With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, it’s that time of year when Americans begin to preach “gratitude” again. Along with wholesome Thanksgiving commercials and “what I’m thankful for” discussions, November gives rise to an impossibly put-together sort of influencer: the one who flaunts their perfectly organized gratitude journals, aesthetic lists, and mindfulness practices that reflect the “true meaning” of the holiday.
But what if I don’t have the artistic ability — or the time, for that matter — to sketch out a color-coordinated gratitude journal? What if I keep forgetting to name three things I’m grateful for every morning?
What’s more, even when I don’t misplace my list or forget to journal, looking back at my notes and reading that I’m thankful for “my family”, “my friends”, and “good health” just doesn’t leave an impact. I already know I am thankful for these things. So what’s the point of forcing myself to list them out every year?
That’s why, for the last few weeks, I’ve decided to implement my own method of giving thanks. While it’s not particularly pretty and definitely would not end up on any fall Pinterest boards, it has helped remind me to be grateful for everything in my life.
The idea started when I was waiting for the bus and saw a blue jay in one of the surrounding trees. It was pretty close to where I was standing, so I was able to see the bright blue feathers and intricate black detailing, and on a cloudy Wednesday when I would normally drone about the same, tiresome routine, this sight made me stop and smile for a second. I was going to take a picture to send to my parents, but the bird flew away before I could open my camera, so I wrote a simple bullet point in my notes app: “Saw a blue jay”.
From then on, whenever I had moments like these when I stopped and smiled at something mundane, I wrote it down. It wasn’t every day, and some days there were more bullets than others, but by the end of two weeks I had gathered a list of all the little things that I was grateful for:
November 2nd: Saw a bluejay
November 3rd: Watched my neighbor hug his visiting grandparents
November 6th: Found a creek, went for a drive on a pretty road, saw a caterpillar
November 7th: Laughed on the phone with my sister
November 8th: Caught the sunset while taking out the trash
Yes, there are some gaps, and it’s more of a sporadic list of phrases than a thoughtful journal, but whenever I am feeling overwhelmed or disillusioned with the world in front of me, I can open my notes and see everything I have to be thankful for.
I am thankful for family, friends, and for good health, but moreover, I am thankful for blue jays. I am thankful for sunsets and caterpillars, for running water, for grandparents, and for all the beautiful little things that I don’t always take notice of.
So, this November, if an organized journal of all the grand aspects of life you are grateful for seems overwhelming, try focusing on the small moments, because I’ve found that my list of half-finished thoughts about caterpillars and creeks has revealed to me, more than anything, the true spirit of Thanksgiving.