Reverse Gratitude

IAT = I am thankful

I'm doing that one thing again. Taking advantage of November and the blessings that can be had if we are just AWARE. With the big box stores jumping the gun on Christmas BEFORE Halloween has it's chance at ghosties, and goblins, and things that go trick or treat in the night, we see Christmas decorations, trees, lights, all lined up, ready for purchase. Being the last minute planner that I am, this is never a temptation or problem for me. I have a tendency to be wandering the aisles a few days before Christmas, scratching my head because I can't find what I want, and wondering why I didn't plan a little better!

But the tendency for MOST seems to be to skip what I feel is one of the best Holidays out there. Thanksgiving. We jump from Halloween to Christmas and jam 'turkey day" right in the midst of it, without really thinking how it can bless us. It's been at least the last five years, that I have spent every day in November being MINDFUL of my blessings. I can't tell you how that prepares my heart for the most wonderful blessed time of the year!

The benefits of gratitude are endless. I won't catalogue them here, but here's JUST a few.

WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO be GRATEFUL???

I just heard of the most awesome gratitude practice. I am going to call it reverse gratitude because instead of being a bucket list, that's what it becomes. So, two ways to approach it. You could

a) Think of how your life would BE, if you started subtracting your blessings. You might journal about one or two of those things. Example: a special family member. 

For me it's my GRANNY. When I think of her and the life she lived and the example she was to me....it means everything. Because I DIDN'T have a mother most of my life. I DIDN'T have a typical father, never have, never will. I DIDN'T have a supportive family with only 2 or 3 exceptions. But I DID have an amazing GRANNY. I look back on nearly every interaction with her and realize what a blessing it was. The tender mercy extended to me in the midst of such absence. I'm so grateful for it I can hardly stand it.

 b) Reverse a bucket list to become gratitude. Have you ever made a bucket list? Does it light you up or bring you down? If it's motivating you to have, do, be, keep it up for sure! But, if it shows you every day all the things your AREN'T accomplishing...ditch it.

Instead, make a list of all the amazing things you HAVE done. Amazing is in the eye of the beholder. Is it amazing to give someone a ride who would have had to hitch hike? Is it amazing to drop off Christmas on someones doorstep? Is it amazing to travel to a foreign country or even another state you've never seen? Is it amazing to lay in bed with a sick child and comfort them? Is it amazing to stay up on the phone till 2 am and prevent a suicide? Kind of puts things in perspective when you think about it. Do me a favor. Make that reverse bucket list. Call it a gratitude list. Share something with me. I'll share ten below. In no particular order.

1. Visiting the Holy land.
2. Helping 2 people recover from PTSD.
3. Preventing at least 2 suicides.
4. Graduating from college.
5. Being married for THIRTY YEARS!
6. A miscarriage. (Helped me appreciate those who lose so many, and those I carried to term)
7. Having 7 beautiful children.
8. Having a home on 8 acres. How fortunate!
9. Thousands of teaching moments with my children and friends.
10. Visiting Russia.

I look back and think, that's a lot! And I'm really grateful to have accomplished each of them for different reasons. I am pretty sure I could turn that list into 100. How about you?

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