myself to list 25 things. I came up with the following:
- the first Bing cherries of the season
- a single beautiful Henry Fonda rose
- the litter of feral kittens using our backyard as their playground
- enjoying a movie matinee with John
- homemade chocolate chip cookies, fresh out of the oven
- an unexpected visit from an old friend
- a glass of wine with a new friend
- the recommendation of a good book that delivers as promised
- an e-mail that brings a belly laugh
- frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles on top
- the new season of So You Think You Can Dance
- a phone call from my brother or sister
- a hummingbird hovering over the feeder
- a mug of iced sun tea
- comfortable shoes
- a leisurely early morning walk
- salmon sunsets
- and coral dawns
- a musical performance under the stars
- any Castle rerun
- finding something I thought I had lost
- solving a challenging Sudoku, or a jigsaw puzzle, or a crossword puzzle
- a smile from a stranger
- learning to do something, anything, no mater how small on the computer - on my own
- and always - "I love you"
Small miracles, but miracles nonetheless. And it helped. Now, can I come up with another 25 gratitudes? What would John's list would contain? Yours?
