August 1st – Gearing up for Gratitude!

by annemariedemyen, posted in gratitude - August 2021

Of all the themes that I could choose to go with for August, I have decided to go with ‘GRATITUDE’.

Gratitude 🤗

I am relatively confident that two of the first words my parents taught me to say were “Thank You!”. It was not that they were looking for personal gratification. They were just very determined to teach us the true values in life. The values that enrich our lives. The values that make the best of times better and the worst of times tolerable. Respect, dignity, kindness, honesty, humility, and of course ‘gratitude’. Values that would make us strong enough to make the most of life, because my parents wanted us to have more than life – they wanted us to have great lives.

It did not take me long to understand that gratitude was more than words. Genuine gratitude was a feeling. A powerful, feel good feeling. I knew how important gratitude was.

That being said, there have been times in my life when I have definitely struggled to ‘feel’ grateful. Times when I was too busy, too tired, too angry, too sad, just too distracted to feel grateful. I knew it was important, I said the right words, but I could not feel them.

During my ungrateful periods, I would try to feel more grateful. I read books on gratitude. I followed the exercises in the books. I once tried to start each day by compiling a list of ten things that I was grateful for.

I am NOT a morning person. I struggle to like my dog first thing in the morning. But, this was important so I was determined to start each day (for a solid month!) by listing ten things that I was grateful for. By day three, I was thinking “Cool, I have ten toes, let’s go with that”.

Being grateful for my toes – even that wierd long one. WTF! I don’t even have ten normal toes! So not feeling grateful for my toes. 🥺

Throughout my life, it has definitely been a process, finding the means to be genuinely grateful on a regular basis. I am finally there. Retirement, and a year and a half of Covid, has given me the time and peace in my life to truly live a life of gratitude – even first thing in the morning. 🥳

So, this month, I am committed to writing one blog each day, to share that and those for which I am most grateful. 😁

I hope you will join me often and I hope that every post I share will be worthy of your time.

Have a great day and take care! See you tomorrow!

So grateful for our fur baby, Kat!

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18 thoughts on “August 1st – Gearing up for Gratitude!”

  2. I took Kat to the groomers a few weeks ago. She looks great until one day she gets up with an entire body of bed head. Very strange!
    I don’t love feet, but since it is generally socks and shoes season here, I don’t take notice of them so much.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Great idea, I have a gratitude app that prompts me each day with gratitude topics to write about and then follows it up with gratitude and positive affirmations. It has made a difference in my daily moods.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. This will be a fun month as gratitude is a wonderful subject. I definitely have good days and bad with feeling grateful and not feeling it as it were…. But it seems as I age it gets easier and easier to be grateful for everything! Even our funny toes! You’re so adorable, and thanks for sharing!! Kat’s ADORABLE too!! ❤️🐾

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Gratitude is great but I’m in stitches over your toes! Poor little ‘pinky’ got the shaft after #4 took half of her length! And I adore your foot’s ‘sandal tan.’ Good stuff Anne Marie…

    Liked by 1 person

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