When You Start Thanking God

When I train my mind in gratitude, it does help. It primes me for hopeful thoughts, even when so much seems to go wrong in the world. Today, I began to record what I loved.

Things I Loved About Today

I drank a delicious green smoothie (spinach, kale, oatmeal, pineapple, banana, raspberries, protein powder). When you start strong, the day feels better.  I wrote with a favorite pen in my journal as the sun rose.I drove my daughter to school and listened to Frank Sinatra and Dominos. We sang.I played the same songs as my students arrived to class. We sang.I introduced the power of using analogies with a great courtroom scene with a famous analogy.My students created analogies and even chiasmus for their scholarly definition papers. I felt like a good teacher.A student shared her new favorite poem with me. I love when students share what they love with me.Back in my office, I had a quinoa bowl for lunch with roasted sweet potatoes, veggies, and a cilantro dressing my daughter made.I snacked on crackers and mandarin oranges while creating fresh slides on how to write effective and meaningful academic conclusions.I joined in on a Zoom training on designing syllabi and classrooms for neurodivergent students.I discovered how to find more printer paper for my office printer which finally works after 5 years.I will soon meet with my colleagues in our weekly support meeting where we taste and rate fine chocolate and share our burdens.A few student meetings were canceled, so I could check the news, write, and banter with a media studies professor on the Gwyneth Paltrow ski accident trial which we decided to watch live.I had moments to pray for my children, students, and husband as I walked around campus.I returned a library book and realized how much I love university libraries that can find you any book in the whole wide world and deliver it to your mailbox if you want.I ran into fun professors in the hallway, and we talked about our classes.I graded some student grammar quizzes on using strong verbs that continue to challenge even the best writers.I responded to emails from readers which brightened my day.I thought about what my husband might make for dinner and secretly hoped we would order pizza or Chinese food.I thought about taking a bubble bath and recounting all the ways this day delighted me.

Too often, after I pray about everything going wrong and all the evil around, I forget gratitude. Try to list out twenty things that made life feel good (even if it feels badly sometimes).

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