A Sense of Gratitude

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

G.K. Chesterton

Here’s another great activity for helping to recognize and give thanks for the many things we love—some big and some little. Take six pages (use your gratitude journal if you like), and number each page from 1 to 20. Next, put one of the following headings on each page: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell, and More.

Now, in each category, list 20 things that you love, that bring you pleasure, and that you are grateful for. Use the “More” list for some of the (usually) big things in your life that don’t have a logical “fit” in the other categories, such as relationships with the important people in your life. Just list whatever comes naturally under “More,” don’t worry if you don’t have 20. But for the each of the other categories, really try to list at least 20 things.

Don’t feel limited by the obvious. For instance, for the sense of hearing, certain songs, or pieces of music may come immediately to mind, but what about the sound of a child’s laughter—or a teenager’s key in the door lock when he’s finally home after taking the car out for the first time? Once you get going, I’m willing to bet they’ll come pretty quickly. And when you’re done, you’ll have identified more than 100 sources of joy in your life. Not bad, huh? Definitely something to be thankful for…

An Attitude of Gratitude