Skewed Gratitude again..!

(I am revisiting this topic from a 2019 post ’cause it just makes sense to me!)

I’m feeling grateful for stuff that never happened!

I spilled the hot chocolate all over the counter. At least it didn’t go into the silverware drawer.

And there was the leaking roof in that August. At least it was only half the roof and thus half the cost.

And that breast cancer diagnosis…at least it wasn’t a Stage 4.

I don’t really think I am a Pollyanna, that sunny and fictitious orphan. But my “at least” habit seems like a great coping mechanism! For me, the gratitude-for-what-hasn’t-happened mindset has been a way of using my hperactive imagination for good.

Pollyanna (of the book and the movie) used her imagination by seeing the good in people. She frequently played “The Glad Game”, where she attempted to find something to appreciate in every situation no matter how unfortunate. She even chose to be grateful for receiving crutches in the missionary package instead of a doll one Christmas because it was great that she didn’t actually need them!

Have you ever experienced gratitude

• for what wasn’t,
• for what you didn’t have,
• for what didn’t happen?

Haven’t you ever been aware that things could be worse? Have you ever said to yourself, ‘at least no one died”? You know that things could always be worse!

It’s such a reminder that our experiences can be either blessings or lessons and that we can be grateful in either case!

And I can vouch that my “at least” habit brings me daily boosts of positive emotions and, even on occasion, rueful laughter!

That half glass…

Remember that “half full, half empty glass” question? And did you ever realize how many different perspectives you could have on it? I guess it all depends on which half we are focused on, which half we are giving our attention to, which half we have chosen to measure! I really like this idea about […]

Change the clocks…again?

Well, did you “fall back” today? After all, it’s the end of Daylight Savings Time for this year. I love this image as it questions our “logical” minds! (How long is your blanket?) Did we really gain an hour of daylight this year? Is it just a metal illusion, a trick we play on ourselves? […]

Thermometer or thermostat?

Given our ever-changing weather, have you been messing around with your house thermostat? When it gets too warm, do you have the air conditioner on? Too cold and have the heater kick on? In biology “comfort zone” means the range between 28 and 30 degrees Centigrade at which the naked body is able to maintain […]

feeling creative?

There is fascinating research saying that 98% of us test as highly creative at the age of five, and by age twenty-five, only 2% of us test that way. (Guess what that means for us seniors!) Since this is the month of Halloween, I looked for some creative jack-o-lanterns online. Eight years ago, I did […]

Squirrels as role models!?

Squirrels are just lowly rodents to some folks, but to admirers they are high flying acrobats, fuzzy tailed philosophers, scampering tree huggers, and resourceful survivors. (They are also awfully cute!) There are some life lessons we can learn from them! Consider these: First, we all know this easy one…to save for the future! The smart […]

Potholes in life!

I’ve discovered potholes can be of use. And that’s a good thing, because there seem to be so many of them! We often slow down, become more alert, and drive around them carefully. As a metaphor, they can make us aware of the places in our lives where we need to exercise care and caution. […]

Fall as a new beginning?

Summer is over. Fall is here! School is underway. Halloween decorations are everywhere. Fall is a fun, new beginning for me. I love it’s fresh energy, the “clean slate” feeling. And I love checking things off my “to do” lists. I hate having tired goals, unfinished goals; so I redo them to make me feel […]

I often eat dessert first!

(My sister and I were smart enough never to hire the applicant who said “I’d give anything to work in a chocoate store!” for we knew we couldn’t affort the loss of inventory!) We’ve all been overwhelmed with the messages to take pleasure when and where we can: Don’t worry-BE HAPPY! ENJOY LIFE NOW-this is […]

The rights of the reader!

This French author has quite the list! Let me know which of these resonate with you and/or if you have found others. The right to read anywhere! And the right to reread! Plus these too… We can skip pages if we want. And don’t forget the right to not have to defend our taste! No […]