She said at the end of every day write down three things: one thing you were grateful for in the day, one thing that surprised you, and something that made you happy. Simple, right? It definitely took me a long time to regularly get in the habit of thinking about it and writing them down, but once I started to do it regularly, I can honestly say I sleep a little better and wake up a little fresher.
Usually I just jot down the three things from that very simply, not a lot explanation written by it because I know it in my head; for the sake of this blog post, I will elaborate on my day's 3 realizations.
Grateful: My beautiful lab Lovey. Lovey has been in our family for 7 years and I have enjoyed every minute (mostly) with her. She really is so lovable and the sweetest lab you will ever encounter. As I am home for a brief fall break, I walked in the door expecting her wagging tail but instead I saw her laying on the floor post intensive surgery. My parents said they almost had to put her down; she had four tumors. It was so shocking seeing her like this, when just two months ago I said goodbye to her perfectly happy and seeing her running around like a puppy. The next few days were hard, but today I saw so much improvement in her and-que the cheesiness- I was just so grateful to see her back wagging her tail and basking in the sun. It is so easy to take advantage of the presence of a pet, but when things take a turn for the worse, it puts it in perspective. Lovey is my best friend and I am eternally grateful to have her in my life.
Surprising: Today I found the beauty of the fall leaves surprising. Down in Southern California we kind of skip the fall and go straight from summer leaves to dead, barren trees. Not all that exciting. Since I am home for a couple days, I have just been surprised at the pure and raw beauty that my home town has to offer. Every time I come home I expect the beautiful hills, but I am still taken aback at how stunning this place I call home is. The leaves everywhere are golden and orange. It is just breathtaking, and today it surprised me. In the best way possible of course!
Happy: Again, mushy...but my family made me happy today. They make me happy most days, but taking in my last day with them before heading back to school, I was just happy to be around them! We definitely are a crazy family but I love every minute of it, so I am going to go sleep smiling thinking about our adventures together.
Above: My beautiful momma and I celebrating
our birthdays this past August.
Right: Family beach day! Yes, it was in the summer, but say hello to the rest of the family!
Thanks mom for playing photographer.
Overall, I have just found that these little exercises have helped me with my general attitude and well being throughout the day and especially when I go to sleep. Since I tend to carry all my stress right before I go to sleep, this helps relieve some of that and end on a note that will typically leave me with even the slightest smile.
Let me know if you decide to try it out and if you think it helps!
xo,
Alexandra S.
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