Gratitude
Near the start of July I mentioned the idea of keeping a “gratitude journal”. I’ve been doing that, more or less, since then.
“More or less” in that I don’t always write it out. I do go over it every night in my head if I don’t write it down.
My approach is simple: I just note the first five things I think of that I’m grateful for. I don’t usually write (or think) more on the topic.
Today, though, I’m going to include them here, and I will expand on each of them. The things in my day I’m grateful for deserve some blog space.
These are in the order they occur to me, and not in order of importance.
- CrossFit
Maybe it’s first because there’s an ice pack on my right shoulder. I’m grateful for it not just because of what it’s done for my health but also because of the camaraderie at the gym. I like the workouts, but I also like the people, and that’s pretty lucky.
Today demonstrated the importance of both things. The combination of fatigue from yesterday’s WOD and issues with my shoulder/hip meant I couldn’t do the workouts I’d planned. So I just hung out for a few hours, which was great. On the other hand, I was antsy, and tried and failed to leave twice because it didn’t feel right. Finally I decided to do “Annie”, did that, and felt better.
This gratitude also encompasses the fact that I can now do these workouts without them seeming insane. (Some of them are still insane… but a smaller percentage.)
- Desire
Is this something I should be grateful for? Isn’t this something we’re supposed to transcend? I’m not a follower of Zen or Buddhism, but I know where they’re coming from on this. Desire causes a lot of suffering. How much pain resides in the gap between how things are and how you want things to be? Nevertheless, perhaps because I’m not close to transcending it and never have been, I prefer having it in my life than not. When it’s been absent, it’s generally been more like numbness than transcendence. “I say, let me never be complete. I say, may I never be content”—I don’t fully embrace that either, but: desire over numbness every fucking day of the week. The other direction is towards death.
- Music
Lots of this is (still) the amazing Uptime/Downtime, but also plenty of Metallica, some 80s Megadeth, Beat Bizarre, and (a moment ago) The Dust Brothers. Sometimes I forget, though. Sometimes I forget how fucking awesome music is. Thankfully that’s never lasted too long.
- Friends
Obviously. Hugely important. Excuse me if I don’t wax too sentimental here, but really, if any of my friends reading this don’t get how important they (you?) are to me, well, that’s my fault and I’ll try to do better, but I’m extraordinarily grateful to have you in my life.
- Imagination
I’ve been working on historical, political, geographic, economic, and plot information (it all hangs together, which is great but means lots of work) for the roleplaying game I’m running right now, and I’ve been enjoying that process. I’m fascinated by how creativity feels like creativity only some of the time, and like discovery the rest.
There’s more to be grateful for, of course, but it doesn’t need to be an exhaustive list—in fact, exhausting the list of things you’re grateful for would likely be unhelpful for your happiness.
So after two months, does the gratitude journal help in terms of happiness? I think so, yes.
15 Sep 2010 at 12:27
Annie is a pretty tough workout. The double unders always make the sit ups so damn hard. I like the the idea of a gratitude journal.
20 Nov 2010 at 11:37
that’s great t. gratitude has helped me a lot too. there is so much to be grateful for.
only slightly misfitting that the captcha words for this are clecia vengeance.