One of the items on my “20 for 2020” list was to begin a Daily Gratitude practice. With all the 2’s playing out today (02-02-2020), I thought I’d share 2 of the things that have appeared most often on those daily lists, which I have been regularly keeping (except for 2 misses) since January 1st.
I am so very grateful for our new home and all that has entailed this month.
While the month was busy with expanding to-do lists, juggling various subcontractors, and the physical exhaustion of moving and settling in, there were also many moments of pure bliss. I’m grateful for hubby’s ability to complete so many of those to-do’s. I’m grateful for a conscientious contractor who has worked through two garage-building snafu’s and kept everything on schedule. I’m grateful for friends who have popped in to see what we are doing and being so complimentary of the space (even with the mess it is) and the view. I do believe I’ve seen more sunrises in the past month that in my whole life, as it’s a joy to watch it rise over the water.
I am grateful to be shifting from moving-mode to living-mode.
I already love living in this new space – with its large kitchen counters, lots of windows, and amazing back yard. The location has allowed me to link into a new yoga studio I am really pleased with and continue the connection to neighbors/friends I had begun in last year’s snowbird time. Even though the weather has been unseasonably cool (for Florida), I’ve been able to enjoy how close we are to the beach.
I am finding that writing three things I am grateful for each day really helps keep me positive and more in the moment. Yes, the to-do list is still long, especially as we look towards into the next stages of the move. But I am also grateful that most of the upcoming challenges are “good ones” to have.
Do you have any intentional daily gratitude practice?
Picture: today’s sunrise… with the new fish flag hubby put up.
retirementtransition 
Great post! Being grateful for all the little things around us is a key to happiness. I have uploaded an article on my website written by my daughter titled things to be grateful for – https://authorjoannereed.net/things-to-be-grateful-for/ – Feel free to check it out!
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Fab resolution and best wishes. I find turning to gratitude a very healing experience and I do my best to dig deeper into this practice in every situation. As regards to ‘to do lists’, I heard on a radio show recently about the presenter’s idea of maintaining a ‘to be list’ instead. Brilliant concept and made me glow in an instant. See if this sits well with you.
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An interesting idea … a to be list. My vision statement is a “to be” so maybe I am halfway there!
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Hello Pat! I enjoyed reading the detail of your gratitude. Those are all truly things to appreciate. Congratulations on your big move. I am so pleased to hear that you are enjoying it. Got to love those sunsets! I do have several gratitude practices: I include a gratitude portion in my morning meditation; I periodically ask myself what three good things have happened throughout the day; and I end my day with a gratitude journal of sorts. Of course, I also have my monthly Thank You Notes post. I find it helps me appreciate all the wonderful things (large and small) in life.
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Christie, I really enjoy your monthly posts. They always remind me about things I am thankful for as well. I am continuing the daily gratitude practice and now giving myself permission to repeat… like today’s beautiful sun-shining morning for beach yoga. I find the daily gratitude really settles me… and that’s helpful with everything going on with this move. Especially when I realize that the biggest part of it is still to come (selling the Ohio house and moving full time to Florida! – Ack!).
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well done on the move – hope you love it. I don’t have a deliberate practice of being grateful, although I am always grateful for the life I have. It’s nice to remember that and keep other things in perspective.
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I agree, gratitude does keep life in perspective.
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I write my gratefuls in a journal and I always ask PC to think of what he’s thankful for, too. And then we go to sleep!
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Leslie, Love it that your hubby joins in. Mine rolls his eyes when I try and engage him in any of my “things” – whether it’s self discovery tools or any positivity or spirituality thinking. He does read my blog posts so he knows what I’m thinking, but he’s much more a live in the moment, be spontaneous in the day, don’t think about it kinda guy. Yeah, exact opposite of me – the over-thinking planner. 🙂
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I’ve been considering starting my GratiTuesday posts again, so thanks for the prompt! Your view is gorgeous… what a lovely way to start your day.
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Janice, I remember really liking your GratiTuesday posts! Right now, I’m struggling to get one post a week out….just so much going on, and it’s mostly good stuff. I will not beat myself up about this though. I’m going to be grateful for the fact it’s mostly good stuff happening!!
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Life should always win out over blog posts. I’m happy that so many good things are happening for you!
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What a lovely positive post Pat, your gratitude shines through. That view is fabulous! #mlstl
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Gosh I missed the memo about moving but how good is this news! Congratulations. Nice to feel settled. I am longing for that time…we have been renting for 5 years and cannot really see a future house that is ours for a while.
Still, I did pop in here as well to congratulate you on maintaining gratitude. This word being MY word for 2020 and to be honest not all days have been great (fires and heat waves, now it’s raining so thats better) and I realise sometimes gratitude means digging deep.
Happy 2020 Pat,
Denyse #MLSTL
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Denyse, There’s been inklings but not any full memo…mostly because the “move” is multi-step. We still have our place up north, but the plan is for this new Florida house to be the single one. The original plan was for all this to happen in a few years, but we found “the house”… and now need to move up the plans. First steps were to renovate, move over from the snowbird cottage, and sell the cottage. All that’s underway. Then we deal with up north, which is the BIG move stuff.
I have multiple friends who have switched to apartment living at this time of their lives and are loving it. They have no worry about yard work or home maintenance. They love the freedom it offers. A couple love to be able to “close up and travel” – without any worry. One girlfriend was even talking about finding an apartment in another city for a year (across the country) just for the experience of living there.
While gratitude is not my WOTY, I have is as one of my 20 for 2020 items and am very pleased with how it’s working so far. You’re right, not all days have been great (not sure I mentioned in any post the extreme physical pain when I overdid the physical moving of stuff… I need to remember that the body is not as strong as it used to be!), but I am finding it helpful to look at at least three things a day to be grateful for (on one pain day, I was grateful for ice bags already in the freezer! – LOL).
Have a great week.
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Sounds like you are settling in well to your new home, Pat. Change can be challenging but having an attitude of gratitude and appreciating the small things each day certainly helps. Looks like a very calming spot. I live near the ocean and make a point each morning to sit on my balcony and enjoy the beauty of nature. Thanks for sharing at #MLSTL and enjoy your week. xx
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Sue, I had to chuckle about sitting outside. It’s clear we are on opposite sides of the world. Even in sunny Florida, it is winter – this morning it was 10C. Not a sit outside for coffee moment. But I do wonder about when I’m going to be able to shift my morning coffee & journal habit there. I have been able to spend some early afternoons sitting outside – when the sun was still on the patio and the wind wasn’t strong. I’ve also been very intrigued with the shifting sunshine direction (in just a month) and have wondered how the earth’s rotation will play out all year long! This space calls for outdoor time… and I’m excited about living that.
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Hi Pat perhaps a coffee by the fire then 😊 sounds cozy. I forget that because Queensland has a tropical climate or Winters are very mild although Summers can be hot and humid. I’m currently sitting on my balcony watching a wild ocean as it is raining. It’s a beautiful sight. Xx
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Congrats on your new home! And it sounds like you’re in a great community.
I don’t necessarily keep and write what I’m grateful but when something is bothering or making me angry I do turn to looking at something in the moment I can be grateful for.
For instance, I lost my job a few months back yet at the same time I was grateful that I had my mom to stay with for a bit. I dreaded it but being around her so much has helped strengthen our relationship.
Warmly,
Allison
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Allison, Over the past few years, I’ve been working more trying to see the positive in “bad things”. But daily gratitude is new and it’s been mind-opening. I try hard to not “repeat” or to find a new aspect of something if it is a repeat. Right now, I could be saying I’m grateful for my new view every single day! I am, but try to find other things to note down in my list. I’m glad the time with your mom helped strengthen your relationship! That is something to truly be grateful for.
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I’m with ya. I did daily gratitude and found I was repeating so often. I may start again yet not repeat. I journal (sorta bullet journal my own way, lol) and it would be cool to track my daily gratitude there.
Thanks for rekindling the idea for me.
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Pat, congratulations on settling into your new home. Construction projects big or small can be a headache, so it seems like you got lucky with your contractor. I’m grateful for waking up in sunny FLORIDA every day and I know you will be also when you make your final transition. Welcome!
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Suzanne, I am not at all looking forward to heading back north. Last year I had mixed feelings – I was missing things from up there – friends, activities, stuff. Now, I think my mental state is shifting to living here. Still a lot to do – the “real move” in fact…which is also making me anxious about heading north. Yeah, waking up to sun most days (we had fog and rain three times this week – LOL), is amazing!
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That view is certainly something beautiful to wake up to each morning Pat. I’m not sure it would entice me to get up early enough for the sunrise, but it’d be a delightful outlook for coffee drinking during the day. I loved your gratitude post and I think it’s a great idea for your 20/20 theme.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊
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Hi Leanne, Thanks for continuing the MLSTL….even on weeks I don’t have a post to share, I link in to see what’s there. I’m not sure why I’m getting up before the sun these days… it’s a definite new thing. As the sunrise gets earlier and earlier (longer daylight hours), I expect that will change. And you are correct, the view is lovely at all times of the day, and even in all types of weather.
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Hi Pat, good for you for keeping note of the daily gratitudes. I have been using my planner and jotting them down weekly. I agree with you that it does help me to stay positive and enjoy the moments. Good luck with the moving in and do take time to enjoy those sunrises!
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Hey Michele, Thanks for the encouragement. I’m hitting about 3-4 sunrises a week… but now they are starting to get earlier. Ah well, the water view is also amazing at mid-day, mid-afternoon, happy hour…I’m still floored every time I look out at it, and hope that continues.
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Pat, like you I enjoy a colourful sunrise. Makes for a great start to any day of the week. #MSTL
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I’ve never been a sunrise watcher. But there is something about watching the colors in the sky that I’m loving right now. And sunrise being later at this time of year is helping.
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l suppose most people aren’t sunrise lovers due to the time. Winter is much favourable 🙂
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I know I don’t express my gratitude often enough. So thanks for the reminder!
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Tom, you’re welcome! And yeah, you’re reminding me I need to express some of these to others, not just note them down myself!
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There is nothing like seeing a sunrise over the water. Glad your move is going well – mostly though, I’m glad you’re beginning to transition into living rather than moving mode.
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Thanks Jo. This week has definitely felt like “living”. I’m feeling the urge to plan things!
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I weave it into my day and recognize moments, thoughts and places that evoke gratitude.
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Bernie, I’m not that great in all-day thinking about gratitude… I’m hoping over time that this daily practice will make me more in the moment as well.
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A dear friend gave me a “one line a day” journal when I began my retirement several months ago. I’ve been relatively faithful in jotting down activities, observations, etc. although I’ve missed a few days. Your post prompted me to pick up the journal and complete my entry for yesterday; perhaps it belongs in my daily morning routine just before the crossword puzzle. I did try to include one gratitude item each day but that didn’t seem to work well for me. What works better is a list of 52 gratitude prompts for a weekly discipline (e.g., ”One family member I am grateful for is…”). I turn to it nearly every day for a few moments of reflection. Sometimes a response comes to me quickly, other prompts require more contemplation, sometimes the answer that bubbles up is surprising.
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Liz, You made me curious – I looked at the one line a day journals, but my morning journaling is usually 1-2 pages, so that type of journal won’t really work for me. I have added my Daily Gratitude to that aspect of my morning routine (journaling) and have a separate section in my morning journal for it. I’ve used prompts before in my morning journaling, but have not seen the 52 gratitude prompts. Where did you find them?
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I found the prompts in an older article on the Chopra Center site: https://chopra.com/articles/52-gratitude-prompts-for-52-weeks-of-appreciation.
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thanks!! got it.
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I try to give spontaneous thanks and gratitude throughout the day. I am guilty of not doing this every day, but would love to make it a daily routine. There is so very much to be grateful for, thanks for sharing your Daily Gratitude Practice. Gorgeous photo by the way ~ looks like a little piece of Heaven on Earth!
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I am hoping my daily practice will start me noticing more during the day to be grateful for. But the morning practice definitely sets me up in a positive space every morning!
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Hi Pat!
I aim for two times a day to reflect on gratitude….once on the way into work giving thanks to God for allowing me to wake up and try again to live out His will and once on the way home to find three things in my day that I can be grateful for, in the hopes it sets the tone of my interactions with the family for the evening. Peace my friend!
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Michael, I really like the on the way home idea – if I was still working, I’d definitely think about adding that. I know my morning routine really sets my day up in a good way. Good to “hear” from you!
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