Sunday, January 1, 2012

More Appreciation

I'm not calling it a New Year's resolution, but one thing I am going to put a lot of effort into this coming year is being more actively appreciative of the many, many good things in my life. I may keep an index card on the counter of the kitchen each day and jot down everything I want to show more appreciation of having.

Here's what ended up on my note card today. Some of it might not make much sense to you . . . but a little mystery is good for a woman, right? (Hee-hee.)

- ice cubes
- my new kitchen
- good, dry, seasoned wood for warmth

- a beautiful, economical, homemade centerpiece
- running water!
- my own "latte" machine
- audio books on tape
- the local library
- warm, winter boots that are comfortable on my defective feet
- we can still pay our bills
- a husband who continues to try to understand the differences between men and women

Wonder how different my list will be from day to day? We shall see.

16 comments:

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Ha, well I am glad to see someone appreciative of ice cubes. As someone who has a husband who works 60 hours a week to make ice cubes it is good to see a shout out. We are the forgotten food:)

Carolyn said...

What a great idea.....Daily "What I'm Thankfull For" cards. Going to have to steal that idea.

Sometimes I get crabby when I lament about all the stuff that needs to be done/started/finished that I forget to appreciate what we DO have. Thanks for the reminder.

Mama Pea said...

Jane - I couldn't live without my ice cubes! I LOVE cold drinks . . . even put ice cubes in my drinking water. Even though we all know The Ice Man does more than make ice cubes (!),I still consider them a luxury item and am very appreciative of them!

Carolyn Renee - Well, exactly! It's so easy to see everything that still needs to be done that we too often don't take the time to appreciate what we do get done or what we have. I need a good kick in the patoot to change my outlook on that score!

dr momi said...

Love the centerpiece.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous idea Mama Pea! Might have to borrow this one, to keep me focused on the good that happens every day:)

Dirt Lover said...

Beautiful idea! My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma this year. He had a prognosis of 4-6 months, then found out he was a candidate for what has turned out to be a miracle drug. I totally appreciate how sweet the little things are now.
~~Lori
PS, LOVE the centerpiece!!

Sparkless said...

That is a lot to be thankful for. If I made a list each day I'd have to pick one or two things only or it would consist of the same things like family, health, food, home, etc.

Today I am thankful for all of the above but right now I'm thankful to a friend who knows I love truffles and gave me a bunch of her homemade ones, which I have been saving until today.

Susan said...

That is a great idea - and you know how I love lists! I could get writer's cramp jotting down all the things of which I am appreciative. You are one of them.

gld said...

A great list!

Ice cubes probably wouldn't have made my list but some of the others sure would.

We just had some good, dry oak delivered. I love those wood fires!

I am an avid list maker too but it is mostly "to do" lists.

LindaCO said...

That's a great idea. We spend so much time thinking about the past and future, it's good to zoom in on the near-present too.

Judy T said...

I've got a friend who keeps what she calls her 'positive journal'. Every night- almost a ritual- she pulls out her journal and writes about what went RIGHT that day. It doesn't have to be anything big- maybe just that the sun was shining or that she picked a huge, delicious tomato from the garden- but it is her chance to focus on the positives- no negatives allowed.
What a great idea to refocus.
Judy

Karen L. said...

So now I am feeling a bit guilty after reading your post. I am not thrilled with my "spot" in life at the moment and therefore seem to focus on all the negative things. I think I need to take a cue from you and change that. Maybe "grow where I am planted" because "life is too short". Thanks for the wake-up call and reminding me to look for and at the positives. Are you psychic or something? Scary!

Mama Pea said...

dr momi - Thanks! I was rather pleased with it myself!

Stephanie - Why is it without any effort at all we tend to focus on the negative rather than the positive? Not good. Needs to be changed.

Lori - Thoughts and prayers being sent for your husband's miracle cure. Positive energy, vibrations and thoughts have amazing results. Hugs.

Sparkless - Aw come on, Friend. I'm betting that if you just looked at it a little differently, you'd come up with lots of special things each day. Give it a go. Good start with the truffles!!

Susan - You know just how to wiggle your way into a person's heart, don'tcha?

gld - You don't have to tell me about the "To Do" lists! Sometimes I think they're bad because I'm tired by the time I finish making them. I'm still keeping my day's lists but think adding this Appreciation list might balance out the bad/good feelings!

Mama Pea said...

LindaCO - That's one of the reasons I think creativeness with our hands (as you're so successfully doing) is so good for us . . . we are zoned in on the moment. Thoughts of the past or future are put aside for a time.

Judy - Now there's another different slant on it! It's relatively easy to list everything that went wrong in a day, but how negative is that? I may just add to the bottom of my Appreciation List everyday a sentence of what went right that day. Good, good idea! Thanks!

Karen L. - Well, ya know, I think we could all honestly say that we're not thrilled with the spot we are in life. Especially because our country/world seems so very screwed up economically, socially and morally. But I firmly believe the very best thing we can do is not to go out marching or protesting but to do exactly what you said: Bloom/grow/improve where you are planted. If we make ourselves the best possible human being we can be, it would change everything else. Attitude is everything. We can make ourselves physically sick with our emotions . . . they are so powerful. We have to figure out how to use our minds to bring us joy, happiness and contentment. No, not easy . . . but I think we can all do it.

Erin said...

As a fellow gal who depends on that well pump to keep on working, I second that running water thing, after so many issues I think I pray to the well pump god daily LOL. Great idea, we should all list things on a regular basis that we are grateful for.

Mama Pea said...

Erin - Yup, I can function without electricity if I have to, but boy, does lack of water slow me down! I don't blame you for hoping your well (and pump) keep functioning without ANY glitches!