The Gratitude Diaries

The Power of Encouragement

I have learned many profound lessons during my 21 Days of Gratitude. I’ve had to embrace change—and a mindset change is never easy. It takes prayer, meditation, dedication, and true self discipline. After day 12, I continued writing my gratitude lists and journaling about my gratitude failures and victories. When challenges came on strong during certain days, I discovered that I needed the grace of God to remain grateful and positive! That grace often came through loving people in my life. For instance, when some random person would say or do something that didn’t make sense, or that would tick me off, I began to complain. Anger began taking over any hope of remaining grateful and positive. Then suddenly, as if summoned, someone would call me (out of the blue) to check on me and encourage me. That steered my mind away from the negativity arising within me.   

I am always grateful for the friends, associates, and family members who just call to check on me. They don’t want anything. They just call to chat. They offer advice on this or that. They offer some words of encouragement, and then they’re off. LOL! And, oh, how I love them! I thank God for these people who keep me positive when I’m shifting to negative Nancy mode! Actually, over the years, they have kept me from getting entangled in unnecessary drama!   

Days 13-19

“I’m grateful for the friends, associates, and family members who pray for me constantly, and encourage me every single day.”

The Gratitude Diaries

Challenges with Being Grateful

On days 7 to 10, I was doing fine with being grateful daily for the most part. I thanked God for our basic needs being met, and the ability to give to others. However, on days 11 to 12, something interesting happened. I turned into a negative Nancy! I was negative and complaining again from the time I woke up until the time I went back to bed. I don’t know what happened. It was as if I had turned into another person. I had a bad attitude about everything. Keep in mind; I had some days off to enjoy my holiday! My circumstances were fine. But suddenly, I had this challenge with being grateful, and aggravation was taking over. It was awful! I’ve realized something huge on this gratitude journey—I can’t let my feelings determine whether I will be grateful. To get back on my gratitude journey, I rested, meditated on scriptures, listened to sermons, and made sure I was taking care of myself, which included getting nutritious meals, and so forth. I also made sure I was balancing my days with fun activities I enjoy (and my daughter reminded me of this). For example, when we went out to see fireworks on the Fourth of July, I had to make the decision to enjoy the moment, rather than just rush through it to get to the next thing I had to do. This time, I actually stood and enjoyed the experience. I pushed back all urges to be ungrateful and negative. I resisted pessimist thoughts that tried to intrude upon my time with my daughter, and the enjoyment of my holiday.

Days 7-12

“I’m grateful that I’m learning that being grateful is not always easy. It doesn’t come naturally. It will sometimes be a battle. However, being grateful is a decision, not a feeling.”

The Gratitude Diaries

Taking Time to Truly Unwind

Last night, I was talking to my mom about how tensed and stressed I felt. I had taken a nap after work, but I wasn’t quite relaxed. She gave me a suggestion. She told me to listen to some really good music. It doesn’t have to be any certain type or genre, but a song that has a positive message, and a good rhythm, she said. I thought about how I love artists who sing soulful, jazzy songs with profound messages. Artists such as Sade and Indie Arie are known for their thought-provoking, poetic lyrics. My mom actually introduced me to the sultry sounds of Sade when I was a little girl. I still love her music today. I found some of my favorites by her and Indie Arie online. Actually, I found a song on YouTube both artists sang so beautifully. It’s called "Pearls" by Sade. The song depicts the plight of a single mother in Africa. I was grateful to have someone to remind of my favorite artists, and dare me to actually sit and enjoy the music!

 Day 7

“Today, I’m grateful for truly good music from gifted, abstract artists!”

The Gratitude Diaries

Too Hot!

At the end of May, my central air conditioning unit broke. I got a technician to come to my house to check it out. We found that the compressor, the main piece of the unit, had a shortage in the wiring. Basically, I needed a new one, which would cost nearly $1,000, plus, the new part or unit (if I got the outside unit replaced) may not be compatible with the Freon in my unit. To make a long story short, I needed temporary relief from the Georgia heat until I could figure out whether to get a new unit or the one I have fixed. I decided to replace the unit, but I didn’t have the thousands it would take to replace it.  Therefore, I had to do extensive research to figure out what type of air conditioning would temporarily cool down my town home. I live in a subdivision with a home association; therefore, I couldn’t place window units in my windows. Besides that, I couldn’t do it myself, and I was too cheap to pay anyone to do it (I felt I had paid enough just to get the problem diagnosed). So I purchased a portable air conditioner, and for the most part, it keeps the top half of my town home cool now. The top part of the house is not a huge space, and it is not terribly difficult to cool it. The bottom half is already pretty cool. I have good insulation.

  

I’m going to purchase another portable air conditioner, but for right now, it’s a whole lot cooler in my town home these days! Yes! I have much-needed relief from the Georgia heat and humidity, and that’s something I thank God for! There’s a saying that goes, “You never miss your water until your well runs dry.” Well, I’ve never even thought about my air conditioning unit until it stopped working on a hot day.  

Days 3-6

“I’m grateful for the small things I have taken for granted such as cool air in the summer!”