In this excerpt from Finding Your Inner Moose: Ida LeClair's Guide to Livin' the Good Life, Ida talks about the importance of creating a gratitude list.
Sometimes setting yourself up for success means planning ahead. We’re told to do this when we’re dieting. You know, cook some meals ahead of time and freeze ’em. Have the dreaded baggie of carrot and celery sticks at the ready. Planning ahead works for nourishing your inner spirit, too. Schedule some reenergizing appointments with yourself, so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. Put them on your calendar, if you have to. Set aside fifteen minutes when you get home from work to sit and have a cup of tea before you start supper. Or take an adult ed class in rug hooking, scrapbooking, or Crock-Pot Magic—whatever floats your boat.
I love my weekly appointment down to Hair Affair with Patsy and the gang. The Saturday-morning crew don’t really spend time together outside of Hair Affair (except for Estelle Fournier and Denise Ouellette, who are sisters). But still, we know quite a bit about each other ’cause there’s something about having your hair done together that’s bonding. Did you see that movie, Steel Magnolias? It’s kind of like that at the shop, only with snow and blackflies. We call ourselves the Sturdy Pinecones.
Having a hobby is a great way to nourish your inner spirit. And having a craft room is the perfect place to take a little time out from your husband when he’s driving you crazy.
As much as I try, sometimes reconnecting and reenergizing gets totally lost in the business of everyday life. Especially during the holidays. So, I always try to take January 2 off from work as a recharging day. I wake up with that wonderful feeling of starting fresh, like I used to get as a kid after going to confession at church. My goal for that day is to make a list of all the things I’m grateful for.
See, I keep a gratitude journal all year, just like Oprah. Every day I write down at least five things I’m grateful for. You know—like I’m grateful for how pretty that cardinal looked on the bird feeder this morning, or that I didn’t have a second brownie at book club. But on January 2, I make a big list with as many things as I can think of. I work on it off and on all day. When I’m finished, I take that list, put it in an envelope, and write on the outside, “To be opened in case of an emergency. Love, Ida.”
Then I go into my craft room and tack it up on my bulletin board in place of last year’s list. I always read last year’s list to see how I’m doing on the gratitude front, making sure I didn’t forgot anything on my new list, before retiring the old one to my gratitude file. I have lists going back about ten years, I think. That’s a lot of gratitude. Just seeing that envelope on my bulletin board perks me up. It’s comforting to know it’s there. If I’m running low on gratitude, in need of a little reenergizing, I know I can go into the craft room, read my list, and top off the tank.
Finding Your Inner Moose by Susan Poulin is available for purchase at www.islandportpress.com and many local booksellers.
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