One Day At A Time

Last night, I realized I haven’t done my gratitude practice in over two weeks. It’s nothing crazy. I just write down 5-10 things I’m grateful for every day, but it helps me stay focused on what’s important so when something unexpected happens I can keep a positive mindset because of all the things I have to be grateful for. I went to bed feeling all the guilt and disappointment in myself for neglecting this practice. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This morning, I woke up - having forgotten my guilt - and was so excited to journal. I’ve been following along with Amber Rae’s #JournalYourFeelings challenge and wouldn’t ya know the prompt today was about gratitude. I’ll be honest, my first thought was, “Aw really? This is an easy one, I want to go deeper today.” Then I felt a little nudge from the universe and thought, “Nope. You need this, Em.” I’m sharing this because I think we all need it. Many of us have been home far longer than we’re used to and far longer than we expected, and there are likely lots of hairs being ripped out from the stress of it all. Businesses have had to close and employees have been laid off. Families are having to keep their distance from one another and parents are trying their damndest to homeschool their kids or at the very least occupy them until nap time. Healthcare workers don’t have the supplies they need and everyone is just doing the best they can with the resources they have. I’m here to remind everyone (myself included) that ~ g r a t i t u d e ~ is a resource we can all use to draw strength from and help us cope with the uncertainty. Even though we don’t know what next month or even next week will bring, we all have something to be grateful for. Cling to that gratitude. Let it untangle the knots in your stomach and replace them with hope and joy. Let it unfurl your brow and bring a smile to your face. Let it wash away the worry, the sorrow, and the I-can’t-do-this-anymore swirling around in your head. Let it bring warmth to your heart so you can be reminded that this too shall pass. There are greater things ahead. What they are, I don’t know, but I do know that the only way to get through the chaos is to keep moving forward. One day at a time, hell one hour at a time if that’s what it takes. We’re going to get through this, and we’re going to come out on the other side stronger, more resilient, and with a greater appreciation for this world and our humanity. Let’s give ourselves some grace and remember we’re all human and we were never meant to be contained within four walls, even the ones we call home. I see you, and I think you’re doing great.