If you follow me on Instagram (@jenkracoff) you know that for about a month now, most nights I have posted a “Daily Gratitude” in my IG Story.
Here’s the backstory.
A few months ago, my friend Heather who had some less-than-ideal health circumstances began sharing a few things each night that she was grateful for. At first I kind of ignored it, because “gratitude” is such a woo-woo buzz word. But each night she posted it and I really began to read it.
What I liked is that rather than general things (health, happiness, family) she focused on small things that typically might go overlooked. For example, less traffic than usual on the way home. Or, no line at the pharmacy.
I don’t really know when or why, but I decided to share some of my own. It indirectly made me more mindful, as I was examining little bits of my day for small moments or things that brought me joy, Kairos, or awareness. It started almost becoming a fun challenge – I would keep a running note on my phone and jot down things as they happened, and at the end of each day I’d share about 5 of them on Instagram.
Here are some examples, in case you aren’t on IG: The joy Raven gets from knocking things off the counter; when Maya and I stop in silence outside to hear the birds chirp; Turmeric tea; 20 minutes to myself; stretching out the arches in my feet, the moment when the sky clears and the sun comes out.
It’s been about a month and I’ve kept up with it almost every night.
Here is what has NOT happened: I haven’t stopped feeling exhausted or frustrated. I haven’t stopped sometimes bursting into tired tears or needing to take a deep breath when everything is too much. I haven’t felt happy all the time. (Duh.)
Here is what HAS happened: I’m more mindful. I look forward to finding those moments each day and noticing things that a month ago I would’ve ignored. While I do sometimes blanket statement (“Today was a rough day”), because that’s life and I’m human, I am much more aware of smaller moments and can identify wonderful things in spite of other difficulties.
The other very cool thing is that I have connected with many, many people over this. Each night, at the bottom of my gratitude sharing, it says “What’s yours?” And each night, several people (sometimes the same ones, sometimes different ones) send me a message telling me what they are grateful for. I have gotten no fewer than 10 messages from different people telling me they have begun being more mindful of those little moments as well, because of having read mine. (Heather, credit to you – look at how you’re paying it forward!!)
When I first started blogging the best thing was connecting with others and this is having the same effect.
So, whether you write it down or post it or think it or share it with me, I encourage you to think each day:
What are you grateful for? What brought you joy today? What made time stand still, even for a brief moment? There are big things, and maybe you’re grateful for your family, your children, your health, your job, your house. Of course. But notice the little things. The little moments. They’re there, even on the roughest of days.
