Week #324 – Keep Counting! (35 Days of Gratitude Starts Now!)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Holidays!

I almost didn’t want to do this one this year…in fact, that’s why I’m posting late (it’s now Saturday). This is a year that’s had its way with us. We’re all sick of playing games, all sick of pretending it’s some test, all sick of making the most of it, or waiting for it to JUST GO AWAY ALREADY.

It reminds me of the first year after Rob died…it felt like if we just made it through, if we just got it right and grieved the right way, it would somehow all be over. 

It isn’t. 

I, like you, am sick of it. I’m tired. I’m worn out. I’m sad, and angry, and confused, and some days exhausted from laying awake at night wondering if and how and when this might end. 

The answer is…we don’t know. Which leaves us with one option:

What do we know?

I think that’s where we’re at this season. Back to April mentality…what do we know?  In some ways we know a lot more: we know our mail is safe and that we don’t need to burn our work clothes each day or strip down to nothing when we get back to the house. We’ve narrowed down which activities seem most dangerous: funerals, weddings, parties, celebrations…all manner of large gatherings in tight spaces.

In other words, holidays. Ugh…holidays. 

2020 has led us right to where we didn’t want to be…at the end of the year, looking to pull close together with those we love most, but being asked to stay apart. 

This year, it might be hard to feel grateful. And at times, it might feel downright silly.

Which is exactly why we shouldn’t stop. There are 35 days left in the year. If you were counting your blessings in November, keep going. If not, now is a great time to start. 

Thanksgiving may be “over”…but there is no reason to let the gratitude stop.  November is known as “Gratitude Month”…but for the past few years I’ve proposed we keep it going. This year should be no different…and it may even be more important.  

And so, I wanted to repeat my challenge once again this year…to you and to myself: to continue giving thanks into December and give ourselves the gift of gratitude this holiday season!

Your Happyness Challenge for the weeks ahead: KEEP COUNTING!  Amid the stress and uncertainty of the season ahead…give YOURSELF the gift of gratitude!  You can print out a PDF of the calendar above…or check out Week #322 for ten fun “Gratitude Game” ideas for how to keep track. However you do it, come New Year’s Eve — you’ll have 35 reminders to celebrate all that is going right and well in your life!  And I will too!

(This idea was born out of my own lack of gratitude four years ago.  You can read about it on Week #115.)

Spread Happyness — Share Freely!  And start counting your blessings today!

11/27/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #322 – Gratitude Games (Ten Easy Ways to Count Your Blessings!)

Well now…that election sure put everything to rest, right?

Not!

If this election has taught us anything, it’s that unrest continues, the world rages, and uncertainty looms…so what’s a Happyness Spreader to do?

Get back to basics. With each other, which I covered last week — and also with ourselves and our families.

And a great place to start…is gratitude. So here’s a repeat of TEN easy ways to get back to basics with gratitude! Don’t wait for the world to fall into just the right place for you to feel grateful…get yourself in a right place first, so that you can fall into someone else’s world!

Gratitude.

There’s been more written than I can recap here about the benefits of gratitude (just Google “benefits of gratitude” and you can read up on it yourself) — but suffice it to say it’s a relatively low-risk endeavor for a potentially high return.  Gratitude is free, it’s accessible to all, and you don’t have to be in a perfect spot to start.

(In fact, being in an imperfect spot might prove the benefits even more.)

You just need to start.

So I thought I’d repeat a few common ways I’ve seen to count blessings — and open up the floor to see if we can expand the list!

Ten Easy Ways to Count Your Blessings this November

1. In the Morning — as soon as you open your eyes (and before you reach for your phone) take a moment to appreciate the air in your lungs, the comfort of your bed, the first light of sun, the warm body (or bodies) next to you, the fact that your coffee just clicked on, or that you have a job to go to (or that it’s the weekend).  You get the idea!
2. In the Evening — once again, when your head hits the pillow (and before you start to scroll), take a moment to reflect back on your day and go over all the things you are grateful for…or, at the very least, that the day is over and you survived!
3. Alone — you can practice gratitude all on your own.  (No one has to know.)
4. Together — you can rope others in: family, children, coworkers, friends, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or accountability partner.  Make it a group a challenge!
5. Numerical – decide on a fixed number for each day, like one at a time or three a day.
6. Alphabetical — this is my method!  I keep a journal with alphabetized pages where I randomly jot down things that I’m grateful for.  When I’m having a bad day, I can page through the journal quickly to remind myself of all the things that make my heart happy!  And when something occurs to me, it’s easy to find a spot to file it away!
7. Compounding – starting with November 1st, come up with a corresponding number of items for each calendar date (so one on the first, two on the second, three on the third, etc.).  If I added it up correctly, this will result in a total of 465 items on your list!  (Someone, please check my math!)
8. In a Jar — keep a pretty jar or vase with strips of paper handy (on the kitchen counter, in the entry way, or in the living room) where your family can randomly jot down things they are grateful for.  Set a date to empty and read through all the items.
9. On a Tree/Wreath/Garland — likewise, keep sticky cut-outs (you can get these in Michaels) or ribbons or strips of paper near a small indoor tree or wreath and add your thoughts throughout the month. (Or link them together to form a chain.)
10. Through the Mail — set aside thirty blank notecards to jot down one thank you note each day throughout the month!

What about you?  What are your favorite ways to count blessings?  Please share them with me via email (below) or in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Play the Gratitude Game!  We’re halfway through November…it’s not too late to start.  Pick an idea and run with it!  Try it for a month and see if it lives up to the hype.  What have you got to lose?  Or if you have an idea you love, please take the time to share it with me!  Nothing Spreads Happyness like a grateful heart!

And while I’m at it, let me just say again…I’m so grateful for YOU!!!

Spread Happyness — share your favorite Gratitude Game in the comments!

11/13/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #321 – Back to Basics: Stay Connected! (Even in conflict!)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Election-Week-Friday to you all!

It feels like everyone, everywhere, is holding their collective breath…waiting for a decision on this week’s election.

It’s all anyone can talk about.

But today I remembered that many of us lived through this in 2000. Long before we had Facebook and Twitter in our pockets…we waited for OVER a month (it was December 13th!) to find out who our next President would be.

And you know what happened in that time? A lot of life!

The word “connect” brought me back to my post on March 27th of this year…just as we were heading into full shutdown. And now here we are…seven months later, and my thoughts are just about the same, especially at this time of conflict:

Posts, tweets, texting and GIF’s might communicate our thoughts…but they don’t CONNECT us. We need to see people, to look at their faces, to hear their voices, and feel their spirit. Our body language, voices, and verbal communication skills are still so important.  

There are many statistics that argue how much of communication is verbal versus physical…I’ll leave that to you to Google this morning. Most agree that more than half of our communication is in body language alone. And even more is in other non-verbal cues.

But we don’t need a study to know that. Anyone who’s ever lived or worked with another human being long enough knows: it’s not always what we say, but HOW we say it — in tone, body posture, and a little eye-roll here and there!

Even in conflict, a soft voice or relaxed body posture lets others know we’re not in it for the fight…we’re in it for the resolution.

Its a good reminder that Happyness isn’t spread by big effort or rocket-science…it’s in the most basic of communication.  And it’s ours for the giving…any time…free of charge.  Especially at a time such as this. We just need to count to four:

1. Wave Big
2. Smile
3. Say Hello Like You Mean It
4. Ask: How are you doing?

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: BACK TO BASICS!  It’s very easy to shrink back from others in fear (like in March) or in conflict (like now) — or skip the basics and get right into the issues that are top of mind right now (there are SO MANY just to name ONE!).  😀 While both instincts are certainly valid — they aren’t always the things that connect us.  (And in some cases, they might actually threaten to divide and separate us.)  So as you continue to keep yourself safe AND sane — remember to CONNECT with those you encounter.

Just count to four: smile, wave, say hello, and ask “How are you doing?”

Spread Happyness — Stay Connected!

11/6/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com