The Art of Being Grateful

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This thing called ‘grateful’ that I am trying to be, what is it?

I need a clear goal to know where to aim and to be sure of hitting the mark.

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The dictionary is a good place to start. A definition. A meaning.

“warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful: I am grateful to you for your help. expressing or actuated by gratitude: a grateful letter. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing: a grateful breeze.” -www.dictionary.com

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It’s an adjective… a describing word.

According to Psychology Today, Gratitude is an emotion expressing an appreciation for what one has, as opposed to what one wants, . Furthermore, Harvard Medical School offers that gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what one receives – tangible or intangible – as they acknowledge the goodness in their lives.

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This feeling is one of positivity: the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude. Making choices to focus on the good. See the cup as half full instead of half empty. When I first decided to start drawing the things I was grateful for back in April 2009, I honestly struggled. Some days were not so hard but others… wow, they tested me! There were times I was being such a ‘lovable Eeyore’ that I had to ask hubby for some help. But over time I began to see changes. One grateful list at a time, Drawing one of the things on that list each day. and bit by bit I’ve seen major mindset shifts.

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For that I am overwhelmingly grateful.

But the journey is nowhere near over! I may be much better than I used to be but I’ve realised this is a conscious life choice I need to be making on the daily.

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I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head now for awhile to combine my grateful drawings with some thoughts on the art of being grateful. What do you think? Would you be interested in pondering these things with me? I hope so.

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And to that end, here’s my first week of drawings for 2021. Enjoy!