One of the best tools we can take advantage of on our way to live a happier, more contented life is practicing gratefulness/gratitude. In case you are looking for some inspiration/ideas on what one can be grateful for, keep reading.
I thought long and hard about how I will go about this, which format to use. The thing is, I am still not sure. So I’ll just start and try something. If I, or, more importantly, you, don’t like it, I will try something different until we’re happy with it. So, if you have any suggestions/feedback, please send me an email.
OK, here it goes, my gratefulness log.
I will not bore you into oblivion by listing every single thing I am grateful for. What you will find here is an excerpt of all the things I am grateful for. Some examples/inspiration/ideas to help you get started in case you’ve never done this before, or you not in a good place and are therefore a bit stuck to see the good in your life, or both.
In 2020 I am grateful…
… the recent mindset shift after a long involuntary break. It brought me back to my goals, projects and keeps me going outside my comfort zone. Small steps for now, but I know they will get bigger.
… the grit to fix this website by myself yesterday when some plugin caused it to not function properly.
… my LI mastermind group.
… that I have found a Spanish teacher with a mean (as in good) sense of humor. It is soooo much fun.
… for having a roof over our heads (even though it’s leaking at times). Especially in this Irish fall weather.
… that I was able to keep the 9 kg/20 lb. I lost while I was sick off without too much hassle.
… that my Dad and my brother spent the night at the rented apartment after the wedding. That made things so much easier.
… that Janine’s and Stefan’s wedding was so fantastic. We couldn’t have imagined it any better. And that we could attend it with all the restrictions going on.
… the Coach being open again. I really missed going over there.
… our landlords. They’re super nice and always take care of things right away.
… the walks with Christine.
… that my two aunts and most of my cousins could make it to my mom’s funeral.
… that my mom didn’t have to suffer for long before she passed away. As sad as it is, I am sure she checked out
… the staff at St. Michaels hospital in Dun Laoghaire. They were such darlings, which made the stay almost a pleasure.
… Matt being so attentive while I was sick.
… for being able to work from our balcony.
… the Coach finally opening the off licence and selling take-away food.
… the 6 Minute Journal Janine gave me for Christmas.
… that it is important for Janine to have me there when she is looking for “the dress”.
… once more for modern technology. I don’t even want to imagine what this whole situation would be like without it.
… that Matt and I are getting along surprisingly well during the lockdown.
… to be able to work from home without any pay cuts or anything like that.
… that we were able to give my Dad a nice 80th Birthday. Something just his cup of tea. Nothing big, but not an average day either.
… the good time I had during my visit back home, with the people of my home town.
In 2019 I am grateful…
… Stefan’s proposal to Janine. They are good for each other. When you are that far away from home you want your child to be happy even more because you cannot always be there right away in case you’re needed. And I know that made her very happy.
… that my friends in Germany understand that I am not spending as much time with them when I am there as I used to.
… still being part of the Location Indie online community.
… the lovely weather we had today.
… that gorgeous cup of cappuccino. The barista bar in work is just fantastic.
… the great time I had with my cousins and aunts when I visited them again in Bavaria. I spent a lot of my childhood there and then life got in the way and the visits were rather scarce. But this year, again, it was like I haven’t gone for long. Made me feel at home again.
… that I was able to visit my aunt in Austria again. She’s 97 and still very clear upstairs. I love listening to her when she talks about her childhood and other things of a time long gone.
… my friends.
… that my mom can still live at home (She suffers from dementia). Even though it gets increasingly difficult for my Dad and it will not be possible for a lot longer.
… for the super nice and interesting new colleague.
…that I have finally booked my one week away with the help of my husband. It was crazy, I just couldn’t decide on what to do or when to go. Not that I couldn’t think of anything. There were too many things I wanted to do, too little time, and too low a budget to do them all. Talking about first world problems.
… that I have found a way to consistently write/work on this project. It has been a bit patchy.
…that my tax saver ticket (my yearly pass of public transport) was found and dropped off a the garda station after I had lost it on my way home from the airport.
… that my friend is helping me getting ahead, by agreeing to be my accountability partner.
… to be able to help my Dad out a bit with caring for my Mom. It gives him a bit of relief (even though he is a bit of a control freak and it is a bit hard for him to let go) and it is very rewarding. The time I spend with my Mom now is different, our relationship has changed but it is still nice. Sad, but nice.
… for my hot water bottle
… that I managed to pull off the leaving present for a dear friend of mine, as a lot of organization was involved which is not one of my strong suits.
… that I have four weeks of unpaid leave extra this year in order to support my family a bit more.
… yet another smooth flight from Dublin to Frankfurt.
In 2018 I am grateful…..
… that I didn’t give in to my inner saboteur yesterday. He tried to talk me out of going for a little hike along our coastline with perfect temperature and a clear blue sky. Go figure.
It was like a scene out of a movie when someone has a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other. You wouldn’t believe all the reasons he (the saboteur) came up with to convince me not to go.
Well, I won and it was a fantastic walk.
… that our home is so well connected to the public transport system. If it wouldn’t be for that, we would really be stuck on mornings like this one, when our little car decided that it just can’t be bothered to take us anywhere today.
… for the apple the shop owner cut in half for my hubby and myself to try when he saw us debating about which sort of apple we should get. The funny thing was that he seemed to think we don’t know any English because we spoke German to each other. He raised an apple to his mouth and mimicked eating it, which was meant as an offer for us to taste it. I thought that was really nice.
… that I had the lid on my travel mug this morning because I slipped at the reception area at work. Oh my, what a mess that would have been. Like this, not a drop made it to the floor. In case you were wondering, I didn’t fall. Just one of those numbers when you slip and jerk your arm up. And, luckily no one was walking right behind me either. So actually this is a three in one. Good thing I had the lid, I didn’t fall and nobody behind me.
… that I had the opportunity again to join the Location Indie community this time. Another one of my challenges is that am working on becoming location independent. Location Indie is a community of folks who either are location independent or want to get there. I joined about two weeks ago and love it. Every time after I come out of a webinar or a workshop I am all fired up and full of motivation and inspiration.
… that I was able to be focused more than usual at the office today. I really got a lot done that I was avoiding for a while.
… that I followed through with eating some of the proverbial frogs at the office today. It feels so good to have that weight lifted. Those frogs weren’t any major ones, but the little ones add up if you don’t tackle them on a regular basis.
… that we had some leftovers of the yummy pasta my hubby cooked the other night. It is delicious and was super quick. Let me tell you when I am hungry, I better get something to eat soon. That’s why I eat a lot of junk if there’s nothing in the house that can be fixed quickly enough.
… that my hubby charged the car battery last night so the car was readily available this morning again.
… that the days are noticeably starting to get longer again. It is still not quite dark at 5.30 pm which is fantastic. Like this, it is still bright when I am on my way home from work. Unless I stay late of course.
… that I have learned how to strike up a conversation with a stranger. I would have been too shy before I came to Ireland. I used to be worried about what they might think and sometimes just left it. But my experiences are really good. People are very friendly 95% of the time, the other 5% are indifferent to my experience, which is fine. But I have never come across anyone who was rude in those situations.
… again, for the lid on my travel mug as I knocked it over on the counter at the barista bar. The place would’ve been flooded otherwise. Not sure what this clumsiness is all about lately, but I have been really lucky.
… for the super delicious pulled-pork-hoi-min-sauce-on-a-brioche-bun-sandwich I had for lunch at our canteen today. It was pure bliss. Yum. And I am fairly sure you don’t hear this too often about canteen food 😉
… that I remembered to get some toothpaste today. It’s not like I didn’t know I needed a new one. On the contrary. For the past few days, I scraped together all the miniature samples you get on airplanes or sometimes hotels and squeezed the very last bit out of the tube this morning. It can be so annoying. One minute, while using up the last bit of XYZ, you think “Oh, I mustn’t forget to get XYZ tomorrow/later/….”. And then, as soon as you turn around, that thought is gone because your attention did a runner when it spotted something far more interesting. And the next time you notice is when you need it. Urgh.
… that I had a good night’s sleep and started to wake up before the alarm went off at 5.55 am. This hasn’t happened in a very long time.
… that I managed to stick to my schedule at the office today. Despite quite a few technical issues, I still got things done.
… for the sunshine we had today. One appreciates it so much more if one gets so little of it and it sure does lift my spirit.
… that I made my train even though I didn’t j-walk. I stopped at this pedestrian light because there were children on the far side and I don’t j/walk when children are near. We stood there for a full 3 minutes, I kid you not, watching nothing going by before we could cross.
In case you’re wondering why I mention this like it is a great accomplishment not to j-walk. Over here, well in Dublin anyway, not sure about the other Irish cities, it is fairly common not to say the norm to check if there are any cars/bikes/scooters to decide whether or not one should cross instead of checking the pedestrian light.
That’s how you can usually spot tourists. The usually heed them. And every now and then you can hear them comment on those who don’t.
… that my co-worker sent a reminder about the fault at our water reservoir and that we need to boil our water before drinking or freezing it or using it to brush our teeth. I had totally forgotten about it. So I guess I have no choice but to switch to wine tonight 😉
… for the super nice dart conductor who actually waited for me. This has never happened before. Bus, yeah, Dart, no.
… for Suffragettes, and the movie about them. It made me realize that what I had taken for granted all my adult life, to be able to vote, is actually a privilege. Something for which a lot of people sacrificed a lot, to say the least. Yeah, I know, it took me all of 34 years to cop-on.
… for Heath Armstrong’s very detailed training/seminar on how to start selling on Amazon. He made it look so fun and easy. Let’s see when I will work up the guts to try it myself.
… that I got my hands on some painkillers to get rid of my headache. I don’t get a lot of headache’s and if I do they’re usually not too bad so I can wait them out. Today was different.
… that I have learned to appreciate an arising opportunity to get outside my comfort zone. Even though I may not take them all up, it does make a huge difference in getting ahead in the direction of my goal.
… for modern technology (for the most part). It allows me to be in touch with my loved ones back in Germany and the rest of the world on a regular basis without having to pay an arm and a leg.