Moments of GRATITUDE
As seen in Positive Tribe Magazine
“Summertime, time, time”, sang in my best Janis Joplin voice, was my favorite time of the year when I was a high school teacher. On the last day of school, every year, without fail, I skipped through the hallways singing “school’s out for summer!” Alice Cooper would have been proud. By June, I was burnt out and needed a break.
Summer is synonymous with freedom, adventure, fun. It is a time to explore new places, catch up on projects, and do things I want to do. “Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street.” (David Bowie.)
There were always a few friends I could count on to be up for anything. We jumped in the car usually with a destination in mind but weren’t afraid to veer from the path if something piqued our interest. These road trips fueled our depleted reservoirs and gave us Moments of GRATITUDE to reflect on all year. We joked that our favorite teacher mantra was “June, July, and August.” By June, we needed a break, time to unwind, refresh, and rejuvenate.
As much as I loved meeting my new students each year, the new school year meant that I had to say goodbye to my friend – Summer – after eight glorious weeks together. The feeling of routine set in. I questioned why I wasn’t having adventures all year long. This is not something unique to teachers. Too often people share with me that they are just going through the motions of life, and not really experiencing it. They claim to be so busy they can barely breathe. However, they don’t consider themselves to be unhappy – they are well…fine.
FINE? Who wants to just be fine? That’s not how this GRATITUDE Gangsta wants to experience life. Let’s explore how you can tap into that summertime feeling all year long. Grab a piece of paper. Draw four columns.
Here’s the fun part.
Daydream.
Daydream about…
- New restaurants you want to try.
- Places you want to visit – locally as well as globally.
- Friends you’ve been meaning to call but haven’t.
- Books you want to read.
- Classes you want to take.
- Things you liked to do as a child.
- What makes you laugh
In each column, jot down different activities that you know you can do in the allotted time frame that energize you, make you smile, and feel anything better than fine.
If you’re stuck, download my free GRATITUDE calendar at http://bit.ly/GRATcal Each day there is a different action step you can take that adds value to your life.
Add the extravagant ones to the list, the I don’t know how I’m going to pay for them adventures, as well as the free ones. I just Googled (crazy how that is now a verb) “free things to do in Fort Lauderdale,” and got a list of free or near-free things to do. I love exploring my city as a tourist. There were a few things on the list that I haven’t done before.
A few times a week, I head to the beach to watch the sunrise. While there, I do a live video on Instagram so that others can share the experience with me. I’ve connected with some of the nicest people around the world. The whole sunrise adventure takes about an hour that includes waking up, getting dressed and travel time. Cost $0. My inner child squeals with delight each morning I’m there. Will it be clear enough to spot the sun the second it peaks out through the horizon? Each time I see the orange ball of fire rising through the sky, I’m in awe. It’s a new adventure every day.
This morning ritual has reminded me to not take advantage of time. If I dilly dally and don’t leave my house at a certain time, I will miss the whole experience. It also reminds me to say yes to myself. Every day I watch the sunrise, I start the day off with a new adventure.
That’s the whole point. Schedule adventures into your day – you just made a whole list of them. Why wait for summer vacation to create these delicious Moments of GRATITUDE? Give yourself permission to spend ten minutes in the middle of the day (if that’s all you have) to read a few pages of a juicy novel, or to put your feet on the desk and zone out to some tunes.
Post the chart in your office, on the refrigerator, and on the bathroom mirror. Add to it regularly. Whenever you’re feeling a lull in your energy – do an activity on the list. Think about it, if you did one activity a day, you would have more energy, actually, experience living versus just going through the motions and feel much better than FINE.
