all things great and small

One of the things I am enjoying most about my personal take on this practice is finding joy in some pretty unexpected places.  Using gratitude to direct my meditation is helping me appreciate so much more in my life.  There have been some bigger things, where you would expect someone to feel grateful (grandpa's health taking a good turn) ... but there have also been silly little ones that just improve the day ("hey, they're serving the french toast flavored coffee!").  

Finding the joy in these little life moments as well as in the big obvious ones is kind of the point of my project, anyway.  Complaining and giving in to negative energy is the easy way out.  Looking for the proverbial silver lining takes time and thought and dedication.  Leafing through the notebook I'm using to help me keep track, there are obvious trends; I can clearly see which days were easier to feel the gratitude and which days I grasped at straws to find something to appreciate. 

It's also interesting to note that this effort, to spend time every day focusing on the good, is making me take stock of my relationships.  Being grateful for a favorite flavor of coffee doesn't make sense to everyone.  Though I'm only sharing this project with a few people, I'm quietly considering my interaction with others, and which people in my life may be "toxic" to my thankful attitude.  There are a few I encounter on a fairly regular basis who are a drain on the positive energy I'm trying to cultivate... and in the last week or so, I've begun to put some distance between us. 

And maybe that's the point:  the meditation is quieting my inner noise and making me more mindful of the rest of my life.