Gratitude

Have you ever stopped and taken a moment to think about 

how much complaining you do in a day? Sometimes from the moment that alarm goes off (like 25 times if you hit snooze as much as I do) to the moment we drift off to sleep at night, our entire existence revolves around complaining. We tend to live in self-centered, self-serving little bubbles, and are so vocal when things don't align with what I want or how I think it should be. 

I was recently reminded through the book that we are studying at Bible study that I am not the center of the universe. There is so much more to this world than me. Which got me thinking about how much I complain about things, because complaining is, essentially, me saying that my comfort, my ideals, my everything is the most important thing in this world.  

The opposite of complaining is gratitude. Being thankful for things that we so often take for granted.  With these thoughts swirling around in my head, I found a Pinterest post called "30 days of Gratitude." Each day is a simple question to answer about something you are grateful for.  I texted my girls and asked if they would want to do this exercise with me. Each morning I text the question of the day in our group message and all four of us answer it.  It's such a great way to share things that we are grateful for, to spend a few moments each day connecting on a deeper level. These questions can be used as a journal prompt, as a group discussion like we are doing, as personal reflection, as prayer.

In case any of you are feeling the same way I do, that I complain way too often, and am not nearly grateful enough, here are the 30 days of Gratitude questions. Feel free to answer any of them here; I would love to hear some things that you guys are grateful for! My friends and I are on day 5, so I will share my answers for the past few days, too. 

30 Days of Gratitude

#1. What smell are you grateful for today?

Clean laundry. 

#2. What technology are you grateful for?

Grocery stores/refrigeration, so we don't have to hunt and gather on a daily basis. 

#3. What color are you grateful for?

The fiery oranges and pinks of a sunset. There is just something so magical and peaceful in the colors of a sunset. 

#4. What food are you most grateful for?

This one isn't most grateful like the one food I love in life more than any other food, but for the moment of answering this question, I was most grateful for a healthy cereal that I found that was really good and also really good for me. 

#5. What sound are you grateful for today?

My dad singing.  Going through treatment after his cancer surgery, a radiation pill got stuck in his throat and damaged his vocal chords.  I grew up hearing my dad sing, but after his vocal chords were damaged, there were several years where he could barely preach an entire sermon, and singing was out of the question.  God miraculously healed him about 2 years ago, and he could/can sing again.  I choke up every time I hear him. 

#6. What in nature are you grateful for?

#7. What memory are you grateful for?

#8. What book are you most grateful for?

#9. What place you most grateful for?

#10. What taste are you grateful for today?

#11. What holiday are you grateful for? 

#12. What texture are you grateful for? 

#13. What abilities are you grateful for?

#14. What sight are you grateful for today?

#15. What season are you grateful for?

#16. What about your body are you grateful for?

#17. What knowledge are you grateful for?

#18. What piece of art are you grateful for?

#19. What touch are you grateful for?

#20. Who in your life are you grateful for?

#21. What song are you most grateful for?

#22. What story are you grateful for?

#23. What tradition are you grateful for?

#24. What challenge are you grateful for?

#25. What moment this week are you most grateful for?

#26. What form of expression are you most grateful for?

#27. What small thing that you use daily are you most grateful for?

#28. What small thing that happened today are you grateful for?

#29. What friend.family member are you grateful for today?

#30. What talent or skill do you have that you are grateful for?

Let's practice more gratitude, and less complaining. Let's practice acknowledging that Me is not the center of the universe. Let's work on this together. 

-AA