There has been mounting evidence in the last few years that
a particular key to happiness is to develop a gratitude practice. By focusing on things we are grateful for,
we are better able to count life’s blessings and enjoy what we have.

So with the beginning of a new month and
season, I thought what better way to start spring than with a quick think about
the things I am grateful for.

Here’s just some of what I came up with in just ten minutes
or so.

I am grateful for:

being alive!
Every breath, being able to think, to enjoy, to love.

my loving family – my husband, my children, my
parents and extended family – for all they are, for all they bring to our
relationships, for the way they provide me with a safe and secure “place” to be
me. And for so much more!

my tribe – the beautiful group of women that I
choose as my family. These women accept
me for who I am. They trust me as I
trust them. We share our deepest
secrets, life’s highs and lows.

Having pretty teacups! I love drinking tea and
now have quite a lovely collection of favourite cups.

our home – we have a safe, warm place to sleep
and to enjoy each other’s company. I am
also grateful for the mess inside the house, the pile of ironing waiting for
me, the never-ending washing – because it means we have clothes to keep us
warm, toys for the children to play with, books for us to read, and memories we
are making together. I am also grateful
that our house has become a place where friends and family gather. I love hearing the house filled with children
playing, laughter and chatter of close friends and family.

my new Norwex front door mat and bathroom
cleaning cloths! They make my life much
easier and help to keep the house a bit cleaner.

my dog Jessie – she is the best furry best
friend anyone could hope for. She is
ALWAYS happy to see me and welcomes me with enthusiasm when I return home,
whether I’ve been gone for five minutes or all day. I love her snuggles, her sweet nature, and the
way she loves and protects my children as if they were her own.

challenging days like today. They make me
appreciate the easy days so much more, and they show me how far I have come in
my journey to be calm and more present.
There were lots of times today when things didn’t go to plan or my
buttons were pushed by my little people.
But, I am proud to say, I didn’t lose my sh*t once! Yay me!!

being in a position where I am able to take time off work to stay home with my babies. They are little for such a short time, and we had such a battle to become parents. I am grateful every day for them and the special time we are able to spend together.

that time my bff suggested we try Pilates. Who knew that it would lead to such fulfilment,
enjoyment and calm? And how good is it
to have a job where you wear your comfy active wear to work?!?!

my body – I am feeling strong again and healthy. I am also grateful to have my body back for
me after so long trying to be pregnant (different fertility treatments, IVF etc.),
being pregnant and really unwell, grieving lost babies, breastfeeding and repeating that cycle for seven years or so! It is really nice to have my body back just
for me.

being able to read – what an amazing thing! My son is learning to read and it is exciting
watching the world open up to him as he learns.

stolen moments of quiet and stillness – Being a
mum is busy, noisy, and often chaotic. I
am learning to seek out and enjoy short snippets of time where I just stop,
breathe and carry on.

the daffodils lasting so long in our garden this
year – they really are my favourite and I love the way when I look at them I feel
sunshine and happiness.

the beautiful spring day we had yesterday. Where we live, spring has a definite smell
and feel. I get very excited each year
with the blooming of the trees and the first promise of warmer weather (note to
self and a reminder to you all – I got my first sunburn of the season yesterday
– get the hats and sun cream out. I was
only in the sun for half an hour!).

days at the beach with my little family – these moments
of time together where we are present and joyful.

My car – I spend so much time in it these days,
I love how comfy it is, all the fabulous features and the heated seats and
sunroof help me to be happy every day.

The first glass of wine on a Friday night –
always something to look forward to. It
is the best tasting wine of the week. I’m
sure it is something to do with the promise of a couple of days with my special
people before the chaos starts again on Monday!

Every person who takes the time to read my
blog. I am happy to be writing like
this, and know that your time is precious.
So thank you! xx

So much to be grateful for, and that list came to me in no
time. Imagine how long the list would be
if I kept going for a couple of hours.

So, what are you grateful for? Share your thoughts below or comment on the
Facebook post (search Creative Calm Connected).

Have a great weekend,

E xx

5 Comments

Steven Schmid on 06/09/2016 at 6:03 am

ditto from me.
- EmmaCCC1 on 07/09/2016 at 5:52 am
  
  A man of many words 🙂
Gaby Schmid on 07/09/2016 at 11:25 am

I'm grateful for many of the same things you have listed Emma. A couple more for my list:
– I'm grateful for my wonderful husband… It took me a long time to find him – I should have started looking sooner! I'm glad that we are so happy in each other's company and that he lets me boss him around. He came with a pretty cool bunch of kids too!
-I'm grateful that we have enough – money, home,clothes etc
-I'm grateful that we live in a safe democratic country, with freedom of speech
And I'm grateful for those Sunday afternoons sitting in the sun and reading…and falling asleep 🙂
So many things to be grateful for… I could go on and on. I'm just going to go and write them in a journal, thanks for the inspiration Emma!
- EmmaCCC1 on 07/09/2016 at 11:36 am
  
  Ooh they are good ones Gaby! It's a bit fun once you get into it. I could've kept going for ages with my list too. Might make it a weekly thing to do, rather than daily, I suck at daily journalling.
Gaby Schmid on 07/09/2016 at 11:48 am

I suck at it too… I've just found the gratitude journal I started a year or so ago, and blew off the dust 😃 But I will try again