I am reading Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster. Also, loving and vowing to follow her every single advise from every single chapter.

One of it is to write a gratitude list. Something I am not at all new to.

I have been doing it on and off since reading The Secret and discussing it obsessively with Jik throughout 2006-08. Then continuing the practice with the Five Minute Journal. But for some reason (read: Covid) I haven’t been doing it for the most part of this year. I dropped it a few weeks into the pandemic as I was feeling utterly bitter about things in general.

Today though, reading that particular chapter, titled “Fake Gratitude Until You Feel Gratitude” — and relating so much with what she wrote in there — I want to reinstate the habit.

I made a few rules for myself: to commit to writing 8 points. It doesn’t matter when, where, how or on what I write it — as long as I write it. I’ll put a reminder to write in the morning and at night (two reminders because I am inherently lazy). And lastly, I will share my practice with you here or on the social media every now and then, to keep myself accountable and hopefully inspire you to give it a try.

Here is my #gr8ful list for today:

• The magic of Moleskin journals.
• Extraordinary Oracle — It’s my birthday gift from Jik which arrived yesterday all the way from US. I can’t wait to work with it.
• The shared-joy of the long weekend.
• Tall Timber’s Shaksuka and coffee combo.
• Rainy weekend mornings — as if I need yet another reason to stay in bed reading.
• Painting-drinking-bitching zoom date with Jik.
• This blog and that blog.
• Puppies picture on Kleenex box.

Let’s do #gr8ful together. Or don’t. It’s up to you. Either way I hope you find your ways and reasons to be grateful daily.