Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive
BY: Nancy Baker
If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.
~Gerald Good
Head down, I trudged around the walking path in the park. I did not want to be here. Actually, all I wanted was to climb back in bed and suffer. Depression can drain all of the zest for life out of you. The doctor had prescribed antidepressants and given me a number of suggestions to help me out of the doldrums. Exercise was one of them. My husband Ted had taken it to heart and practically pushed me out of the house toward the park.
Ted greeted me with a big grin as I plodded up the driveway. "How was it?"
I forced a smile. "Fine. I'm going to bed to rest."
"At least you can be thankful that you were able to take a walk in this beautiful weather," he called after me.
Yeah right, I thought. What have I got to be thankful for anyway? Beautiful weather? I hadn't even noticed. I sank into my bed, closed my eyes, and prayed for sleep, blessed relief. But it was not to be. Frustrated, I stared into space, trying not to think, when my eyes fell upon my long unused journal. On impulse, I picked it up and wrote at the top of the page: "What do I have to be thankful for?" Nothing came.
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" I muttered. Writing so forcefully that I almost tore the paper, I scribbled, "I am grateful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear!"
"There!" I slammed the journal shut.
Day after day, Ted encouraged me to walk. Mostly I did, just to please him or on some days, just to get him off my back. Sometimes, I'd take a shortcut through the woods. But I did walk. And surprisingly enough, I also wrote. It became my habit to pick up the journal when I came home from my walk. At first, I recorded the biggest, broadest things I could think of, much like my first reluctant try. I was grateful for my husband, my family, my friends. But as time went on, I became more particular. I was grateful for Ted rubbing my back and the call I received from Linda to check on me.
I amazed myself when I began to look for things to be thankful for, things to chronicle in my journal. I saw a tiny yellow flower trying to survive in the heat. It was so delicate. Into my journal went the yellow flower, along with a brief note to God about how good he was to sustain such a small bit of beauty. A crepe myrtle tree had two different color blooms. It was a lovely combination. So, pink and purple blooms became part of the journal. The more I walked, the more I wrote. The more I wrote, the more I found to be thankful for. The more thankful I became, the more my depression and self-immersion lifted.
I noticed that after a while my discovery of things to be thankful for extended beyond my walk. Like the man whose grocery cart was stacked to overflowing who let me in line ahead of him. Or, the woman who noticed my checkbook had fallen out of my purse and chased me down to return it. Grocery store heroes and heroines were recorded also. This made me more aware of things I could do to be helpful to others. Maybe I could be an item in a gratitude journal.
I began to mutter little "thank you's" through the day. Thanks, Lord, for letting me find that jar of pickles I need for my new recipe. The pickles went into the journal. Thank you, God, for letting me see that kid on his bicycle. What a tragedy it would have been if I had hit him. Of course, this one made the journal.
The words "thank you" came easily. I found myself thanking people for things that I had previously taken for granted. There was the nurse that took extra care to straighten out my bedding when I was hospitalized and the dog walker who always waited while I crossed the bridge. Once I tried to write down all the things I had said "thank you" for during the day. I was overwhelmed that there were so many and I'm sure I didn't remember them all.
One morning, taking the short cut through the woods, I was brought to a hasty stop. There before me, standing in a pool of filtered, dusty sunshine was a fawn, no bigger than my Golden Retriever. Tiny white spots dotted her coat and ears that looked way too big for her perked high at my appearance. We observed each other for quite some time, and then she skipped off, searching for Mom, I'm sure. It was just too beautiful, mystical even. Tears came to my eyes and I sat down right there and gave thanks for this gift God had granted me. Needless to say, I went home and documented this marvelous event in my journal.
Thus, began my gratitude journals. I have a whole box full of them now. I literally count my blessings each day by writing them down. I look for them. I'm always watching out for the amazing surprises God has in store for me. If I ever doubt that I have anything to be grateful for, all I have to do is flip open a journal to see the countless blessings God has bestowed on me. My perspective has become optimistic and anticipatory, very unlike the droopy person that once couldn't think of anything for which to be thankful. Now, one of my frequent entries is "Thank you, Lord, for the gift of gratitude."
~Gerald Good
Head down, I trudged around the walking path in the park. I did not want to be here. Actually, all I wanted was to climb back in bed and suffer. Depression can drain all of the zest for life out of you. The doctor had prescribed antidepressants and given me a number of suggestions to help me out of the doldrums. Exercise was one of them. My husband Ted had taken it to heart and practically pushed me out of the house toward the park.
Ted greeted me with a big grin as I plodded up the driveway. "How was it?"
I forced a smile. "Fine. I'm going to bed to rest."
"At least you can be thankful that you were able to take a walk in this beautiful weather," he called after me.
Yeah right, I thought. What have I got to be thankful for anyway? Beautiful weather? I hadn't even noticed. I sank into my bed, closed my eyes, and prayed for sleep, blessed relief. But it was not to be. Frustrated, I stared into space, trying not to think, when my eyes fell upon my long unused journal. On impulse, I picked it up and wrote at the top of the page: "What do I have to be thankful for?" Nothing came.
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" I muttered. Writing so forcefully that I almost tore the paper, I scribbled, "I am grateful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear!"
"There!" I slammed the journal shut.
Day after day, Ted encouraged me to walk. Mostly I did, just to please him or on some days, just to get him off my back. Sometimes, I'd take a shortcut through the woods. But I did walk. And surprisingly enough, I also wrote. It became my habit to pick up the journal when I came home from my walk. At first, I recorded the biggest, broadest things I could think of, much like my first reluctant try. I was grateful for my husband, my family, my friends. But as time went on, I became more particular. I was grateful for Ted rubbing my back and the call I received from Linda to check on me.
I amazed myself when I began to look for things to be thankful for, things to chronicle in my journal. I saw a tiny yellow flower trying to survive in the heat. It was so delicate. Into my journal went the yellow flower, along with a brief note to God about how good he was to sustain such a small bit of beauty. A crepe myrtle tree had two different color blooms. It was a lovely combination. So, pink and purple blooms became part of the journal. The more I walked, the more I wrote. The more I wrote, the more I found to be thankful for. The more thankful I became, the more my depression and self-immersion lifted.
I noticed that after a while my discovery of things to be thankful for extended beyond my walk. Like the man whose grocery cart was stacked to overflowing who let me in line ahead of him. Or, the woman who noticed my checkbook had fallen out of my purse and chased me down to return it. Grocery store heroes and heroines were recorded also. This made me more aware of things I could do to be helpful to others. Maybe I could be an item in a gratitude journal.
I began to mutter little "thank you's" through the day. Thanks, Lord, for letting me find that jar of pickles I need for my new recipe. The pickles went into the journal. Thank you, God, for letting me see that kid on his bicycle. What a tragedy it would have been if I had hit him. Of course, this one made the journal.
The words "thank you" came easily. I found myself thanking people for things that I had previously taken for granted. There was the nurse that took extra care to straighten out my bedding when I was hospitalized and the dog walker who always waited while I crossed the bridge. Once I tried to write down all the things I had said "thank you" for during the day. I was overwhelmed that there were so many and I'm sure I didn't remember them all.
One morning, taking the short cut through the woods, I was brought to a hasty stop. There before me, standing in a pool of filtered, dusty sunshine was a fawn, no bigger than my Golden Retriever. Tiny white spots dotted her coat and ears that looked way too big for her perked high at my appearance. We observed each other for quite some time, and then she skipped off, searching for Mom, I'm sure. It was just too beautiful, mystical even. Tears came to my eyes and I sat down right there and gave thanks for this gift God had granted me. Needless to say, I went home and documented this marvelous event in my journal.
Thus, began my gratitude journals. I have a whole box full of them now. I literally count my blessings each day by writing them down. I look for them. I'm always watching out for the amazing surprises God has in store for me. If I ever doubt that I have anything to be grateful for, all I have to do is flip open a journal to see the countless blessings God has bestowed on me. My perspective has become optimistic and anticipatory, very unlike the droopy person that once couldn't think of anything for which to be thankful. Now, one of my frequent entries is "Thank you, Lord, for the gift of gratitude."
http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul/2011/02/The-Gratitude-Journal.aspx?source=NEWSLETTER&nlsource=49&ppc=&utm_campaign=DIBSoup&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=mail.ru
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий